The Newman of Faith and the Newman of History

Since its early days, Newman scholarship has been called hagiographical. It sometimes seems there are two Newmans: a Newman of Faith and a Newman of History, and never the twain shall meet. In this article, I explore the relationship between the Newman remembered by the Church – the saint and universal doctor – and the Newman of academic historiography. I explore present and past instances of the tension between history and hagiography in Newman studies, situate my own work within that tension, and suggest ways of understanding and navigating it. I draw on some of the early theoreticians of the distinction between memory and history to argue that meaningful historiography requires a tradition of remembrance.