What Happens if John Henry Newman is Declared Doctor of the Church by Vatican II-ists?

The problem is, An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine.

Even more, what this work is supposed to mean.

"Yeah, in 1800 all Catholics believed the world was from 4004 or 5199 or 5500 BC, now we (sic !) believe in Evolution" ...

OK, isn't that contradictory?

"No, not really, it's development of doctrine, Cardinal Newman wrote about it."

The problem with that argument is, when Cardinal Newman wrote it, he was barely a Catechumen. He was told to write the reasons he had to convert, as they appeared to him as an Anglican. He wrote it before he had proper Catholic instruction, and part of what he's saying actually depends on the idea that there is less explicit early support for some Catholic dogmas than there is. As he had learned the case in the Church of England.

This may not always be helpful to include in his carreere as a Church doctor. After all, everything that St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, he wrote as already Catholic since day 8 after he was born.

But another problem is, will people know what he means, will they read the actual work? Because, as I recall some things, accepting Deep Time would at least by now not be according to the criteria Newman set forth.

I maybe should reread it to make sure.

But anyway, with St. Augustine people also play the game of "he wasn't young earth creationist, he said ..." and then citing the absolutely most quotemined passage in De Genesi ad Litteram Libri XII.

If you read through books 12 to 17 of City of God, you'll see that St. Augustine was Young Earth Creationist as it applies to time from Adam on, at least. And if you get a chance of reading De Genesi ad Litteram Libri XII, whether your Latin is that good, or, for rustier like me, or even non-Latinists, a Budé or Loeb edition, go to books 4 to 6 and see how St. Augustine in not favouring strict adherence to six literal days, actually doesn't lengthen time, but shorten it. 168 hours exchanged for 1 second or less. So, he was a Young Earth Creationist.

I think, but I should check first, that sth similar applies to An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine.

Hans Georg Lundahl
Paris
St. Ignatius of Loyola
31.VII.2025

Romae natalis sancti Ignatii, Presbyteri et Confessoris, qui Fundator exstitit Societatis Jesu, atque vir fuit sanctitate et miraculis clarus, ac religionis catholicae ubique dilatandae studiosissimus; quem Pius Undecimus, Pontifex Maximus, caelestem omnium Exercitiorum spiritualium Patronum constituit.