William Inge, Edward Gordon Selwyn, and Charles Gore represent three Anglican responses to John Henry Newman’s Essay on the Development of Doctrine. Development sought to account for doctrinal changes in Christianity by characterising Christianity as a ‘real idea’, expressing an object in the mind that can only be shown in its fullness by encounters with different philosophies over time. This was part of a wider intellectual movement in the 19th century away from static ideas of doctrinal history and towards more dynamic and subjective treatments. Inge, Selwyn, and Gore all make use of Newman after the First World War. Inge argues Newman abstracts historical facts from their realities, and abandons the old concept of tradition, where the church is the custodian of revelation, in favour of a relativistic concept, new in each generation. Selwyn makes use of Newman’s idea to argue for the autonomy of religious experience as a source of human knowledge mediated through religious traditions. Gore argues Newman enables ‘mobility’ in communicating Christianity to different cultures but argues development can be used justify distortions of the first revelation. The test of their authenticity should be whether they are inclusive of those Christ would be inclusive.

Theology is both a human endeavor and something of Divine origin, insofar as it is a human attempt to make sense of certain Divinely revealed propositions. How does one reconcile these two elements? One attempt to do so was on the part of the Anglican theologian Rowan Williams. In sections I and II of chapter 1 of his work ‘On Christian Theology’, Williams speaks of the nature of authentic theological discourse, that is, theological discourse that has integrity. In his work on theological integrity, Williams explores how human intentions or hidden agendas can potentially warp our attempt to make sense of the truths contained within Divine Revelation. He then goes on to speak of how to avoid such pitfalls. In this article, I will respond to the epistemological implications of William's thoughts on this topic. I will use various ideas from Catholic theology, including the development of doctrines and the notion that faith has both a subjective and objective element, to explore both the strengths and weaknesses of Williams's thought.

Yves Congar's impressive theology of tradition is, rather paradoxically, a post-traditional attempt to rediscover, conceptualize, and account for tradition. A critical element of Congar's post-traditional work on tradition is his retrieval of a ‘Thomistic’ theology of history. This article explores the ontology and hermeneutics of Congar's theology of history, focusing in particular on some of the dynamics and internal tensions of Congar's mediation of Thomistic sacra doctrina to distinctively modern theological questions. I first discuss Congar's hermeneutics of reception, with particular attention to the influence of Marie-Dominique Chenu. Second, I sketch the main features of Congar's theology of history, with particular attention paid to how it is informed by his ressourcement reading of Thomas. By way of conclusion, I offer an appraisal of and critical response to Congar's post-traditional hermeneutics and ontology of history

Many scholars dismiss Origen's theology of scriptural inspiration as hopelessly lacking in historical sensibility. They point to his anachronistic attribution to the Old Testament prophets of extensive knowledge of the details of Christ's incarnation and of the allegorical significance of their own writings. I dispute this assessment, arguing that Origen's view of prophetic knowledge is more sophisticated than scholars have recognised and can contribute to contemporary reflection on progressive revelation, both anticipating and chastening it. I conclude with three analogies Origen offers us for conceptualising the development of revelation and doctrine.

The article begins by making a connection between the theme of the sensus fidelium and theological hermeneutics, proposing the theology of Edward Schillebeeckx as a resource for weaving together the distinctive – and complementary – contributions to the development of doctrine made by the magisterium and by theologians. This helps to articulate an account of ‘the faithful’ that is inclusive, and can overcome the separation between the teaching Church and the learning Church that was so firmly in place between Vatican I and Vatican II. The ecclesiological image of the people of God is then explored, using two newly translated sources from Schillebeeckx's later works. This links the theological voice back to the magisterium and, drawing on the teaching of Pope Francis, the idea of ‘integral ecclesiology’ is proposed as part of the inclusive approach being recommended. Such an ecclesiology needs to draw the image of the people of God into a fruitful interaction with that of communio, and the article takes a pneumatological turn in order to do this. Using a metaphor from Pope Francis of the Holy Spirit as the source of harmony in the symphony of the church, a proposal is voiced that is retrospective and prospective at the same time, drawing the two hermeneutical strategies for the interpretation of Vatican II into a relational dialectic with each other. It also offers the possibility of a theological diversity that leads the church into greater union, and into ever deeper communion with the living God.