The Inclusion of Demetria in The Church of our Fathers by John Henry Newman

Abstract

The objective of this article is to examine the inclusion of Demetria in “The Church of Our Fathers” by John Henry Newman. Admiration for the primitive Christian world and a deep patristic study led John Henry Newman to write the historical sketches published in 1840. In his writings, the author narrates who the Fathers of the Church were and describes the encounter between Greco-Roman philosophy and early Christianity. Likewise, he acknowledges the relevance of the formers for a more adequate interpretation and a more precise reflection of the Sacred Scriptures. The context which gave way to the Anglicanism, among the various criticisms against the Catholic Church was the rejection of monastic life. In fact, this prejudice led to the destruction of monasteries under Henry VIII. Out of the several historical sketches included in The Church of the Fathers, Newman dedicates chapter IX to Demetria, a young Roman woman related to Saint Jerome and Saint Augustine. The inclusion of the only woman in his work illustrates the value of consecrated life already present among early Christians, a discovery that confirmed another step in Newman’s process of conversion to the Catholic faith.