Publisher's Synopsis
In his influential "An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine" (1845), the year of his conversion to Catholicism, John Henry Newman posited that a scrupulous and comprehensive examination of Christian history, notably that of the early Church, demonstrated the consistent and organic evolution of Catholic doctrines and practices from their earliest origins. His conviction was that profound engagement with Christian history increasingly illuminated the historical foundations of Catholicism. The "Advent of Christianity" confirms Newman's assertion.
