St. John Henry Newman—The Patristical Idea of Antichrist | Pt. 1: The Times of Antichrist

By James T. Majewski ( bio - articles - email ) | Jan 31, 2021 | In Catholic Culture Audiobooks (Podcast)

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“Is the enemy of Christ, and His Church, to arise out of a certain special falling away from GOD? And is there no reason to fear that some such Apostasy is gradually preparing, gathering, hastening on in this very day?”

The lecture we’ll be hearing today is the first in a series of four. These were written before Newman’s conversion to Catholicism and made their initial appearance among Newman’s “Tracts for the Times”—an effort by Newman and others to firm up a definite basis of doctrine and discipline for the Church of England.

As will be seen, Newman obviously felt that the idea of Antichrist—and, specifically, that idea of Antichrist as expressed by the Church Fathers—was of special significance. In fact, decades later and after his conversion to Catholicism, Newman would choose to have The Patristical Idea of Antichrist re-published in a collection called “Discussions and Arguments”, from which this reading comes.

Part 1, The Times of Antichrist, is an exhortation to take seriously prophecy concerning the Antichrist, and to recognize these prophecies as referring to a specific time and concerning a specific individual. Newman also identifies apostasy in particular as that which unfailingly prepares the way for the spirit of Antichrist—a spirit already active in the world, ever struggling to bring about its ultimate fulfillment—and a spirit that each of us either resists, or hastens the coming of its day.

Links

The Times of Antichrist Full text: http://www.newmanreader.org/works/arguments/antichrist/lecture1.html

Way of the Fathers w/ Mike Aquilina, Ep. 32—Julian, the Apostate Who Aped the Church: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/32julian-apostate-who-aped-church/

Societal polarization: Dangerous, but also a sacred duty. By Dr. Jeff Mirus: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/polarization-dangerous-but-also-sacred-duty/

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