Request a Copy
Request an exam/desk copy for college or graduate-level classroom use
or a review copy for a journal.
Submit Request
About the Authors
Frederick Aquino
Frederick D. Aquino is Professor of Systematic Theology at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. His research interests are religious epistemology, John Henry Newman, Maximus the Confessor, and philosophy of religion. His publications include Communities of Informed Judgment (CUA Press, 2004), An Integrative Habit of Mind (NIU, 2012), Receptions of Newman (with Benjamin J. King, Oxford, 2015), The Oxford Handbook of John Henry Newman (with Benjamin J. King, Oxford, 2017), The Oxford Handbook of the Epistemology of Theology (with William J. Abraham, Oxford, 2018), and Perceiving Things Divine: Towards a Constructive Account of Spiritual Perception (with Paul Gavrilyuk, Oxford, 2022).
Matthew Levering
Matthew Levering holds the James N. Jr. and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology at Mundelein Seminary. He is the author or co-author of over thirty-five books, including Newman on Doctrinal Corruption (Word on Fire Academic, 2022) and Proofs of God: Classical Arguments from Tertullian to Barth (Baker Academic, 2016). His many co-edited books include most recently John Henry Newman and Joseph Ratzinger: A Theological Encounter (with Emery de Gaál, CUA Press, 2025). He is the co-editor of two theological quarterlies, Nova et Vetera and the International Journal of Systematic Theology; and he is the senior editor of The New Ressourcement. He is the past president of the Academy of Catholic Theology.
What People Are Saying
arrow_back_ios
“Newman’s An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent is widely regarded as one of his most significant and original works, though it is also among his most challenging. This is in part because, while the Grammar of Assent is a theoretical work, it is also a deeply personal one. The ideas in the Grammar did not arise out of a well-defined school of thought but rather out of a lifetime of reflection on the relationship between reason, belief, and faith, both in Newman’s own person and in those close to him. As a result, the significance of the Grammar can be lost to the contemporary reader. This collection of essays, authored by leading Newman scholars in philosophy and theology, is a great resource for understanding this important text. By addressing the central ideas of the Grammar with clarity and depth, the essays offer both an accessible introduction for scholars new to Newman’s thought and a treasure trove of insights for seasoned readers.”
Joe Milburn
University of Navarra
“Newman’s Grammar of Assent is one of the great works of the Catholic intellectual tradition in modern times, a book that anticipates some of the most important developments in subsequent epistemology and applies them with care and precision to basic theological questions. Yet it often falls between the cracks. Theologians tend to shy away from it because it seems too philosophical, and philosophers because it seems too theological. This fine collection of essays by philosophical and theological readers of the Grammar should go a long way toward securing for Newman’s singular work the recognition it deserves in our own time.”
Bruce D. Marshall
Southern Methodist University
“This critical guide, with first-class essays expertly curated by Aquino and Levering, offers an illuminating exploration of St. John Henry Newman’s An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent, one of the most significant—if perhaps criminally underread—works in Catholic philosophy and theology. With a keen focus on Newman’s concept of assent within his broader epistemology, the contributors are also able to situate his thought not only in dialogue with other great thinkers like Aristotle, Pascal, Locke, Butler, and Bouyer, but also to suggest how the Grammar is related to many of his other major texts and more expansive theological and philosophical vision. While the collection of methodologically distinct contributions from history, philosophy, and theology is clearly an interdisciplinary tour de force appropriate to Newman’s own intellectual range and richness, it hangs together beautifully. Indeed, the volume bears within it the marks of genuine collaboration, even friendship, between its contributors: urgency, intimacy, sharpness, liveliness, and depth, as it seeks to make this neglected text more accessible to students and scholars alike.”
Jennifer Newsome Martin
University of Notre Dame
“Newman’s An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent is widely regarded as one of his most significant and original works, though it is also among his most challenging. This is in part because, while the Grammar of Assent is a theoretical work, it is also a deeply personal one. The ideas in the Grammar did not arise out of a well-defined school of thought but rather out of a lifetime of reflection on the relationship between reason, belief, and faith, both in Newman’s own person and in those close to him. As a result, the significance of the Grammar can be lost to the contemporary reader. This collection of essays, authored by leading Newman scholars in philosophy and theology, is a great resource for understanding this important text. By addressing the central ideas of the Grammar with clarity and depth, the essays offer both an accessible introduction for scholars new to Newman’s thought and a treasure trove of insights for seasoned readers.”
Joe Milburn
University of Navarra
“Newman’s Grammar of Assent is one of the great works of the Catholic intellectual tradition in modern times, a book that anticipates some of the most important developments in subsequent epistemology and applies them with care and precision to basic theological questions. Yet it often falls between the cracks. Theologians tend to shy away from it because it seems too philosophical, and philosophers because it seems too theological. This fine collection of essays by philosophical and theological readers of the Grammar should go a long way toward securing for Newman’s singular work the recognition it deserves in our own time.”
Bruce D. Marshall
Southern Methodist University
“This critical guide, with first-class essays expertly curated by Aquino and Levering, offers an illuminating exploration of St. John Henry Newman’s An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent, one of the most significant—if perhaps criminally underread—works in Catholic philosophy and theology. With a keen focus on Newman’s concept of assent within his broader epistemology, the contributors are also able to situate his thought not only in dialogue with other great thinkers like Aristotle, Pascal, Locke, Butler, and Bouyer, but also to suggest how the Grammar is related to many of his other major texts and more expansive theological and philosophical vision. While the collection of methodologically distinct contributions from history, philosophy, and theology is clearly an interdisciplinary tour de force appropriate to Newman’s own intellectual range and richness, it hangs together beautifully. Indeed, the volume bears within it the marks of genuine collaboration, even friendship, between its contributors: urgency, intimacy, sharpness, liveliness, and depth, as it seeks to make this neglected text more accessible to students and scholars alike.”
Jennifer Newsome Martin
University of Notre Dame
“Newman’s An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent is widely regarded as one of his most significant and original works, though it is also among his most challenging. This is in part because, while the Grammar of Assent is a theoretical work, it is also a deeply personal one. The ideas in the Grammar did not arise out of a well-defined school of thought but rather out of a lifetime of reflection on the relationship between reason, belief, and faith, both in Newman’s own person and in those close to him. As a result, the significance of the Grammar can be lost to the contemporary reader. This collection of essays, authored by leading Newman scholars in philosophy and theology, is a great resource for understanding this important text. By addressing the central ideas of the Grammar with clarity and depth, the essays offer both an accessible introduction for scholars new to Newman’s thought and a treasure trove of insights for seasoned readers.”
Joe Milburn
University of Navarra
arrow_forward_ios
array:5 [▼
"authors" => array:2 [▶
0 => "Frederick Aquino"
1 => "Matthew Levering"
]
"pages" => 288
"publish_date" => 2025
"publisher" => "Emmaus Academic"
"series" => "Critical Guide"
]
authors
Frederick Aquino
Matthew Levering
pages
publish_date
publisher
series
