John Henry Newman Fifteen Sermons Preached before the University of Oxford

Newman himself called the Oxford University Sermons, first published in 1843, 'the best, not the most perfect, book I have done'. He added, 'I mean there is more to develop in it'. Indeed, the book is a precursor of all his major later works, including especially the Essay on the Developmentof Christian Doctrine and the Grammar of Assent. Dealing with the relationship of faith and reason, the fifteen sermons represent Newman's resolution of the conflict between heart and head that so troubled believers, non-believers, and agnostics of the nineteenth century, Their controversial naturealso makes them one of the primary documents of the Oxford Movement. This new edition provides an introduction to the sermons, a definitive text with textual variants, extensive annotation, and appendices containing previously unpublished material.

James David Earnest is Professor of English Emeritus, Murray State University, Kentucky. Gerard Tracey, who died in 2003, was formerly Lay Archivist of the Birmingham Oratory. He edited volumes 6, 7, and 8 of The Letters and Diaries of John Henry Newman.