Gerard Magill's purpose in writing his most recent book, Religious Morality in John Henry Newman: Hermeneutics of the Imagination, was to fill a lacuna in Newman scholarship by exploring Newman's religious morality in a manner that encompassed more than an assessment or examination of Newman on conscience. The book fulfills its claim that it is a “significant contribution to that scholarship” and that “the analysis and literature comprise a detailed research guide for graduates and scholars” (book jacket).

Magill divides the book into “three theoretical” and “three practical foundations” of Newman's religious morality. The theoretical foundations are truth and holiness, reason and belief, and hermeneutics of the imagination. “Hermeneutics of the imagination” is a phrase never used by Newman; Magill uses it to describe the “interpretive process in Newman's religious epistemology…[that] relies upon the imagination not only for the assent of certitude but also for actions that arise from it” (73). These theoretical chapters will be of particular interest to scholars wrestling with how we (subjects) arrive at objective truth through various types of reasoning processes. Historical consciousness and the subject are not absent in Newman's writings, but Magill demonstrates the usefulness of Newman's thought in maintaining the relationship between objectivity, normativity, and the subject who must both assent to and apply truth claims and norms in their lives.

These three theoretical foundations of Newman's religious morality ground the chapters on the “three practical foundations” of moral law, moral conscience, and church tradition. The discussion of moral law highlights a nonstatic notion of law whereby one must attend to three aspects of a moral law: “its genesis, its application, and its ongoing refinement” (113). Anyone familiar with the work of Thomas Aquinas or Klaus Demmer will find resonances with Magill's articulation of Newman's thought here. Magill argues that, for Newman, the moral conscience has both autonomous and theonomous aspects. The subject has a duty, obligation, and responsibility to God. Magill's comparison of Newman and Josef Fuchs in this chapter will interest some. The final chapter on church tradition explores how Newman's own experiences and approaches to encounters with the magisterium might provide guidance for theologians today, and discusses Newman's claim that the laity, theologians, and the bishops all have roles in the development of tradition. Theologians and the bishops are the primary focus here, while the laity are covered more briefly.

Magill's mastery of both the literature about Newman and Newman's corpus of scholarly writing, sermons, letters, and other publications is evident in his analysis. He deftly weaves together an argument concerning various aspects of Newman's religious morality that utilizes Newman's various writings, compares Newman to other thinkers past and present, and notes differences among Newman scholars on certain themes. The overall effect is a portrait of Newman's religious morality that cannot be pigeonholed into the worn frameworks of liberal/conservative, authentic/inauthentic Catholic. Thus, this book will challenge anyone tempted to utilize Newman's name in proposing a particular ecclesial agenda.

Several questions emerged about Newman's religious morality from Magill's portrayal of it: What is the role of worship and practices as complements to doctrine for religious morality? How do discipleship and following the practices of Jesus fit into Newman's religious morality? What attention, if any, does Newman give to the Holy Spirit when considering the formulation of doctrine or the application of moral law?

The book also has an e-book edition. Because the e-book version is searchable, the hardcover version is not indexed. This reviewer found that to be an unfortunate decision, since the unindexed hardcover version made searching for thinkers and themes, and cross-referencing ideas across chapters difficult. The well-outlined chapters with multiple subheadings and Magill's own internal textual referencing somewhat ease this difficulty. However, for those who prefer to read a hard copy with the ability to search for themes, ideas, or people in an index, the dilemma remains as to whether one should also buy the e-book version.

The book is suitable for scholars, as well as advanced graduate students. A solid grasp of Newman's historical era, the modernist crisis, and the various philosophical and theological schools of the nineteenth century would also ground graduate students who wish to profitably engage with this introduction to Newman's religious morality.