Ma`rifat Adyan

Christianity has consistently faced the challenge of the evolution of its doctrines. However, the term "evolution" is not particularly favored by the Catholic Church. The central question is: to what extent is the evolution of religious doctrines acceptable? From Newman's perspective, the evolution of doctrine is justifiable, and the correct solution for the Catholic Church in this regard is the theory of the "Development of Christian Doctrine." He considers development to be an inevitable process for any living idea. According to him, understanding a profound idea is impossible without a long period of time and deep reflection. Divine revelation remains alive only through genuine development. The Apostles only partially comprehended the divine revelation. In the process of subsequent development, with the realization of new revelations, novel aspects of it have been understood and guaranteed by the infallible authority of the Church. Based on the characteristics of early Christianity, Newman considered doctrinal evolution to be both expected and necessary and sought to prove that current doctrines are the expected developments and that adhering to them is a logical duty. He proposed seven criteria to distinguish true development from corruption: preservation of type; continuity of principles; power of assimilation; logical sequence; anticipation of the future of ideas; conservative action upon the past; and chronic vigor. This theory is not without fundamental flaws, such as reliance on weak evidence and overlooking counter-evidence, and it remains inadequate for resolving the issue. The authors of this article have endeavored to analyze this theory using a documentary research method.