Book Review: The Dream of Gerontius by John Henry Newman

The Dream of Gerontius, written in the mid-19th century, is a poetic description of the journey of a departed soul from the moment of death until it reaches the throne of judgment. The narrator, Gerontius, is a believer in Christ, a Catholic. Initially, just before death, he is surrounded by a chorus of believers praying for him. After his soul leaves his body, he converses with his guardian angel, who is escorting him to that judgment seat, often serenaded by choruses of angels (with a brief passage by the abode of mocking demons).

But the focus of the poetry is not on the environment (although he wonders at the feeling of not being in his body but somehow not feeling the lack). Gerontius primarily discusses his guilt over the life he lived and the coming discipline and purging that he will necessarily experience, in order to enter into heaven. The emotional impact of that guilt and dread of the tribulations are vividly contrasted with poetic praise of the glory of God.

The theological issue of purgatory is not discussed, because the author was a Cardinal in the Catholic Church. This remains a point of disagreement between Protestant and Catholic theology. Catholic belief is that a process of purging is necessary to cleanse the soul of its  sinfulness before entering heaven, giving account of the deeds of the flesh. (2 Corinthians 5:10) The Protestant understanding of Scripture is that the atonement of Christ is the full and complete payment for all sins of those who receive Christ. Therefore, no suffering on our part can add to the completed work of Christ, and to attempt to do so is to deny the totality of the salvation that the cross of Christ offers. Addressing this theological divide was not Cardinal Newman’s purpose.

However, as a vision of what comes after death, in my view, the key shortcoming is the focus on guilt, without a commensurate focus on redemption. God’s holiness and His love seem like incompatible attributes in our experience, reconciled only through the cross of Christ. But they were thusly reconciled. We can experience God’s holiness and love at the same time. The dread of purgatory omits the joy of receiving and experiencing eternal love. It almost transforms the concept of discipline, of discipleship, from that of a father and son to one of a judge and truant. This seems inconsistent with scripture, for example the repeated metaphor of a marriage feast (e.g., Revelation 19:7-9), and the vision of Stephen as he was being stoned (Acts 7:55-56). Hence, I cannot accept that the vision presented in this book does justice to God’s plan. Perhaps words cannot describe the reality of life in heaven.