The Politics of Modernism ─ Alfred Loisy and the Scientific Study of Religion

In the nineteenth century, most people assumed that the "modern spirit" and Catholicism, the great "religion of authority," were irreconcilably opposed. However, some tried to combine the two in a reformed and modernized Catholicism. These efforts, and the reaction of the institutional Church against them, precipitated the Modernist Crisis.

Alfred Loisy (1857—1940) was at the center of this dramatic conflict between advocates and opponents of "modernity." Loisy believed that his adoption of scientific methods to study the Bible and the history of Christianity necessarily committed him to a campaign to modernize Catholicism as a whole. In this book, Harvey Hill describes the emergence, articulation, and ultimate fate of Loisy's reform program as he interacted with allies and opponents of his modernizing agenda.

By tracing Loisy's early intellectual and religious development in more detail than have previous scholars, Hill shows how Loisy self-consciously placed his historical scholarship at the service of a positive reform agenda from the very beginning of his ecclesiastical career and that he viewed this reform agenda as an intrinsic part of his critical work. Drawing on some of Loisy's unpublished writings and little-known articles, Hill goes on to demonstrate that Loisy's efforts to reform Catholicism presupposed a new view of the nature and limits of Church authority in relation to the secular state as well as to modern scholarship. Hill uses Loisy's political views to illustrate the more general challenge to ecclesiastical authority that was, again, an intrinsic part of the modern scientific study of religion as Loisy understood it.

Hill's interpretation of Loisy and the theology and politics of the scientific study of religion will interest students of Catholic Modernism, the history of modern religion, and the emergence of religious studies as an academic discipline.

Harvey Hill is Assistant Professor of Religion at Berry College. He is the coeditor of Personal Faith and Institutional Commitment: Roman Catholic Modernist and Anti-Modernist Autobiography and author of numerous essays, articles, and reviews.

Praise for the book:

"One is unlikely to find in any language a clearer, better written introduction to the neuralgic career of Alfred Loisy than Harvey Hill's. In addition to its clarity, what sets it apart from the many studies of Loisy is its well-argued conception of the historical integrity of Loisy's mature modernist works as growing out of ideas he formulated in the 1870's and the 1880's to which other scholars have paid scant attention. . . . Out of an artful rehearsal of the conflicts with church authorities over Loisy's historical criticism of Scripture and tradition with implications for doctrine, what emerges is a clarification of the role of Loisy's political interests—thus the book's title. . . . Far from taking sides in the conflict between Loisy and the church authorities, Hill maintains aesthetic distance."—David G. Schultenover, S.J., Catholic Historical Review

"[A] much needed book on the role of Loisy and the scientific study of religion. This is a valuable study of an important individual and time in the contemporary history of the Catholic Church. It is also most relevant, as it addresses an actual dilemma for many Catholic intellectuals today. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the contemporary history of the Church and for those searching for an adequate relation of faith and reason."—Lucien J. Richard, OMI, Catholic Library World

"Harvey Hill has succeeded in breaking new ground in this study, in which he insightfully sets forth issues underlying Loisy's writings, and tests his judgments against the secondary literature. . . . More than previous scholars Hill clarifies the extent of Loisy's political interests. . . . Hill's ability to co