Alfred Loisy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alfred Loisy
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| Born |
Alfred Firmin Loisy
28 February 1857 |
| Died | 1 June 1940 (aged 83) |
| Alma mater | Institut Catholique de Paris |
| Occupation | Priest, professor, theologian |
| Known for | Founder of Modernism in the Roman Catholic Church |
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Notable work
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(See list below) |
| Title | Chair of History of Religions in the Collège de France |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Collège de France |
| Influenced | Alec Vidler |
Alfred Firmin Loisy (born February 28, 1857 – died June 1, 1940) was a French Catholic priest and professor. He was a very important thinker who helped start a movement called Modernism within the Roman Catholic Church.
Loisy believed that the Bible should be studied using modern methods, like looking at its history. He thought this could help people understand the Bible better. He famously said, "Jesus announced the kingdom, and it is the Church that came." This meant he saw the Church as a natural growth from Jesus's message.
His ideas often disagreed with the Church's leaders, including Pope Leo XIII and Pope Pius X. Because of this, he lost his teaching job in 1893. His books were later officially disapproved by the Church. In 1908, he was excommunicated, meaning he was no longer allowed to be part of the Catholic Church.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Alfred Loisy was born on February 28, 1857, in Ambrières, France. When he was four years old, he went to a special school for future priests. From 1874 to 1879, he studied at the Grand séminaire de Châlons-en-Champagne. He then joined the Institut Catholique de Paris in 1878.
Even before becoming a priest, Loisy had some doubts about his faith. But after an illness, he returned to his studies. He became a priest on June 29, 1879. At first, he worked in a parish. But in 1881, he asked to go back to the Institut Catholique. He wanted to finish his theology degree. That autumn, he became a teacher of Hebrew. He also took more Hebrew classes with Ernest Renan. Other scholars, like Paulin Martin and Louis Duchesne, also influenced his ideas about the Bible.
Ideas About the Bible
Loisy started writing for a magazine he published himself called L'Enseignement biblique. In November 1893, he shared some of his key ideas about studying the Bible. He said that the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) was not written by Moses. He also believed that the first five chapters of Genesis were not meant to be taken as exact history. Loisy also thought that the New Testament and the Old Testament did not have the same historical value. He argued that ideas in the Bible developed over time. He also said that Biblical writings should be looked at like any other ancient texts.
These ideas caused him to lose his teaching job. Soon after, Pope Leo XIII released a letter called Providentissimus Deus. This letter disagreed with Loisy's views. It made it very hard for him to keep publishing his critical work. So, Loisy stopped publishing his magazine at the end of 1893.
How the Church Developed
Loisy's book, Les Évangiles Synoptiques, published in 1908, led to his excommunication. He argued against the ideas of Adolf von Harnack, a German theologian. Loisy tried to show that it was natural and necessary for the Catholic Church to grow into the form it took.
He believed that Jesus thought God's kingdom was coming very soon. So, Jesus did not plan to create a Church that would last for centuries. Loisy thought that after Jesus's death, his followers changed his message. They turned his idea of the Kingdom into the Church. Loisy argued that this was a good and necessary change. He said that nothing can stay in its exact original form forever. He believed that Christianity had to change and adapt, just like everything else in life. This idea was similar to Cardinal Newman's theory about how Christian teachings develop over time.
Another idea Loisy had was about the early history of the Hebrews. In his book La Religion d'Israël, he suggested that before Moses, the Hebrews worshipped a god called El. Later, Yahweh slowly became the only god for the Jewish people.
Conflict with Pope Pius X
When Cardinal Sarto became Pope Pius X in August 1903, the conflict with Loisy grew. In October, Loisy published three new books. These books included Autour d'un petit livre and Le Quatrième Évangile.
Pope Pius X asked the Holy Office (a Church department) to review Loisy's books. By December 1903, the Holy Office officially disapproved of Loisy's main works. These included Religion d'Israël, L'Évangile et l'Église, and the new books.
Condemnation and Excommunication
On January 12, 1904, Loisy wrote to the Vatican. He said he accepted the disapproval of his books. But he also said he would keep his own beliefs as a historian. The Church was not satisfied with this. Loisy sent more letters, but they were not answered. By the end of March, Loisy stopped teaching. In April 1907, he moved back to his hometown.
In 1904, the Holy Office started listing errors in Loisy's writings. In July 1907, they published a decree called Lamentabili sane exitu. This document condemned 65 ideas from Loisy's work. These ideas were about the Church, the Bible, and the nature of Jesus. A year later, the Pope issued an encyclical (a letter) called Pascendi dominici gregis. This letter called modernism the "synthesis of all heresies."
These documents made Loisy realize that his ideas could not be reconciled with official Catholic teachings. He studied the papal documents to show how his writings were condemned. He also stated that some of his earlier ideas about the New Testament were true. In his diary, he wrote that his religion was more "pantheist-positivist-humanitarian" than Christian.
His critics in the Church found his views hard to understand. Modernists wondered how the Church could survive with such strict rules. But for Pope Pius X, the question was how these men could remain priests.
Loisy kept publishing books. In January 1908, he released Les Évangiles synoptiques. This was a detailed study of the Synoptic Gospels. He believed that the Gospels used two eyewitness accounts. He also saw a strong influence from Paul in the Gospel of Mark. Loisy thought that many of Jesus's sayings were real. He also believed that the meaning of Jesus's suffering and the Last Supper came directly from Jesus's actions and words.
He also published Simples Réflexions sur le décret Lamentabili et sur l'encyclique Pascendi. In this book, he looked at each condemned idea. He concluded that "Time is the great teacher." He also said that people should not give up hope for either civilization or the Church.
The Church leaders quickly reacted. On February 14, 1908, the archbishop of Paris banned people from reading Loisy's books. He said they attacked basic Christian beliefs.
On March 7, 1908, Alfred Loisy was officially excommunicated. This meant he was completely cut off from the Catholic Church.
After his excommunication, Loisy became a secular scholar. In 1909, he was given a special teaching position at the Collège de France. He taught there until he retired in 1931. In this role, he continued to develop his ideas. He saw Christianity more as a system of ethics for humans than a divine religion. He also studied early religions and how they influenced Christianity. He never changed his mind about his beliefs. He died in 1940 in Ceffonds, France.
Writings
- Eng. trans. of L'Evangile et l'Eglise
- Eng. trans. of La religion d'Israël
- Eng. trans. of Choses passées
- Eng. trans. of La naissance du Christianisme
- Eng. trans. of Les origines du Nouveau Testament
See Also
In Spanish: Alfred Loisy para niños
- Catholic Church in France
