Although concentrated in the period of 1893–1914, the Catholic Modernist crisis had important antecedents in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century religious liberalism as well as lasting effects in the lead-up to the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) and beyond. Attentiveness to this broader historical horizon sheds valuable light not only on the underlying commitments and concerns of the major figures involved in the crisis, but also on the theological issues under dispute, the significance of which continues unabated to the present day.
In Catholic Modernism: Tyrrell, Loisy, and the Ongoing Challenge to Dogmatic Christianity, editors Matthew Levering and Jeffrey L. Morrow bring together a collection of original studies that investigate the Catholic Modernist crisis within its larger historical and theological context. A key throughline concerns the connection of Modernism and religious liberalism, which is characterized by the insistence that Christian dogmas are merely human claims rooted in the exigencies of the Church rather than binding, divinely revealed truths about reality.
After an initial introduction that examines religious liberalism more generally, the volume first offers an overview of the Modernist crisis and its most important participants. It then proceeds with a series of more focused studies concerning Alfred Loisy's views of dogma, George Tyrrell's understanding of theology and divine revelation, and the presence of Loisy's ideas within contemporary treatments of tradition. Offered as an appendix is an English translation of selections from Loisy's Autour d'un petit livre, in which he addresses his aims in The Gospel and the Church and his views on the truth of Scripture, the divinity of Christ, and the origin and authority of dogma.
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MATTHEW LEVERING is the James N. Jr. and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology and the director of the Center for Scriptural Exegesis, Philosophy, and Doctrine at Mundelein Seminary. He is the author or editor of several dozen books, including Engaging the Doctrine of Revelation: The Mediation of the Gospel through the Church and Scripture, The Abuse of Conscience: A Century of Catholic Moral Thought, and Newman on Doctrinal Corruption.
Dr. Jeffrey L. Morrow is Professor of Theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville and the Director of the St. Paul Studies Center at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Dayton. He spent 15 years as a Professor of Theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University, and he has served as a visiting scholar at Princeton Theological Seminary and Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem. Dr. Morrow was raised culturally Jewish and entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil of 1999.
Dr. Morrow is the author and co-author of more than 220 publications including 15 books such as The Word of God Inspired for our Salvation (Scepter, 2026); Catholic Modernism (co-edited with Matt Levering; Emmaus Academic, 2026); A Catholic Guide to the New Testament (with Jeff Cavins; Ascension Press, 2024); Murmuring Against Moses (with John Bergsma; Emmaus Academic, 2023); and Modern Biblical Criticism as a Tool of Statecraft (with Scott Hahn; Emmaus Academic, 2020); and more than 60 scholarly articles and essays in edited volumes and academic journals including Nova et Vetera, Letter & Spirit, International Journal of Systematic Theology, Newman Studies Journal, and the Journal for the History of Modern Theology. Additionally, he has presented more than 60 scholarly papers at professional conferences like the Society of Biblical Literature and the American Academy of Religion.
