Alfred Loisy Boeken

The book engages in a critical dialogue with Adolf von Harnack's ideas, highlighting the significance of Catholic heritage while providing an outsider's perspective on Protestant history. It challenges Protestant interpretations of the relationship between Jesus and the Church, offering an alternative viewpoint that invites readers to reconsider established beliefs. Loisy's work serves as a reminder for Catholics of their traditions and encourages a deeper understanding of the complexities within Christian thought.

In the context of early Christianity around 180 AD, the necessity for a biblical canon emerged due to Gnostic threats. Alfred Loisy, a knowledgeable Roman Catholic priest and leader of "Catholic Modernism," explores the compilation and evolution of the New Testament, arguing that its formation was influenced by the development of Christian propaganda. He critiques the portrayal of miracles as historical events and emphasizes that later additions to the texts were responses to contemporary needs. This scholarly work complements his earlier writings on the origins of Christianity.