Roman Catholic Modernism, in France, was prominently represented by scholars whose interests were, in significant measure, historical. Notable examples are Louis Duchesne, Alfred Loisy, and Albert Houtin. Where philosophy was concerned, Maurice Blondel, together with his collaborator Lucien Laberthonniere, grappled with the legacy of Kant and the problem of the subjectivity of human knowing. Marcel Hebert (1851-1916) stands at the confluence of these two tendencies. Hebert's appreciation of the exegesis of scripture and its subsequent development in church tradition was importantly shaped by both Loisy and Duchesne. And like Blondel and Laberthonniere, he felt the insufficiency of scholasticism to speak to minds formed by modernity, to formulate an adequate response to the philosophical legacy of Kant. He acknowledged his debt to Duchesne and Loisy in history, but regarded himself, though an autodidact, their superior in philosophy. This volume, the first to be published in English about Hebert, is essential for a full understanding of Catholic Modernism. The articles show Hebert's early attempt to find common ground between Aquinas and Kant, the impact of Kant on a symbolist reading of dogma intended to "save" dogma for Catholics coming to terms with modern exegesis and modern philosophy, the radical lengths to which he took that symbolist reading, and his eventual break with Catholicism when the Church failed to be receptive to this programme. Included here are selected articles, the entire second of edition of Pragmatisme, William James's review of the first edition and Hebert's response to it, and a review by Eugene Menegoz.

Synopsis: In his autobiography Joseph Turmel (1859-1943) has left an intensely personal account of his struggles to reconcile his Catholic faith with the results of historical-critical methods as those impacted biblical exegesis and the history of dogma. Having lost his faith in 1886, he chose to remain as a priest in the Church, even while he worked to undermine its teachings. He did so initially in writings published under his own name and, as his conclusions became increasingly radical, under a veritable team of pseudonyms. He was excommunicated in 1930. His account of his life is less a discussion and defense of his ideas than it is a moral justification of his conduct. Turmel is associated with the left wing of Roman Catholic Modernism along with Albert Houtin, Marcel Hebert, and Felix Sartiaux Endorsements: "Disillusioned as a young priest in his twenties by discovering the incongruity of Catholic dogma with serious critical scholarship on Scripture and church history, Joseph Turmel dedicated the rest of his life to destroying church authority by remaining a priest while at the same time pseudonymously publishing scholarly books and articles undermining church dogma. Only as an old man was he discovered and excommunicated." --Lawrence Barman, Saint Louis University "'Martyr to the Truth' is an important book that, for the first time, gives English readers direct access to one of the more intriguing characters involved in the modernist crisis. Turmel's account of his painful loss of faith, and his effort to justify his decision to remain in the Catholic Church under false pretenses, illustrate both the human dimension and the moral issues at stake in a controversy sometimes seen as purely intellectual." --Harvey Hill, UST School of Theology Author Biography: C. J. T. Talar is Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Saint Thomas, Houston. He has published extensively on Roman Catholic Modernism. Elizabeth Emery is Professor of French at Montclair State University. She has published works dedicated to nineteenth- and early twentieth-century European and American literature, art, and history.