Alfred Loisy was a respected Roman Catholic priest in France until the age of 51. He was, however, excommunicated in 1908, having been a leader of a movement known as "Catholic Modernism." They believed that truth could not be changed, but the representations of this truth could be changed, as done by the Church in some areas. They believed doctrine is not the same as history-which is why Loisy wrote a number of his books. Some may claim his writings were written in response to his expulsion, but it more accurately freed him to share the research that he had found. His most famous quote was that "Jesus came preaching the Kingdom, and what arrived was the Church." He was so esteemed as a scholar, that he was appointed chair of history of religions in the College de France, where he served until 1931. He passed away in 1940, at the age of 83.
