Martin Luther and musically expressed theology
Date
2012
Authors
Hough, Adam
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Illumine
Abstract
This paper seeks a reappraisal of Martin Luther’s complex understanding of theology’s place in the social and political reformation of 16th–century Germany. Here I seek to reintroduce an element of that theology that has been largely absent from mainstream scholarship: music. Building on Robin Leaver’s influential 2007 work, Luther’s Liturgical Music, wherein he argues that Luther’s liturgical song–writing ought to be understood theologically, I will demonstrate how the reformer sought to use a musically expressed theology to build a foundation of faith among the German laity– a prerequisite, he believed, to a successful reformation of Christian religion and society. Luther’s answer to the failures of the early evangelical Reformation was an educational programme centred on teaching a theology of the Psalms through music.
Description
Keywords
Martin Luther, theology, Germany, 16th century, liturgical music, reformation|christianity, Psalms, religion, society, culture, Illumine, CSRS, UVic, University of Victoria, Centre for Studies in Religion and Society
Citation
Hough, A. (2012). Martin Luther and musically expressed theology. Illumine, 11(1), 27–49. https://doi.org/10.18357/illumine.hougha.1112012