Augustine as Improvisational Theologian: The Musical Nature of Augustine's Thought

In this article, I explore the nature of Augustine's theological thinking. My thesis is that Augustine is an “improvisational theologian,” meaning his theology begins from the place that an improvisational musician's thinking does: attunement. In order to prove this thesis, I have three se...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Crawford, Nathan (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Cambridge University Press 2016
In: New blackfriars
Year: 2016, Volume: 97, Issue: 1067, Pages: 74-92
Further subjects:B Augustine
B Attunement
B Method
B Hermeneutics
B Improvisation
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Description
Summary:In this article, I explore the nature of Augustine's theological thinking. My thesis is that Augustine is an “improvisational theologian,” meaning his theology begins from the place that an improvisational musician's thinking does: attunement. In order to prove this thesis, I have three sections. The first is an analysis of the type of thinking that takes place in improvisational music, showing how it is predicated upon an idea of attunement. Second, I explore the improvisational nature of Augustine's thought by seeing how attunement is also at work in his thinking. In order to do this, I show how he develops a musical worldview in De Musica and how this guides his subsequent thinking in De Doctrina Christiana and Confessions. I conclude by briefly pointing to different contemporary theological issues that this reading of Augustine can enrich.
ISSN:1741-2005
Contains:Enthalten in: New blackfriars
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/nbfr.12003