Theology, Music and Time

Theology, Music and Time aims to show how music can enrich and advance theology, extending our wisdom about God and God’s ways with the world. Instead of asking: what can theology do for music?, it asks: what can music do for theology? Jeremy Begbie argues that music’s engagement with time gives the theologian invaluable resources for understanding how it is that God enables us to live ‘peaceably’ with time as a dimension of the created world. Without assuming any specialist knowledge of music, he explores a wide range of musical phenomena - rhythm, metre, resolution, repetition, improvisation - and through them opens up some of the central themes of the Christian faith - creation, salvation, eschatology, time and eternity, Eucharist, election and ecclesiology. He shows that music can not only refresh theology with new models, but also release it from damaging habits of thought which have hampered its work in the past.

• First book to attempt to bring together in a rigorous way the worlds of music and theology (but does not assume any specialist knowledge of music) • Shows the unique and important roles that music plays in theology • Implications for use of music in the Church, in particular the role of music in worship

Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Practising music; 2. Music’s time; Part I. In God’s Good Time: 3. In God’s good time; 4. Resolution and salvation; 5. Music, time and eternity; 6. Repetition and Eucharist; Part II. Time to Improvise: 7. Boulez, Cage and freedom; 8. Liberating constraint; 9. Giving and giving back; 10. Conclusion; Bibliography; Index of names; Index of subjects.

‘It would be difficult to overpraise this book … it breaks new ground, it is both insightful and highly informed and it is written in a style devoid of the obscurity that often mars musicological reflection.’

– Gordon Graham, Scottish Journal of Theology

‘ … a delightful exploration of the relevance of music for a variety of theological themes … Begbie has written an excellent book, illuminating both of music and theology. It offers a great deal of stimulation for others to explore a relatively little developed field.’

– Stephen Carr, Theology