The Spirit of Polyphony: Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Musical Pneumatology

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This book re-examines how Bonhoeffer employs musical patterns of thought and language to a theological end. It outlines how the significance of Bonhoeffers musico-theology has not been sufficiently recognised, and sets the stage for a rigorous re-examination. It becomes clear that through the lens of his musical metaphor of polyphony, Bonhoeffer demonstrates how his account of Christian formation contains a latent pneumatology. Tarassenko demonstrates that incorporation of this pneumatology is key in deepening ones understanding of Bonhoeffer. It allows the relationship between Christology and Christian formation in Bonhoeffers thought to become fully realised. The appeal to polyphony articulates this pneumatology, as an indirect but nevertheless exceedingly successful means of contouring an account of the Spirits work.

Reviews

The Spirit of Polyphony not only provides a penetrating exposition of musical metaphors in Bonhoeffers thought, but also deploys these insights in developing a constructive pneumatology for the church today. In clear and fluid prose, Tarassenko draws on the full range of Bonhoeffer's corpus to provide a compelling model for how through the Spirit divinity and humanity work together in Christ, the believer, and the church as a whole. * Ian A. McFarland, Emory University, USA *
In The Spirit of Polyphony, Tarassenko has done a remarkable job, and on two fronts. First, she demonstrates that far from being a peripheral matter for Bonhoeffer, music was critically important in shaping his theological mind. Second, she has shown that a study of this dimension of Bonhoeffers work yields nothing less than the outline of a fresh and compelling pneumatology for today. This is constructive theology at the highest level. * Jeremy Begbie, Duke University, USA *

Author Bio

Joanna Tarassenko is Assistant Curate at St Clement's Church in Oxford, UK.