Theology and the Arts: Encountering God through Music, Art and Rhetoric

by Richard Viladesau

Overview

Richard Viladesau's book takes a look at an inviting topic that has come into increasing prominence in a number of fields lately—including theology. Theology and the Arts explores, in a timely and engaging manner, several aspects of the relations between theology and aesthetics, in both the pastoral and academic realms. The underlying motif of this work is that beauty is a means of divine revelation, and that art is the human mediation that both enables and limits its revelatory power.

Using examples from music, pictorial art and rhetoric, the five chapters explore different aspects of the ways that art enters into theology and theology into art, both in pastoral practice, e.g., liturgical music, sacred art and preaching, and in the area of systematic reflection, where, Viladesau contends, art must be recognized as a genuine theological text.

A reader-friendly feature of this work is the addition, after the central chapters, of a discography of illustrative musical works and lists of internet sights of sacred art and art history resources-a virtual museum—that will complement the text. These enhance the value of this well-written, provocative text. Although aimed at undergraduate theology students, it will certainly capture the interest of art students, pastoral ministers and anyone who appreciates the arts.
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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780809139279
Publisher:	Paulist Press
Publication date:	07/03/2000
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

Table of Contents

	Introduction	1
	Abbreviations	9
Chapter 1	God and the Beautiful: Art as a Way to God	11
A.	Historical tensions between music and the sacred	13
B.	Music and the theology of the word	29
C.	Music as an approach to God	34
D.	Considerations for liturgical praxis	46
	Web sites for viewing illustrations	59
	Discography	60
Chapter 2	Paradigms in Theology and in Art	66
	Prelude: Two visions of David: Michelangelo and Bernini	66
A.	The notion of paradigm change in science and theology	73
B.	Paradigm changes in the history of art: the moving point of view	80
C.	The moving point of view: parallels in art, philosophy, and theology	96
D.	The contemporary paradigm of Roman Catholic theology and its trajectory toward the future	107
	Web sites for viewing illustrations	120
Chapter 3	Art as a Theological Text	123
A.	The dimensions of art as text	123
B.	Art as locus of the faith tradition	124
C.	Art as the bearer of a theological message	134
1.	Pictorial art as scripture	135
2.	Art as visible reflection of the divine beauty and mystery	144
3.	Sacred art as embodiment of the Christian "classic"	151
D.	Art as text for theology: expression of the human situation	154
E.	Limitations of art as text and as revelatory word	157
F.	The sacramental power of art	158
	Web sites for viewing illustrations	165
Chapter 4	Theology, Aesthetics, and the Art of Preaching	167
A.	Theological Aesthetics and Aesthetic Theology	167
B.	Preaching as Aesthetic Theology	171
1.	The renewal of eucharistic preaching in the contemporary church	171
2.	Faith and preaching: The New Testament basis	173
3.	Elements of preaching: theology, spirituality, art	176
C.	Preaching and faith in the contemporary world	193
D.	Theology in the art of preaching	197
1.	Types of theology and of preaching	197
2.	Foundational theology and contemporary preaching	200
3.	Method in foundational theology	207
E.	Insight, virtue, and art in foundational theology	210
F.	Theological method and art in homily preparation	211
Chapter 5	Conclusion: Revelation, Art, and Theology	217
	Notes	230
	Index	264