The Eternal Melody: Mendelssohn and Bonhoeffer

Last updated on: January 27, 2014 at 11:30 am by Kyle Roberts

The Eternal Melody: Mendelssohn and Bonhoeffer 2014-01-27T11:30:10-04:00 Kyle Roberts

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The following is a guest post by Josh de Keijzer. Josh is a Ph.D. Candidate in Systematic Theology at Luther Seminary (St. Paul, MN). He blogs regularly at http://endofgod.wordpress.com. You can find him on Twitter at @Yossmantweets

Dutch conductor Hans Vonk once said of Beethoven: His music is the truth and nothing but the truth. It is true that where language stops music continues to speak. It is a realm where the unsayable can still be expressed. As such, music is theology. Both music and theology seek to find expression to the mysteries of life, of suffering, of hope… of God. It is no wonder that when I write theology, I have to listen to music. Music helps me to grope for that truth that is just beyond my words, to grasp that creativity beyond my own limitation.

It was in such a creative moment, writing on the theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer while listening to Felix Mendelssohn, that it suddenly

Bonhoeffer

dawned on me: there is a link between these two. Analytical thought won’t get you there, but the music stirred something in me and my subconscious me reached out and got hold of a remarkable connection.

Bonhoeffer suddenly reminded me of Mendelssohn. Weren’t both prodigies who excelled beyond what was thought to be humanly possible? Mendelssohn performed and composed at an early age. Goethe compared him to Mozart. Bonhoeffer wrote his dissertation at the age of 21 and his habilitation 3 years later. They are both pieces of genius. Both died too early as well. Mendelssohn died from poor health at 38. Bonhoeffer was murdered by the nazis when he was 39. Both, while being reasonably successful, stood in the shadow of big contemporaries and only after their death did their work find the recognition it truly deserved. Mendelssohn had to deal with the likes of Berlioz, Wagner, and Liszt whose progressive music made his conservative orientation pale in comparison. Bonhoeffer placed himself consciously and willingly in the sphere of the Barthian movement, which tried to retrieve a theological tradition that starts with revelation. Only in the 50s and 60s people started to recognize how important Bonhoeffer is as a theologian (and continues to be). As composer and theologian Mendelssohn and Bonhoeffer are geniuses in their own right.

Mendelssohn

Mendelssohn, a Jew from a family converted to Christianity, reworked Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress” into his “Reformation Symphony.” He also set in motion the rediscovery of the music of John Sebastian Bach, who had been long forgotten, by performing the St. Matthew Passion in 1829. Mendelssohn wrote: “To think that it took an actor and a Jew’s son to revive the greatest Christian music for the world!” Bonhoeffer for his part retrieved Luther’s thought not only for a renewal in theology; he also applied it in defense of the German Jews, especially those who were members of the church. He thought that where the church would no longer live in unity with the Jewish Christians in their midst, it ceased to be the church of Christ.

Lastly, both were musicians. One ended up incarnating theology into his music, while the other managed to infuse his theology with the eternal melody of the Incarnate. After all, not only is music theology, theology is music just as much.

Previous Post

January 22, 2014

Wal-Mart & the Neo-American Dream

Next Post

January 29, 2014 Establishing One’s I-ness

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Alex Blondeau Authors Daniel Harrell Daniel Siedell Dawn Duncan Harrell Kyle Roberts Uncategorized Wyndy Corbin

Select a Month November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What city is considered holy by Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Jerusalem Paris Rome Antioch