Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Sacred music, longing and openness
3. Desire and knowledge
4. Music and affect
5. Sacred music and knowledge by desire: The account applied
6. Religious desire and contemplative prayer
7. General conclusion

Promotional Information

Julian Perlmutter explores the capacity for religious music to elicit a sense of closeness with, and unique knowledge of, God, for the believer and the interested non-believer alike.

About the Author

Julian Perlmutter has taught philosophy and theology at the University of Cambridge, UK, and has held a research fellowship in the philosophy of religion at King's College London, UK.

Reviews

Julian Perlmutter has produced a fascinating and carefully argued examination of the relationship between sacred music and the way in which an individual can experience a longing for knowledge of God arising in the heart … [This book] will fascinate anyone who would be engaged by a rigorous, academically robust, but always pastorally motivated exploration of why it is that the choral tradition does what it does.
*Theology*

Sacred Music, Religious Desire and Knowledge of God provides a refreshing and insightful discussion of how culture, aesthetics, and desire can motivate and enhance efforts to seek knowledge of the Christian God.
*Religious Studies*

Julian Perlmutter makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the epistemic role sacred music can play in the life of the "interested non-believer". In so doing, he breaks new ground in the intersection of aesthetics and the philosophy of religion.
*David Efird, formerly Senior Lecturer of Philosophy, University of York, UK*