“In einem Augenblick”: Christian naturalism,death,and Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem ”

Abstract

This article is a Christian naturalist reading of Johannes Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem. The first sections briefly introduce the basic commitments of Christian naturalism and the challenge presented to such a theology in the mystery of death. Then, the paper shows how Brahms gives artistic expression to a naturalistic interpretation of death. Brahms uses elements from the Christian myth, especially the apocalyptic, in new ways that are helpful to Christian naturalists seeking to deal with death meaningfully and beautifully.