1 Introduction -- 1.1. Theology of music -- 1.2. Music and Luther studies -- 1.3. The relationship between music and the Word of God in previous scholarship -- 1.4. The aim, method and sources of the present study -- 2 Voluptates aurium: the pleasures of music in Antiquity and the Middle Ages -- 2.1 Song of the heart: the appreciation of music in the early church -- 2.2 Evaluation of aural pleasures in Augustine -- 2.2.1 The temporal and eternal numbers of De Musica -- 2.2.2 The scruples of Confessions -- 2.2.3 The importance of delight -- 2.3 The development of the concept of music from speculation to practice -- 2.3.1 The Mathematical concept of music: Boethius and his legacy -- 2.3.2 High medieval ideas: Bernard of Clairvaux and Thomas Aquinas -- 2.3.3 Fifteenth century musical theology: Jean Gerson and Johannes Tinctoris -- 2.4 Medieval theological aesthetics -- 2.4.1 Theological treatment of beauty -- 2.4.2 The aesthetics of proportion -- 2.4.3 The aesthetics of light -- 2.4.4 Some traits of Renaissance aesthetics -- 2.5 The Medieval theory of affects -- 2.5.1 The problematic affectivity -- 2.5.2 Defining affects -- 2.5.3 Evaluating affects -- 3 Optimum Dei donum - the essence of music -- 3.1 Gift (donum) in Luther's theology -- 3.1.1 To be God is to give -- 3.1.2 To receive is to participate -- 3.1.3 To be given is to give back -- 3.1.4 The gifts of humans as the gifts of God -- 3.2 Music as a gift of God -- 3.2.1 The four-stage division of music -- 3.2.1.1 The phenomenon of sound -- 3.2.1.2 Music of nature: birdsong in particular -- 3.2.1.3 The human voice -- 3.2.1.4 Art music -- 3.2.2 The excellence of music as a gift of God -- 3.2.3 The reciprocity of the gift of music: Praise. -- 3.2.3.1 Singing praise as Christian service -- 3.2.3.2 Critical comments on music.

3.2.3.2 Eschatological and ecstatic dimensions of praise -- 4 Domina et gubernatrix affectuum humanorum - the power of music -- 4.1 The affects in Luther's thinking -- 4.1.1 The affectivity of Luther's theology -- 4.1.2 The affect and emotions -- 4.2 The affective power of music -- 4.2.1 Music moves the human heart -- 4.2.2 Music raises a variety of emotions -- 4.2.3 Above all, music delights the human heart -- 4.2.4 Canticum novum as the song of joy -- 4.3 Music combined with the Word of God -- 4.3.1 Verbum vocale as the primary form of the Word -- 4.3.2 Das Wort im Schwang: Singing as the optimal form of verbum vocale -- 5 Joy (gaudium) and Pleasure (voluptas) in Luther's theology -- 5.1 Joy -- 5.1.1 The Gospel is good news -- 5.1.2 Characteristics of Christian joy -- 5.1.3 Joy and love -- 5.2 Pleasure -- 5.2.1 Pleasure and will -- 5.2.2 Holy pleasure -- 5.3.3 Sensuous pleasures in Luther's thinking. -- 5.3 The delight of music is sensuous and innocent -- 6 Theology of beauty and the virtues of music -- 6.1 Luther as an aesthetic thinker -- 6.1.1 Luther and beauty -- 6.1.2 Young Luther and the beauty of the cross -- 6.1.3 Old Luther and appreciation of outward beauty -- 6.2 In search of the aesthetical criteria of music -- 6.2.1 Simplicitas - communicativeness -- 6.2.2 Libertas - freedom -- 6.2.3 Suavitas - pleasantness -- 6.2.3.1 Excursus: A comparison of the way Calvin and Luther value music -- 6.2.4 Exultatio - the creative joy -- 6.3 Luther's musical aesthetics as an aesthetics of light -- Conclusion -- Abbreviations -- Sources -- Martin Luther's works -- Ancient and medieval authors -- Literature -- Subject Index -- Index of Names.