Hearing Things: Religion, Illusion, and the American Enlightenment

By Leigh Eric Schmidt

Book Overview

Faith cometh by hearing - so said Saint Paul, and devoted Christians from Augustine to Luther down to the present have placed particular emphasis on spiritual arts of listening. In quiet retreats for prayer, in the noisy exercises of Protestant revivalism, in the mystical pursuit of the voices of angels, Christians have listened for a divine call. But what happened when the ear turned to God's voice found itself under the inspection of Enlightenment critics? This book takes us into the ensuing debate about hearing things - an intense, entertaining, even spectacular exchange over the auditory immediacy of popular Christian piety.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674003039
• ISBN13: 9780674003033
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.2" x 6.1"