Who Said That?

"I even have to confess that if I ever get to heaven, I would first of all seek out Mozart and only then inquire after Augustine, St. Thomas, Luther, Calvin and Schleiermacher."

You know the drill!  Leave your guess in the comments section below.  Answer to follow in one week.

Update on Saturday, February 7, 2009 at 05:28PM by Kim Riddlebarger

This quip comes from Swiss Theologian, Karl Barth.  I love Mozart too, but not as much as Barth.  I may be presumptuous here, but Schleiermacher's presence in heavenly would be surprise me greatly.  The quote comes from:  Karl Barth, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Eerdmans, 1986), 16.

Comments

[AerodynamicPenguin]

Whoever said that is rather confused if he's confident that Schleiermacher is going to be in heaven! I hope he is, for his sake, but I won't be betting on it!

[Phil B]

This one has me stumped. It's the reference to "St. Thomas" which I presume is Aquinas not the apostle.

I thought Karl Barth but then didn't he react against Schleiermacher?

It's also someone without much assurance - "If I get to heaven." I used to talk like that when I was a liberal so I guess it's someone who considers themselves "Reformed" but not confessionally so.

Walter Brueggemann?

[Stan McCullars]

Apparently someone who never heard Bach or Handel.

[Andrew]

Bono

[Merritt]

Steven Curtis Chapman? didnt he write that song about de soto or whoever?

[Matt]

Only Herr Barth!

[john s]

this link would better answer the question http://wallstreetreviewer.com/2009/02/06/the-most-overpaid-overglorifed-desk-job-in-the-world.aspx

[Coyle]

Nietzsche?

[timinator]

Professor Ken Samples though I don't think he has ever stated that he like Mozart. Most likely he would like to meet John Lennon of the Beatles so I well have to go with Karl Barth.

[Mike Iliff]

I have no idea, but as we are invited to guess... my wild guess is Robert H. Schuller.

[Mark Priestap]

Pope John Paul II?

[aaron]

Barth

[Bobby Grow]

It's Karl Barth . . . Mozart is the dead give away; and just because he "reacted" toward Schleiermacher, didn't mean that he didn't still respect him.

[John Y]

Now that is an interesting quote- someone with some musical ability or deep interest in music who thought philosophically and theological about the major questions of reality. With the inclusion of Schleiermacher he has to be born in the late 1800's or after. He must of had an attraction to the sometimes rather bizarre and ridiculous behavior of the brilliant Mozart to put him above Luther, Calvin and Augustine. Some thoughts passing through my head are Kierkegaard, Francis Schaeffer (highly doubtful), Barth. Do not think it was Nietzsche because he was repulsed by Calvin, Luther and Augustine and was a huge ego maniac who would probably think of Mozart as trite and frivolous. Some modern renaissance man but do not know who.

[Richard]

Barth. At least the guy liked good music.

[John Y]

The guy who does the Doseki (sp?) commercials- "the most interesting man in the world"- "aliens want to probe him" "Dolphins are attracted to him when he swims in the ocean"

[Michael]

Karl Barth

[Steven Carr]

I thought for a second that I would be the only one to guess correctly, but as I scrolled down I saw that a few guessed it. Karl Barth is the man. It's from a little book he wrote commemorating Mozart.

[Paul C. Quillman]

Merritt wrote

Steven Curtis Chapman? didnt he write that song about de soto or whoever?



Steven Curtis wrote a song called "Burn the Ships" and in it mentioned Cortez. It is on the "Heaven in the Real World" record.

[Conor]

Definitely Pope Benedict