On Beethoven, the Blues and receiving Nicaea today

Abstract

This article explores how the Nicene Creed may be received today by drawing an analogy between theological tradition and musical reception. Beginning not with doctrinal exposition but with music, the essay engages the work of musician Jon Batiste, particularly his album Beethoven Blues, as a case study in how a classic, in the sense of David Tracy’s notion, can be received as part of a living tradition rather than merely reproduced. From this vantage point, the article continues to develop an extended theological reflection on what it might mean to receive Nicaea today as something that continues to address, shape, and call those who hear and confess it in new historical and cultural contexts.