It sounds like a wild exaggeration. But according to best-selling author Mike Aquilina (a generally trustworthy source), it was music that saved the ancient world from its descent into despair. My first thought was "Seriously?" Yep. He's not kidding.  It's all in his book "How the Choir Converted the Word: Through Hymns, With Hymns, And In Hymns" from Emmaus Road Publishing. (The book is worth a look for the subtitle alone.) Given the state of some current liturgical music, I was skeptical to say the least. (I probably should have told the publisher that before I agreed to blurb the book.) But since everything else I ever read by Mike is pure gold, I agreed. I wasn't disappointed. This book rocks. Music really did save world. But it wasn't without conflict. Music isn't always used for holy purposes. (Ever been to a Def Leppard concert? Yeah...me neither.) That's as true today as it was in the ancient world. In case you haven't noticed, music continues as a battlefront in modern culture. And it's a battle we have to win. So today on the Art of Catholic, we'll look at how the Church used music to convert the world, as well as how it can happen again. "If we did it once," says Mike Aquilina, "we can do it again." So let's get to it! In this 2017 kickoff episode, Mike and I discuss: The deep relationship between music and beauty Why trumpets were the electric guitars of the biblical club scene (and even used as weapons) Why the Israelites made the best music in the ancient world The reason early Christians were strangely ambivalent, sometimes even hostile, about music How music brought down one of the most powerful heresies in the history of the Church All that and much, much more in this incredibly noteworthy episode of the Art of Catholic. God bless! Matthew Want to go deeper into prayer?  If you really want to understand the ins-and-outs of deep prayer: what it is, how to do it, the 3 Stages of the Spiritual Life, vocal, meditative, & contemplative prayer in the Catholic tradition - this is the book for you! "Matthew Leonard, in an engaging style, shows how ancient Catholic prayer traditions still meet the needs of today’s Catholics.”—His Eminence Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington "We all need help to grow spiritually...Matt Leonard shows us the way." - Dr. Scott Hahn, author, speaker, and Professor of Scripture and Theology, Franciscan University of Steubenville   Grab your FREE copy of my quick guide to deeper prayer 8 Ways To Jumpstart Your Prayer Life!  It's an easy step-by-step guide to help you rocket to God!   Don't miss a show! Subscribe to The Art of Catholic by clicking this link and then clicking "View in iTunes" under the picture and then "Subscribe"!  Love the show and want more people to hear the Catholic faith? Leave a review by clicking here and then the "View in iTunes" button under my picture. This pushes the show up the rankings and puts it in front of more people. Android user? You can listen to The Art of Catholic on the Beyond Pod app from the Google Play Store.   Pilgrimage to Rome and Southern Italy! Join Matthew on a pilgrimage to Rome, Assisi, Sorrento, Monte Cassino, Siena,  the Amalfi Coast and other amazing sites from October 9-18, 2017! It's the trip of a lifetime! Click here for more details.