John Milton's religion
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John Milton
's religion was an important part of his life, and he wrote many of his works focusing on the nature of religion and of the divine.
, Milton developed a reputation as both a divorcer and a polygamist. Eventually, Milton believed that a translation of Bucer's work, published as Judgement of Martin Bucer Concerning Divorce
, would convince Parliament of the truth behind his previous tract on divorce, but this did not happen. He continued to pursue the topic until his wife returned to him and their marriage was reconciled.
. It is not as long as Paradise Lost and the poem places the Son, incarnated as Christ, against Satan. Through the work, Satan constantly tries to tempt Christ and to discover who he is, but he is unable to before he finally gives up and Christ defeats him.
. Similarly, he believed that Christ, when incarnated, merged his divine and human identities, and that both of these identities died during his Crucifixion. With such views on the nature of the human body and the soul, there is no possibility of a state of existence between death and the resurrection, and concepts such as Purgatory are outright denied. However, these views are not standard Calvinistic interpretations, but his views on what happens after the resurrection are orthodox Calvinistic doctrine: Christ, during the resurrection, would raise man up higher than the state he was in before the fall.
Milton's view of God is similar to an Arian
depiction because Milton's writing suggests that he is an anti-Trinitarian
. In Milton's De Doctrina Christiana
, Christ as Son of God
is not co-eternal with the father, having been created in time by the father. Similarly, the Son lacks the attributes of God and is subservient to him.
. Rather than force a man's conscience, government should recognize the persuasive force of the gospel."
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
's religion was an important part of his life, and he wrote many of his works focusing on the nature of religion and of the divine.
Church government
After the start of the Bishops’ Wars, a movement was started calling for the disestablishment of the Church of England and the religious hierarchy. Milton joined in on a pamphlet war that soon followed and produced his antiprelatical tracts. These pamphlets emphasize the need for an individual to be exposed to scripture without any interference from a church government or from a fixed liturgy that could possibly corrupt the individual.Divorce laws
Milton married in Spring 1642 but his wife soon left him. The legal statutes of England did not allow for Milton to apply for a divorce and he began examining the legitimacy of divorce. Milton was motivated towards writing on the topic after reading a work of Martin Bucer that emphasized the scriptural legitimacy of divorce. After publishing his divorce pamphlets, especially after Doctrine and Discipline of DivorceDoctrine and Discipline of Divorce
The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce: Restor'd to the Good of Both Sexes, From the Bondage of Canon Law was published by John Milton on 1 August 1643. An expanded second edition was published on 2 February 1644. The editions were published anonymously, and his name was not associated with the...
, Milton developed a reputation as both a divorcer and a polygamist. Eventually, Milton believed that a translation of Bucer's work, published as Judgement of Martin Bucer Concerning Divorce
Judgement of Martin Bucer Concerning Divorce
Judgment of Martin Bucer by John Milton was published on 15 July 1644. The work consists mostly of Milton's translations of pro-divorce arguments from Martin Bucer's De Regno Christi...
, would convince Parliament of the truth behind his previous tract on divorce, but this did not happen. He continued to pursue the topic until his wife returned to him and their marriage was reconciled.
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is Milton's epic depiction of the Fall of Man. In the story, Adam and Eve are warned against the evils of Satan and are told of the war in Heaven in which Satan challenged God's throne and was cast down in punishment. Satan, in order to get revenge against God, tempts Eve into indulging in the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and Adam, in turn, joins with her in the disobedience so she will not be blamed alone. God punishes them by casting them out of Eden and exposing them to the pain of the world, but he promises them that his Son will descend and bring about their salvation.Paradise Regained
Paradise Regained is a follow up epic based on Temptation of ChristTemptation of Christ
The temptation of Christ is detailed in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. According to these texts, after being baptized, Jesus fasted for forty days and nights in the Judean desert. During this time, the devil appeared to Jesus and tempted him...
. It is not as long as Paradise Lost and the poem places the Son, incarnated as Christ, against Satan. Through the work, Satan constantly tries to tempt Christ and to discover who he is, but he is unable to before he finally gives up and Christ defeats him.
Samson Agonistes
Samson Agonistes is based on the format of Greek Tragedy and describes the Biblical story of Samson. When Samson is betrayed, he calls upon God to use him to effect his will and exact revenge upon God's enemies. God gives Samson the power to bring about this end, but the play does not depict the moment on stage and does not describe how God granted the power.On the Soul
Milton believed in the idea of soul sleeping or mortalism, which determines that the soul, upon death, is in a sleep like state until the Last JudgmentLast Judgment
The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, or The Day of the Lord in Christian theology, is the final and eternal judgment by God of every nation. The concept is found in all the Canonical gospels, particularly the Gospel of Matthew. It will purportedly take place after the...
. Similarly, he believed that Christ, when incarnated, merged his divine and human identities, and that both of these identities died during his Crucifixion. With such views on the nature of the human body and the soul, there is no possibility of a state of existence between death and the resurrection, and concepts such as Purgatory are outright denied. However, these views are not standard Calvinistic interpretations, but his views on what happens after the resurrection are orthodox Calvinistic doctrine: Christ, during the resurrection, would raise man up higher than the state he was in before the fall.
On the Trinity
Milton interprets God as a darker figure and he is an "over-whelming force" that, in some of Milton's works, appears "as the embodiment of dread." Along with this, God is not definable, but some of his aspects are knowable: he is one, omnipresent, and eternal. Another aspect of Milton's God is that he is material, but the material aspect is of a spiritual kind, not of a physical kind. It is through his materiality that God is able to manipulate all matter, and Milton argues that God would be incapable of such if he lacked a material body.Milton's view of God is similar to an Arian
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
depiction because Milton's writing suggests that he is an anti-Trinitarian
Nontrinitarianism
Nontrinitarianism includes all Christian belief systems that disagree with the doctrine of the Trinity, namely, the teaching that God is three distinct hypostases and yet co-eternal, co-equal, and indivisibly united in one essence or ousia...
. In Milton's De Doctrina Christiana
De Doctrina Christiana (Milton)
De doctrina Christiana is a Latin manuscript found in 1823 and attributed to John Milton, who died 148 years prior. Since Milton was blind by the time of the work's creation, this attribution assumes that an amanuensis aided the author.The history and style of Christian Doctrine have created much...
, Christ as Son of God
Son of God
"Son of God" is a phrase which according to most Christian denominations, Trinitarian in belief, refers to the relationship between Jesus and God, specifically as "God the Son"...
is not co-eternal with the father, having been created in time by the father. Similarly, the Son lacks the attributes of God and is subservient to him.
Religious toleration
Milton called in the Aeropagitica for "the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties" (applied however, only to the conflicting Protestant sects, and not to atheists, Jews, Moslems or even Catholics). "Milton argued for disestablishment as the only effective way of achieving broad tolerationReligious toleration
Toleration is "the practice of deliberately allowing or permitting a thing of which one disapproves. One can meaningfully speak of tolerating, ie of allowing or permitting, only if one is in a position to disallow”. It has also been defined as "to bear or endure" or "to nourish, sustain or preserve"...
. Rather than force a man's conscience, government should recognize the persuasive force of the gospel."
Further reading
- Patrides, C. A.C. A. PatridesConstantinos Apostolos Patrides was a Greek–American academic and writer, and “one of the greatest scholars of Renaissance literature of his generation”. His books list the name C. A. Patrides; his Christian name “Constantinos” was shortened to the familiar “Dinos” and “Dean” by friends.Born...
Milton and the Christian Tradition (Oxford, 1966) ISBN 0208018212 - Patrides, C. A. Bright Essence: Studies in Milton's Theology (University of Utah, 1971) ISBN 0835743829