Well folks, we did it. We conquered the beast that is Paradise Lost. It's difficult for me to find a simple way to summarize all the many feelings that came along with this epic for me, but in all honesty I think this is one of the most beautiful pieces of literature I've read. Was it confusing and overwhelming at times? Yeah! Were there times where I really wasn't sure as to what Milton was getting at? Definitely. But I'm honestly so excited that we got to dive into this poem together and really pick it apart. Here's to one last public dissection of the mind of John Milton.
Book Eleven really stuck out to me this weekend. Eve's lament was something I pondered writing about, but I'm still wrestling with Adam's confusion over imago Dei. When Michael is revealing to Adam all the bad that will come from the choice he and Eve made to disobey, Adam becomes really overwhelmed with the gravity of the situation. Disease, death, war, violence, abuse, and so many other horrors have just become reality and they're all suddenly in Adam's immediate line of sight. This is incredibly jarring for him, which is understandable, and he states, "Can thus the image of God in Man created once / So goodly and erect, though faulty since, / To such unsightly suffering be debased / Under human pains? Why should not Man / Retaining still divine similitude / In part from such deformities be free / and for his Maker's image sake exempt?" Michael's response to this is simple but overwhelming in truth. "They God's image did not reverence in themselves."
Adam's fault here was assuming that he has any power. He speaks as though our deformities could ever mar the face of God. Now, don't get me wrong, I am fully aware that we as humans can present a false image of who God is to our peers in our brokenness. But I really think Michael hit the nail on the head. When Adam and Eve made the decision to betray God and curse all of humankind, they were not viewing themselves as the imago Dei. They were viewing themselves in light of themselves, disregarding the sovereignty of God altogether. They chose to reject the opportunity to be a true reflection of God on the Earth. However, God is His great kindness had mercy on them and didn't deny them His likeness completely (which, let's be honest, He would be completely justified in doing). We are still blessed to bear the image of Christ. We are a shattered mirror - reflecting, but broken. Reading through this passage in Book Eleven made me incredibly grateful that God moves in our brokenness, and I look forward to the day that our mirror is restored.
clabo & drew
clabo & drew
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