In last week’s blog post I touched on the point that Milton seemed to be giving his readers a glimpse of hope before inevitable tragedy. In Book Eleven, Milton returns to this theme of hope in a truly beautiful and (thankfully, for all of humanity) realistic way.
We see hope relayed in Jesus’s conversation with God the Father in heaven as He states how He, “to mitigate thus plead, not to reverse” (40-41). Jesus lightens our load by carrying our burdens and the weight of our sins on His shoulders to the point of death. There is still hope for purposeful life on earth, even with death now looming over the lives of Adam and Eve.
After Adam laments the curses laid upon him, the message from the archangel Michael clearly gives him hope for a mortal life. Michael tells Adam that, “death becomes His final remedy and after life”, and proceeds to explain how the trials of life and walking in faith will refine Adam and ultimately lead to him dwelling in the New Heaven and New Earth. That would have surely been hopeful for Adam to hear after he talked with Eve, who was bemoaning their plight and just wanted to go ahead and die. Even Death itself cannot hold a firm grip on the redeemed.
So, hope. In Milton’s story, God does not leave His creation without hope of redemption and new life. Our God does not leave us without hope of redemption and new life. God is just but He is also merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Even though Milton does not claim to be a theologian nor has the clearest theology, Milton intertwines God’s character, as we see in the Bible, throughout his story. While we mourn over sin and the loss of immortality in this story, Milton’s characters experience the hope given by God which we can still experience today!
Paradise has been lost, but there is still hope.
I commented on Luke and Clabo's posts.
I commented on Luke and Clabo's posts.
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