A Jewish Reading of Milton
John Milton produced some of the most memorable Christian texts in English literature. Central pieces of Milton’s work, including Paradise Lost and Samson Agonistes, specifically allude to stories that Judaism and Christianity hold in common. Historically, the anti-monarchical regime Milton supported, under the leadership of Cromwell, informally allowed Jews back into England in 1655 after Edward I exiled them in 1290 (Trepp 151). Additionally, seventeenth-century British Christians looked increasingly to Jewish texts to understand their own religion (e.g. Robert Ainsworth and John Seldon), with Hebraic studies from German scholarship and Latin translations of Jewish texts entering during the interregnum
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Rabbenu Gershom (discussed above regarding the divorce tracts) addressed the issue of polygamy, noting that the custom (minhag) of monogamy had become so strong in Jewish sensibility, that he legislated a ban on polygamy (a takkanah), not applicable to Jews in Muslim countries who remained polygamous (Steinsaltz 67). Such halakhah are not considered part of the 613 commandments (mitzvot) from God and therefore do not add to Torah but to regional religious culture (Rich). Milton also recognizes this process, “that a tolerated custom hath the force of a Law, and is indeed no other but an unwritt’n Law” (Tetrachordon 1041). Hence, turning divorce merely into an anciently tolerated custom, as his opponents do, merely transforms it into accepted and acceptable legislation, especially since Law cannot condone evil custom by Milton’s theology (ibid. 1041). Thus, Milton seeks to prove polygamy legal in response to those who treat it as a biblically forceful ban and “consider something a sin when it is not a sin” (OCD 1181). Essentially, Milton appreciates that different types of religious rules require different rankings and consensus; he corrects his contemporaries who have ranked the suggested ban on polygamy too highly. By extension, he also defends a certain degree of tolerance for various …show more content…
In Milton’s (English) Restoration works, particularly Paradise Lost, Paradise Regain’d, and Samson Agonistes, he fills in the gaps of the biblical story. Much more than an expressive psalmist, Milton writes new poetic or instructive portions about events “unrecorded left through many an Age” (Paradise Regain’d 16), just like a midrashic commentator. The story-telling aspect of exegesis (aggadic midrash) is one delight of passing Talmud down to Jewish youth. Every Jewish teenager has heard how Abraham, at age twelve, smashed his father’s idols in defiance (a regular Miltonic iconoclast). Sometimes these stories contain anachronisms, such as the patriarchs studying Torah prior to the revelation at Sinai, for instructive purposes (Steinsaltz 256). Likewise, Raphael and Adam allude to contemporary astronomy debates in Book 8 of Paradise Lost. Working with Paradise Lost, Werman concurs, “Milton echoes Judaic midrashic themes and materials in his reworking of the Genesis narrative” (9). Complementing Rosenblatt’s halakhic connections, Werman’s extensive appendix enumerates words and phrases in Paradise Lost that call to mind various aggadic midrashim from various sources (169-240). Several critics connect Paradise Lost to the Zohar, a text of Jewish mysticism (Werman 5). Indeed,
Burke, Edmund (the Right Honourable), “Reflections on the Revolution in France” from The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke from Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15679, Vol. III/12, No. 04/22, Pp. 1-15, Public Domain, 2009
Edmund Burke was an English Whig/moderate liberal who supported the American Revolution in the 1770’s but didn’t support the French Revolution in the 1790’s while it was still at its most moderate phrase. Edmund Burke reacted strongly against the French Revolution because he thought it was too radical and that the natural rights of man could be very dangerous to a society. I find Burke’s critique on the French Revolution to be valid in many areas, history has shown us how hard it is to completely change an authority and then replace it.
Both the Crusaders and the Muslims wanted power. In contradiction the church wanted to reunite Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire with the Roman Catholic Empire giving the Church extra power. Baldwin of Boulogne is a key example in portraying the Crusader’s quest for power; splitting off from the rest of the army and traveling east until he reached Armenian where he would establish himself as ruler. Like Boulogne, Bohemond of Taranto also abandoned the majority to better his own personal status—he took over as Prince of Antioch. Through these two prominent figures we see that power was a necessity to the leaders of this era; and unfortunately the people look up to their leaders and do likewise. However, if these Crusaders were fighting for “religious factors” then they would recognize that God holds the ultimate power and they are nothing without him. But these power hungry individuals obviously lacked humility...
Through showing the different definitions of health, the authors explain how those different understandings affect patterns of behavior on health depend on different cultures. In addition, an analysis of the models of health demonstrates even western medical approaches to health have different cognitions, same as the Indigenous health beliefs. The most remarkable aspect is a balance, a corresponding core element in most cultures which is an important consideration in Indigenous health as well. From an Indigenous perspective, health is considered as being linked, and keeping the connection is a priority to preserve their health. Consequently, health is a very much culturally determined. Health practitioners should anticipate and respect the cultural differences when they encounter a patient from various cultures. In particular, this article is good to understand why the Indigenous health beliefs are not that different than western medicine views using appropriate examples and comparative composition, even though the implementation the authors indicated is a bit abstract, not
Thank you for taking time to read my letter. As a nursing student of University of Technology Sydney, I studied contemporary indigenous subject this semester. In this letter I want to illustrate 3 main social determinants of health that impact indigenous Australian health which I found and analysed during my recently study. And also offer some suggestion that could help the government improve aboriginal Australian mental health conditions in the future.
The Crusades occured because the Christians wanted to regain their Holy Land, in doing so many knights risked their lives. During the Middle Ages a series of events lead up to the Crusades that were fought between the 11th and 13th century. The Crusades began when the Byzantine emperor, Alexius I Komnenos, asked Pope Urban II for help because the Seljuk Turks were gaining more power and land. As a result, the pope sent Christian knights to help regain the Holy Land. After some time the Christian knights captured Jerusalem from the Muslims, gaining back the land for them. Although some people may think that the knights fought in the Crusades in order to gain wealth, but in the long run it was because they wanted to protect Christian territory. Christian knights were greatly driven by their religious beliefs to fight in the Crusades.
In order for the crusades to begin, the Christians needed to gather an army to travel and fight the forces of Muslims. With all the power being held by monarchies at this time, the church needed to be cleaver in order to gain troops to put their lives on the line. To gain the support of these warriors and dedication of men, Pope Urban II (1088-1099) challenged those morals of men by telling them to grab their weapons and join the holy war to recover the land of Jerusalem. It was not the challenge that convinced men to take part in this war. The promise of “immediate remission of sins” attracted the men to stand up for their religion and beliefs while at the same time, promising them a trip to heaven when life comes to an end. With this statement, men instantly prepared for battle which in a very short period of time gave the church power which has been held by the monarchies. Men of rich and poor prepared for battle, some wearing ...
Several centuries after they ended, the Crusades are remembered as wars that were fought and lost in the name of God. The efforts and means utilized and maintained to continue to wage a battle for more than one hundred years is memorable nonetheless. While we say that these wars were fought in the name of God, it is simply not that easy to define. The causes for the Crusades cannot be traced to an isolated event but rather several factors that operated together to create a climate of religious fervor to fight for the name of God. Power, piety, zeal, determination are words we can use to define some of the reasons that drove men to establish a war with another race of people, in which little was known. The Crusades are a story as much about the nature of man as they are the nature of politics and religion. The religious reasons led to social and economic ramifications that changed the political landscape forever. We see the Crusades as religious wars but a closer inspection reveals that they were fought for various reasons with
Note: RE: Fuller. My text was missing the intro-page 7. I used several other editions found online to gather information, therefore, my page numbers may not relate correctly to any one edition.
Reichert, John. Milton's Wisdom: Nature and Scripture in Paradise Lost. Ann Arbor, The University of Michigan Press. 1992
When thinking about statistics on child abuse, it’s very helpful to know that the idea of “child abuse” is very controversial. Recently, in particular homes and cultures, child abuse has come to be seen as a major social problem and a main cause of many people’s suffering and personal problems. Some believe that we are beginning to face the true prevalence and significance of child abuse. There is more to child abuse than just the physical scars; children are affected socially, mentally, and emotionally. According to the American National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, in 1997, neglect represented 54% of confirmed cases of child abuse, physical abuse 22%, sexual abuse 8%, emotional maltreatment 4%, and other forms of maltreatment 12%.
Although the epic poem centers around the story of the fall of man, it is interesting that Milton intertwines in this story the fall of Satan from heaven and the consequences it has not only for Satan himself, but for Adam, Eve, and the world as a whole. Milton allows the reader to see the fall from the point of view of Satan, God, as well as Adam and Eve. Because Milton gives insight into these characters feelings regarding the fall, it is no surprise that he uses “eternal providence” in conjunction with the stories of Satan, Adam, and Eve. The providence being described here is the knowledge of good and evil. However, ev...
Loewenstein, David A Student Guide: Milton-Paradise Lost, 2nd Edition Cambridge University Press, 1993, Second Edition 2004.
Milton's 'Sin': Addenda to the "Sin'" Philological Quarterly 42 (1963): 120-21. Johnson, Samuel. The.
Child abuse has been defined as, any intentional act that results in physical or emotional harm to a child. This could cover any behavior from assault, to neglect, to molestation. (Encarta 1) In 1995, a study was done by the National Center on Child Abuse & Neglect. They concluded that in the United States alone, approximately 3 million children are victims of some sort of maltreatment each year. This means that an unimaginable amount of our county’s adolescents are being seriously mistreated, and the numbers are rising steadily. While the specific definition of child abuse may differ from state to state, the effects unfortunately do not. Physical maltreatment, neglect and sexual abuse create immediate problems for children, as well as long term damage. Some common effects on sufferers of abuse include, a lowered sense of self worth, an inability to relate to others, short attention span and often they develop learning disorders. More detrimental cases can develop severe depression or anxiety, schizophrenia, violent behavior and an increased risk of suicide. (Encarta 3) In some cases, abused children learn how to cope with their experiences and grow to healthy adults, but most are not that lucky. Most victims of abuse are forced to deal with the results for their entire lives.