Rationalism And Arminianism In John Milton's Paradise Lost

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John Milton was born on December 9th, 1608 in London, England. He began writing as early as 1629, but did not publish Paradise Lost until 1667. In 1642, he wrote about the corruption found within the church, and in 1649, Milton began his journey in politics. Both his religious and political views influence his description of the Fall with Paradise Lost. John Milton began Paradise Lost with one goal in mind: to “justify the ways of God to men” (Book I, line 26). In terms of the Fall, it is clear that God’s foreknowledge and Adam and Eve’s free-will both play a role in this event. However, in order to reach his goal, Milton must explain to his readers how big of a role God played in the actions of Adam and Eve. Milton’s Paradise Lost depicts …show more content…

John Milton found himself associating, at some point, with both points of view, but, ultimately, wrote Paradise Lost from a primarily Arminianist approach. In order to understand why the Fall occurs the way it does in Milton’s poem, one must understand what Arminianism is. Developed by Jacobus Arminius, this theology focuses on the idea that God does not have an influence over man’s deeds, and that man has a choice on the actions they choose to carry out within their lifetime. This is in direct conflict with the Calvinist idea that “God has destined everybody for their fates – for some people prosperity and for some others adversity from the beginning” (Abtahi 84). As Milton approaches the topic of the Fall, he indicates that he believes it was Adam and Eve’s own choice to fall, and that it was not predestined by God. He also presents a God who allows free-will in order to emphasize this free-will. In Book III, God speaks to His Son, stating “Freely they stood who stood, and fell who fell” (III.102). A Calvinist approach would have shown a God who not only foreknew the events that would occur in Eden, but one who predestined them to occur without acknowledgement of Adam and Eve’s actions. In terms of salvation, created after the Fall, “Arminians emphasized that each person can exercise free-will and accept or refuse God’s universal grace” (Dobranski 85). Milton presents to his …show more content…

“Milton… concludes: Predestination and free-will are not contradictory or conflicting. Rather, they are complementary…” (Abtahi 85). Milton acknowledges the unlimited knowledge of God alongside His allowance of free-will, allowing the two to complete one another. He presents a God who is all-knowing and discusses that “past, present, and future He beholds” (III. 78). John Milton has a reason for presenting God this way, and that is to, ultimately, serve his initial purpose of justifying God’s actions. He explains to his readers that, while he allowed Adam and Eve to sin and fall from grace, He saw a future where they could be happy. This future, however, would not be perfect like the future they could have had in the garden of Eden. God saw a future where the Son would make His way to the earth and save Adam and Eve. His unlimited foreknowledge allowed Him to console Adam through Michael in the final books of Paradise Lost. “Ultimately Adam is brought to the realization that he will regain the liberty which was his before the Fall only through the offices of the Son” (MacCallum 87). Many people question why God would allow Adam and Eve to Fall, but Milton makes it clear that God knew that His Son would have the ability to bring back some of what was lost. This demonstrates to his readers that God’s knowledge is not limited by free-will, and the two can, in

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