[Milton-L] Reading Samson Agonistes

[Paul Miller]

1. Jim have you read the Old Testament lately? How about the God commanded 
slaughters of Joshua or about a dozen other slaughters in the OT. Get a 
seventeenth century mindset on and quit trying to shape Milton into modern 
molds, he missed the 1960s thank the lord.

2. Samson is an OT hero of faith so holding him responsible for following 
the teachings of Christ might be a trifle unfair.


Paul Miller


So Hills amid the Air encounterd Hills
Hurl'd to and fro with jaculation dire,
That under ground, they fought in dismal
shade --- Paradise Lost

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James Rovira" <jamesrovira at gmail.com>
To: "John Milton Discussion List" <milton-l at lists.richmond.edu>
Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2008 8:12 PM
Subject: Re: [Milton-L] Reading Samson Agonistes


>I have a hard time reconciling these two comments, Prof. Wood:
>
> 1. <<Is it really thinkable that Milton could have identified the
> Christian serenity of the 'paradise within' with the homicidal
> vengefulness of that massive slaughter at the temple? It seems
> impossible to me that the 'love of God' feasted on the horrifying
> massacre of 3000 screaming and dying human beings.>>
>
> and
>
> 2. <<Perhaps he did not read the part of my book where I argue that
> Samson is a hero of faith, not a satanic villain or the Antichrist.>>
>
> How can a hero of faith be guilty of  "the homocidal vengefulness of
> that massive slaughter at the temple"?
>
> I have an even harder time holding Samson responsible for following
> the teachings of Christ.
>
> Jim R
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