Fw: [Milton-L] Reading Samson Agonistes

[James Rovira]

Carol --

Thanks for your responses.  The tendency I see in dissenting/Puritan
groups isn't so much the Christianization of OT characters, but the
Old Testamentizing of Christian culture.  So the English become
something like God's chosen people, America the promised land in which
they'll build the New Jerusalem, martial and other imagery from the OT
are no longer treated symbolically but become literally applicable to
current circumstance, etc.  This still happens today.  But I don't say
this to contradict your suggestion -- yes, the text may register an
inner movement on Samson's part as well.

Jim R