[Milton-L] Satan in Paradise Regained

[Angelica Duran]

Dear all,

Also check your Junk Mail.  It is odd but true that just a couple of weeks
ago, even though I had received Milton-l posts before and after, there was a
Milton-l post in my Junk Mail, which I subsequently tagged as ³not Junk.²
Adios,

Angelica Duran
Associate Professor
English and Comparative Literature
Purdue University
500 Oval Drive
West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
USA
(765) 496-3957
<duran0 at purdue.edu>
<http://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/directory/?personid=80>





From: James Rovira <jamesrovira at gmail.com>
Reply-To: John Milton Discussion List <milton-l at lists.richmond.edu>
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:29:54 -0500
To: John Milton Discussion List <milton-l at lists.richmond.edu>
Subject: Re: [Milton-L] Satan in Paradise Regained

Salwa -- it's a list discussion.  I've been getting both posts.  Not sure
what's going on...may be a mail setting?

Jonathan:

Thanks for your response, again.  I think the word "problems" is a bit vague
and has caused us to speak at cross-purposes a bit.  You seem to be using it
to refer to the effects of sin in the world.  I agree: these pre-exist any
one individual's sinfulness.  All subsequent individuals contribute to, but
do not create, these conditions, so that we are responsible for our
contribution but not for the general condition itself.  I'm thinking of a
Billy Joel song right now.

In this conversation, however, I initially used the word "problems" in
reference to your claim that Satan's testing was necessary for Christ's
development, because Christ needed a source of temptation.  My initial use
of the word "problems" in this discussion is found in this paragraph:

<<It's not at all clear that Satan provides necessary opposition for
spiritual growth as we human beings seem to create enough problems on our
own.  The fact that he was used in this way -- which I think you do argue
well -- is not enough to establish the fact that only he could be used in
this way.  That's another argument again.>>

"Problems" in this paragraph is equivalent to "necessary opposition for
spiritual growth."  In other words, if there were no Satan, other human
beings are capable of providing temptation and reason to fall, both for
Christ and all other human beings.  Whatever role temptation may play in
spiritual growth, temptation can be provided by other human beings as well
as by Satan, so does Satan deserve that much "credit"?

Jim R



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