In the Beginning... // Abigale Bell

 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:1-2).

"On Heav'nly ground they stood and from the shore/ They viewed the vast immeasurable abyss" (Milton, 7. 210). 

Milton's account of creation from book seven of Paradise Lost follows the narrative of the Bible. However, Milton embellishes the story to the point of creating a new narrative. While the Bible begins with God's creation, Milton offers a sort of prologue to the creation story. In Milton's story, God says with irony, "'At least our envious foe hath failed...Heav'n yet populous retains...'" (Milton, 7.139, 146). It seems as though God creates humanity simply in spite of Satan. Since human beings would one day fill the ranks of Heaven where the other angels had fallen, Satan didn't destroy as much of Heaven as he thought he did. 

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...'" (Genesis 1:26). 

"...I can repair/ That detriment (if such it be to lose/Self-lost) and in the moment will create/Another world, out of one man a race/ Of men innumerable there to dwell..." (Milton, 7.151-156). 

We, as humans, are created in the image of the triune God. If God is so petty that He created an entire race of people simply to prove Satan wrong; to fix a problem, why would He create the people to be like Him? Why would He not simply make more angels to take the place of those who had fallen from heaven? 

This question speaks to the issue of a finite human mind trying to understand an infinite God. Milton has created a narrative that fits his own interpretation of the way things came into being. His own worldview and beliefs color his interpretation. 

Milton's Arian theology shows through when he illustrates the relationship between God the Father and the Son in the creation story. When God decides to create humanity, He tells the Son to go announce to the void that He will be creating earth. The Son is simply the messenger. It seems that any power the Son has is only given Him by the Father.

Milton's story of creation is one that is certainly unique. I find it interesting that he took the story of the beginning of the world and tried to make sense of it in his own context. Though it may be different from the divinely inspired Word of God, if we try to make them fit each other, we miss the point. Milton's work is one that brings to light questions that that we may otherwise overlook like why did God create us? Why do we believe the things we do about God? As Milton tries to make sense of the story of humanity, he challenges his readers to do the same.


Commented on Lily's and Song's posts...

Comments

  1. Bug OlsenSeptember 21, 2021 at 12:04 AM

    I thought it was extremely interesting how God seems to create humanity just to spite Satan, and it was not something I gave a lot of thought to until you pointed it out. This definitely raises multiple questions for me, since it seems to flaw God's character and question his reasoning for making humanity. I also liked how you pointed out how Milton is writing his own beliefs into the story, since I think this is important to know in order to understand how certain topics are being portrayed throughout the book.

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