Questions? // Braylan Stringfellow

     Both book VII and VIII are about Adam asking Raphael questions. The types of questions Adam is asking is what I would imagine to be expected from someone who is only a few days old. Adam is wanting to know about the world around him and what his purpose is for God. A side note here, we should be asking some of these same questions too which is what philosophy is and its what we’re doing in honors but I just wanted to say it. Anyway, Raphael eventually just stops talking in the beginning of Book VIII without Adam realizing it. Adam continues to ask questions searching for answers, or should i say the truth, causing Raphael to respond saying, “To ask or search I blame thee not, for heaven / Is the book of God before thee set” (Milton 182, lines 66-67). Raphael essentially told Adam that he is not wrong for asking questions but instead continues to give Adam the answers he’s looking for.

    After reading this I thought of the Acts 17:11 where it says that the people in Thessalonica would search the scriptures daily to see if what they were hearing was true. These people wanted to know what the truth is like Adam does so they went to the scriptures with their questions to get the answers they wanted. We need to be like Adam or the Thessalonians and go to God with our questions so we too can get the truth. After all, I Peter 5:7 says to cast “all your care upon him, for he careth for you” (King James Version). God wants our questions. It is important to remember that God will not answer all of our question. Raphael didn’t answer everything that Adam asked, but he still wanted him to ask. 


I commented on Emily’s and Taylor’s post

Comments

  1. I do like this portrayal of the importance of seeking the truth. It almost appears to be borderline sin, to be questioning God and to seek so much knowledge. After all, the sin is to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. However, there is nothing wrong with asking questions so long as we live in obedience to God.

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  2. I talked about a similar topic in my own blog post, and I think Raphael's conversation with Adam is one of the most important parts of the poem. With how hotly debated the science vs religion topic was at the time of Milton's writing, I think it speaks volumes about the implied author of Milton and what it says about where he landed on the debate. We should ask questions but never let ourselves loose sight of the fact that we don't need to know everything to be happy and content in God's creation. -- Breanna P.

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