Paradise Lost

John Milton (1608-1674) is undoubtedly one of England's greatest poets, but his religion and politics are matters of greater controversy. One marked feature of Milton's Puritanism noticeable in his epic poetical works Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained is his Lutheran-Calvinistic preoccupation with the supreme authority of the Bible. This total obedience to the Hebrew scriptures leads ineluctably to a deplorable devaluation of classical learning compared to Hebraic as well as to a more general anti-intellectualism. It is this danger that Dr. Alexander Jacob highlights in this close reading of Milton's works which should be of interest to both scholars and students of seventeenth century English literature.