Religion Written As A Theme In Paradise Lost, Religio Medici, And Leviathan
During the Early Modern Period, religion played a colossal role in people’s everyday lives. Christianity, Catholicism, and Judaism were some of the most predominant religions throughout Europe. The church was an important source of power during this era, and people celebrated within the church across the continent when prime events were occurring in their lives. These events pertained to childbirth, baptism, marriage, and even the matters of a funeral. Since religion was a major source of recognition throughout this time period, some of the most famous historical pieces of literature were produced in favor of religious doctrines. Paradise Lost, Religio Medici, and Leviathan were just some of the few pieces of work that made a historical mark and difference in this world. Each writing expresses the true beliefs from the authors through personal experiences and inspiration from biblical references in order to stress the most important value in life; religion.
The importance of the obedience to God is thoroughly exercised throughout Paradise Lost. John Milton uses Adam and Eve’s sin and Satan’s disobedience to reveal how big of a threat Satan is to humanity. Satan’s rejection to the ways of God sets the mood for the beginning of this epic work, and the lesson that is to be taught to the reader. The biblical reference of how Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit was a step into Milton’s beliefs of men and religion and how they are woven together. Milton believed men will fail consistently throughout their lives due to their natural ways inherited from Adam and Eve’s actions in the Garden of Eden; however, if men were to follow in the practices introduced in the Bible and study the footsteps of God, then they would prosper on Earth and have peace while alive and in the afterlife as well. After the story of the fall of mankind, Milton points out that there are two different paths men can take in life. The first path consisted of committed failure and sin presented by Satan. The second path was the choice to follow God in all the ways of a man’s life and to live by the ways of the Bible. The two paths Milton distinguished is completely up to the human’s life; however, Milton speaks about the consequences of the path that is committed to Satan’s worldly views.
Thomas Browne, an author and scholar, stressed his viewpoints on religion through his learnings of medicine and science. Religio Medici is an analysis on the inside look of Thomas Browne's thoughts on God, the natural world, and the personal connection he made with religion and science. Browne stated that his profession of being a medical doctor and looking closer at science had brought him closer to God. He was elated in the mystery of religion and how not all parts of faith can be understood in the human mind. Browne states that there are miracles occurring everywhere from God and praises Him for the nature that is around him by saying things such as, 'God is like a skillful Geometrician”. By Browne expressing his walk-through Christ, it encouraged more people during that time period to pursue God as well.
In order to reveal that religion is a vital source in their society at the time, Thomas Hobbes introduced power and human nature to support his arguments about Christian faith. Leviathan is divided into four parts; man, commonwealth, Christian commonwealth, and the Kingdom of Darkness. Hobbes begins to stress his argument with the idea that if civil authority and religious authority is not considered one, then men will be powerless when confronted with the subject of civil authority and God. The two differences discussed by Hobbes shows the two dividing sources of power in the world. He recognizes that a person must obey the civil sovereigns of their present time in order to be rewarded by God in the end. Hobbes speaks of his religious belief on God and says that Heaven exists outside of Earth and the commonwealth cannot submit under religion. At the end of part four, Hobbes uses imagery in order to reveal to his readers what life will look like if it is not abided by the principles he expresses throughout Leviathan. Although Hobbes outcome for not abiding by the beliefs of religion were not as harsh as some religious literatures during the Early Modern Period, the work still produced a fear and a need to change in people’s daily lives.
Each individual work of literature pertained to the minds of the people during the Early Modern Period. Religion was an important factor back then because it helped to explain personal, social, and spiritual reasoning. The Early Modern period was a developing period between the end of the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution. While the era was evolving into what would be a more manufacturing society, people’s faith was transforming as well. This transformation became more of a trend when John Milton, Thomas Browne, and Thomas Hobbes wrote their works and stressed their beliefs. The three pieces of literature that were discussed expresses concerns within humanity, argues for the beliefs in God, and how changing your life through the involvement of faith is for the better. Religion was thoroughly exercised throughout these three readings, and each author made a point to discuss the characteristics of faith through their beliefs. The interchangeable traits in the three literary works distributed the meaning of life, which in return strongly assisted how people viewed God and faith making it seem like a luxury to be religious. People during this era put more trust in their beliefs and religious practices because of how heavily it was supported; therefore, religion was one of the most important factors that contributed to the lives of the people during the Early Modern Period.
Although John Milton warns of the consequences that are to come if a human being walks in a path away from God, he provides comfort in order to encourage the reader in their walk of faith. Using scripture to support his argument, Milton advised people that their failures and defeats would be comforted by the Lord. After Adam and Eve received forgiveness for their sinful acts, an angel named Michael gave Adam a vision of what will happen to mankind because of their actions. Adam is saddened by the events that will occur for the future of mankind, but then is relieved to know that mankind will be saved through the redemption of the Son of God. The main concept behind Paradise Lost that Milton wanted the reader to understand is that God handed Adam and Eve everything that was admirable and insisted that they use their free morals. Although Adam and Eve had failed God by sinning, God still gave them their freedom of choice and living. Their rejection had brought them and the world great pain throughout their lives, but everything was still beautiful by the works of God. Discussing this comfort that would be brought on by the Son of God, people recognized that their life would have a more peaceful mindset through faith. Also, it helped to provide a desire within their hearts to pursue religion and put God first above all things.
In Religio Medici, Browne speaks about charity and how he believes it is just as important as faith. Doing good deeds such as caring for the poor and helping a friend in need, helps a person to appreciate the natural beauty that is on Earth. Browne connected service and faith by explaining that once a true friendship is created between two people, then those people can go out into the world and extend more good works through their religion. In other words, Browne was asking the readers to influence others by initiating a relationship with God. Browne helps further his standpoint by stating his religion is completed by his good works and is built on that credence, “For by compassion we make others misery our own, and so, by relieving them, we relieve ourselves also.” Furthermore, Browne makes a contrast between theology and science to help explain his side of the argument even more. Theology is dependent on authority Browne explained by using God and the heathens, and science is based on experimental factors that continually must be tested. This comparison was shown to prove that theology is stationary, while science is constantly changing throughout time eras. Browne’s personal experiences and analysis on life encouraged people to find their inner peace with God.
Throughout Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes calls the social status the 'Kingdom of Darkness”. This is not necessarily Hell, but instead the judgement from other people. Since Hobbes presented this fear to people in this time era, it opened the eyes of many and introduced a new way to live. Hobbes discusses religion differently than what Milton and Browne did. He expressed throughout his work that men are divided between the civil authority and God. Although God is superior in the other two literary works, in Leviathan civil authority is on the same level as what God is. Hobbes begins to end his literature by discussing the effects of spiritual darkness and how they can be fixed through the Kingdom of God. By discussing these effects, Hobbes motivated people towards the path of religious doctrine and gave people hope for a new beginning.
The religious morals and lessons that were distinguished in each writing illustrated ancient beliefs and ideas. Although religion was emphasized the most on humans back then, John Milton, Thomas Browne, and Thomas Hobbes made a significant contribution to the ideology of life. All three authors agreed that there is a God, and that people should abide by the laws of God. Having authors such as Milton, Browne, and Hobbes in this time period, helped with the understanding of the world and the belief in faith. These writings can be read as a reminder of how religion connects all the way back to the 1616's and up to the 1800's. One may see that ancient beliefs are not quite as different as the beliefs seen today, and how religious doctrine is practiced nearly the same in today’s society as well. During the Early Modern Period, literature played a vital role in mankind's religious life. These works consisted of the rewards for being a believer, encouragement for following in God's pathways, and introduced new ways of analyzing religion. Paradise Lost, Religio Medici, and Leviathan all fell into this category of literature. Each author conveys a form of belief and interprets the purpose God has on this world. Although some ideals and beliefs were expressed differently throughout the works of others, each piece connected like a thread and helped to reveal what the religious standpoints were and how the common culture was during the Early Modern Period.
Works Cited
- Browne, Thomas, Sir, 1605-1682. Sir Thomas Browne's Religio Medici, Urn Burial, Christian
- Morals, and Other Essays. London. Scott, 1886. Print.
- Hobbes, Thomas, 1588-1679. Leviathan. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1968. Print.
- Milton, John, 1608-1674. Paradise Lost. London; New York: Penguin Books, 2000. Print.
