Paradise Lost: The Rhetoric of Religious Truth

 

 

Robert L. Scott states that rhetoric is not empty, fancy language, but it is in fact, epistemic.  His argument claims truth is not an objective fact or set of facts, but that truth is based on the situation nearby. Scott goes as far as stating that if a man believes in an ultimate truth and argues it, he is only fooling himself.  He convinces himself of one argument among many possible options. Ultimately, we compare truth with experiences, and rhetoric is necessary to give meaning to individual circumstances.

A dream, while asleep is always true in the context of the sleeper and the dream.  How many of us have been fully convinced of the truth of a dream, only to awake to different reality? 

The great critic of literature and the bible, who was also a poet and artist had this to say: 

Once I saw a Devil in a flame of fire, who arose before an Angel that sat on a cloud, and the Devil uttered these words:

'The worship of God is: Honoring his gifts in other men, each according to his genius, and loving the greatest men best: those who envy or calumniate great men hate God; for there is no other God.'

The Angel hearing this became almost blue but mastering himself he grew yellow, & at last white, pink, & smiling, and then replied:

‘Thou Idolater, is not God One? & is not he visible in Jesus Christ? and has not Jesus Christ given his sanction to the law of ten commandments, and are not all other men fools, sinners, & nothings?'

The Devil answer'd: 'bray a fool in a morter with wheat, yet shall not his folly be beaten out of him; if Jesus Christ is the greatest man, you ought to love him in the greatest degree; now hear how he has given his sanction to the law of ten commandments: did he not mock at the Sabbath  and so mock the Sabbaths God? murder those who were murder'd because of him? turn away the law from the woman taken in adultery? steal the labor of others to support him? bear false witness when he omitted making a defense before Pilate? covet when he pray'd for his disciples, and when he bid them shake off the dust of their feet against such as refused to lodge them? I tell you, no virtue can exist without breaking these ten commandments. Jesus was all virtue, and acted from impulse, not from rules.'

                                                                  --William Blake

                                       The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

 

I am reworking Milton's Paradise Lost.  What follows is the first paragraph of Book I, more tuned to the modern ear, I think.  The imagery in one paragraph alone of Paradise Lost astounds the reader.   Paradise Lost ranks among the great works of world literature and in my opinion, the greatest poem ever written.  I believe the master work can be remolded and maintain its original essence or energy, truth, and beauty.  Also included are my own interpretations of certain images, and their corresponding word definition.  I have deviated from a strict Judeo-Christian interpretation of Paradise Lost, as I believe Milton was one of the first Western writers to recognize the similarity among diverse spiritual archetypes.  The original, which is in the public domain, appears first.  I have also preserved the archaic forms of you and yours (thou and thy).  For comparison, I have also used the modern pronouns.

  Of Mans First Disobedience, and the Fruit

  Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal taste

  Brought Death into the World, and all our woe,

  With loss of EDEN, till one greater Man

  Restore us, and regain the blissful Seat,

  Sing Heav'nly Muse, that on the secret top

  Of OREB, or of SINAI, didst inspire

  That Shepherd, who first taught the chosen Seed,

  In the Beginning how the Heav'ns and Earth

  Rose out of CHAOS: Or if SION Hill

  Delight thee more, and SILOA'S Brook that flow'd

  Fast by the Oracle of God; I thence

  Invoke thy aid to my adventrous Song,

  That with no middle flight intends to soar

  Above th' AONIAN Mount, while it pursues

  Things unattempted yet in Prose or Rhime.

  And chiefly Thou O Spirit, that dost prefer

  Before all Temples th' upright heart and pure,

  Instruct me, for Thou know'st; Thou from the first

  Wast present, and with mighty wings outspread

  Dove-like satst brooding on the vast Abyss

  And mad'st it pregnant: What in me is dark

  Illumine, what is low raise and support;

  That to the highth of this great Argument

  I may assert th' Eternal Providence,

  And justifie the wayes of God to men.

Of mankind's first insurrection and the impact of that forbidden tree, whose mortal tastes brought death into the world, and all suffering with the loss of Eden, until a greater man restores us and regains the joyous heart. Sing, Urania of the secret Summit of Oreb, and of Sinai.  What caused the Guardian, who first taught the Hebrews, in the beginning how the heavens and earth rose out of chaos. Or if Zion Hill delights thee more, and Siloa's Brook that flowed fast by the oracle of YHWH.  Therefore, I invoke thy aid to my mighty song that with no common flight intends to soar above the Aeonian Mountain.  While it pursues things not attempted yet in prose or poetry, and mostly thou oh Muse that does promote before all temples the upright heart and pure, instruct me.   Thou understand, that thou from the beginning of time were there, and with mighty wings,  outspread dove-like thou sat speculating on the infinite abyss and made it meaningful. What conceals me, to explain, what is base raise and support; that to the height of this compelling argument I may assert, divines government, and justify the ways of YHWH to men.

Of mankind's first insurrection and the impact of that forbidden tree, whose mortal tastes brought death into the world, and all suffering with the loss of Eden, until a greater man restores us and regains the joyous heart. Sing, Urania of the secret Summit of Oreb, and of Sinai.  What caused the Guardian, who first taught the Hebrews, in the beginning how the heavens and earth rose out of chaos. Or if Zion Hill delights you more, and Siloa's Brook that flowed fast by the oracle of YHWH.  Therefore, I invoke your aid to my mighty song that with no common flight intends to soar above the Aeonian Mountain.  While it pursues things not attempted yet in prose or poetry, and mostly you oh Muse that does promote before all temples the upright heart and pure, instruct me.   You understand, that you from the beginning of time were there, and with mighty wings, outspread dove-like you sat speculating on the infinite abyss and made it meaningful. What conceals me, to explain, what is base raise and support; that to the height of this compelling argument I may assert, divines government, and justify the ways of YHWH to men.

Thou:  you

Thy:  your

Thee:  used as a singular form of “you” when it is the object of a verb or preposition.

  "I take thee at thy word..."  Romeo and Juliet

First insurrection:  first conflict with power

Forbidden tree:   knowledge

Mortal tastes:  malevolent usages

Eden: state of innocence

Greater man:  anointed, enlightened self, savior,shepard, Jesus

Urania:  muse of astronomical arts and science

Summit of Oreb, and of Sinai:  God meeting Man, Oreb means raven

The Guardian:  the Sun-Image-Deity--solar events are the foundation of much religion, astrology and astronomy, Jesus  

The Hebrews:  the Jewish people

Zion Hill: city of God

Siloa's Brook: healing water, especially for the eyes

Oracle:  a speaker of a revelation

YHWH:  To Be--God sometime pronounced Yahweh and Jehovah.

Aeonian Mountain: home of the Muse/Muses

Muse:  personification of an area of skill or study, usually as a woman

from the beginning of time:  Proverbs 8:2 through 8:31

She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths.

She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.

The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.

When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.

Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:

While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.

When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:

When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:

When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:

Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;

Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.*

Abyss:  space, the universe

Chaos:  matter, the material world/worlds

God created a female companion from the beginning of time.  In many ancient traditions God was married or had a female companion.  It is even in the Bible, but many modern American Churches have re-written Proverbs 8 in a male pronoun, and have justified it by saying it was really a personification of Jesus.  However, it is clear that Wisdom is personified as a Woman, in the original texts, something modern Christians cannot answer, except with simple denial.  

The problem here is obvious. Proverbs 8 clearly describes a creation story.  A creation story that doesn't match the story of the first book of Genesis   There were very real reasons why translating the Bible into English was punishable by death centuries ago.

 

Works Cited:

http://www.levity.com/alchemy/blake_ma.html

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhetoric

 

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/reading_room/pl/book_1/index.shtml

 

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+8&version=KJV

 
Scott, Robert L. 1967. On Viewing Rhetoric as Epistemic. Central States Speech Journal (Original publication)