Milton's Theological Process

Reading De Doctrina Christiana and Paradise Lost

Dr Jason A. Kerr (Brigham Young University)

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English

Oxford University Press
09 January 2024

Literary studies: c 1500 to c 1800; Literary studies: poetry & poets; Religion & beliefs; History of religion

This volume proposes a method for reading Milton's De Doctrina Christiana as an artifact of his process of theological thinking rather than as a repository of his doctrinal views. Jason A. Kerr argues that reading in this way involves attention to the complex material state of the manuscript along with Milton's varying modes of engagement with scripture and various theological interlocutors, and reveals that Milton's approach to theology underwent significant change in the course of his work on the treatise. Initially, Milton set out to use Ramist logic to organize scripture in a way that drew out its intrinsic doctrinal structure. This method had two unintended consequences: it drove Milton to an antitrinitarian understanding of the Son of God, and it obliged him to reflect on his own authority as an interpreter and to develop an ecclesiology capable of sifting divine truth from human error. Consequently, Milton's Theological Process explores the complex interplay between Milton's preconceived theological ideas and his willingness to change his mind as it develops through the layers of revision in the manuscript. Kerr concludes by considering Paradise Lost as a vehicle for Milton's further reflection on the foundations of theology--and by showing how even the epic presents challenges to the fruits of these reflections. Reading Milton theologically means more than working to ascertain his doctrinal views; it means attending critically to his messy process of evaluating and rethinking the doctrinal views to which his prior study had led him.

By: Dr Jason A. Kerr (Brigham Young University)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 160mm, Spine: 22mm
Weight: 696g
ISBN: 9780198875086
ISBN 10: 0198875088
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 09 January 2024
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Jason A. Kerr is Associate Professor of English at Brigham Young University. He received a PhD in English from Boston College in 2011 and a BA in English (with a Classical Studies Certificate) from Arizona State University in 2003. His scholarship focuses on the intersection of theology, ethics, and politics in seventeenth-century Britain, including articles on Milton, Baxter, Shakespeare, Marvell, and the preacher Elizabeth Attaway. His next book project addresses Richard Baxter's political theology of consent.