Milton and the Rabbis

Hebraism, Hellenism, and Christianity

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Poetry History & Criticism, British
Cover of the book Milton and the Rabbis by Jeffrey Shoulson, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jeffrey Shoulson ISBN: 9780231506397
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: October 24, 2001
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Jeffrey Shoulson
ISBN: 9780231506397
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: October 24, 2001
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

Taking as its starting point the long-standing characterization of Milton as a "Hebraic" writer, Milton and the Rabbis probes the limits of the relationship between the seventeenth-century English poet and polemicist and his Jewish antecedents. Shoulson's analysis moves back and forth between Milton's writings and Jewish writings of the first five centuries of the Common Era, collectively known as midrash. In exploring the historical and literary implications of these connections, Shoulson shows how Milton's text can inform a more nuanced reading of midrash just as midrash can offer new insights into Paradise Lost.

Shoulson is unconvinced of a direct link between a specific collection of rabbinic writings and Milton's works. He argues that many of Milton's poetic ideas that parallel midrash are likely to have entered Christian discourse not only through early modern Christian Hebraicists but also through Protestant writers and preachers without special knowledge of Hebrew. At the heart of Shoulson's inquiry lies a fundamental question: When is an idea, a theme, or an emphasis distinctively Judaic or Hebraic and when is it Christian? The difficulty in answering such questions reveals and highlights the fluid interaction between ostensibly Jewish, Hellenistic, and Christian modes of thought not only during the early modern period but also early in time when rabbinic Judaism and Christianity began.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Taking as its starting point the long-standing characterization of Milton as a "Hebraic" writer, Milton and the Rabbis probes the limits of the relationship between the seventeenth-century English poet and polemicist and his Jewish antecedents. Shoulson's analysis moves back and forth between Milton's writings and Jewish writings of the first five centuries of the Common Era, collectively known as midrash. In exploring the historical and literary implications of these connections, Shoulson shows how Milton's text can inform a more nuanced reading of midrash just as midrash can offer new insights into Paradise Lost.

Shoulson is unconvinced of a direct link between a specific collection of rabbinic writings and Milton's works. He argues that many of Milton's poetic ideas that parallel midrash are likely to have entered Christian discourse not only through early modern Christian Hebraicists but also through Protestant writers and preachers without special knowledge of Hebrew. At the heart of Shoulson's inquiry lies a fundamental question: When is an idea, a theme, or an emphasis distinctively Judaic or Hebraic and when is it Christian? The difficulty in answering such questions reveals and highlights the fluid interaction between ostensibly Jewish, Hellenistic, and Christian modes of thought not only during the early modern period but also early in time when rabbinic Judaism and Christianity began.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book Weird Dinosaurs by Jeffrey Shoulson
Cover of the book Dialectical Passions by Jeffrey Shoulson
Cover of the book The Insect Cookbook by Jeffrey Shoulson
Cover of the book Inventing English by Jeffrey Shoulson
Cover of the book A Short History of Opera by Jeffrey Shoulson
Cover of the book The Cinema of Raúl Ruiz by Jeffrey Shoulson
Cover of the book The Tet Offensive by Jeffrey Shoulson
Cover of the book How to Read Chinese Poetry Workbook by Jeffrey Shoulson
Cover of the book Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Aging by Jeffrey Shoulson
Cover of the book Technology in Postwar America by Jeffrey Shoulson
Cover of the book Love in Motion by Jeffrey Shoulson
Cover of the book Not Being God by Jeffrey Shoulson
Cover of the book The Politics of Secularism by Jeffrey Shoulson
Cover of the book Civil and Uncivil Violence in Lebanon by Jeffrey Shoulson
Cover of the book The Use and Abuse of Cinema by Jeffrey Shoulson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy