Milton and the Rabbis

by Jeffrey Shoulson

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.

384 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2001

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughtful, Meticulous, and Profound

This work discusses the numerous nuances and relationships between Hebraism, Hellenism, and Christianity within Milton’s late poetry. While arguing for distinct correlations between Milton and rabbinical writers, the author does well to articulate such connections, honoring both classical and Jewish sources, while demonstrating Milton’s agency irrespective of rabbinical writings. Although Milton didn’t use rabbinical writings as postulated by some academics, the author provides novel insights into how such rabbinical writings shaped the overall contexts by which Jewish, classical, and Christian writings converged, conflicted, and split. Such trends help to clarify the complexities of Milton’s own prelatical, political, and poetic compositions.