Hello and welcome to the Discourse. John Milton began as a poet but after the publication of Lycidas in 1637, he actively took part in the civil unrest and started publishing prose works, tracts, and pamphlets in favor of Puritan and Parliamentarian cause. He enthusiastically wrote many texts and pamphlets against episcopacy. From 1640 to 1660, John Milton predominantly wrote prose works. One of his earliest prose works was Of Reformation touching Church Discipline in England which was published in 1641.
Of Reformation by John Milton
John Milton often raised and supported the ideas of individual liberty and the limits of social and religious institutions. Of Reformation touching Church Discipline in England is a pamphlet with two in which Milton discussed how Anglican Chruch is gradually becoming as corrupt as the Roman Catholic Church is and why the English Church requires stern reformation and changes. Milton further published four more pamphlets on the same line discussing the church hierarchy and Presbyterianism. In Of Reformation, Milton expresses religion as a living body and suggests that proper reformation and changes will improve the body. He further attacks the church system and says that any mediating agency between an individual soul and the Almighty would hinder this pure connection between man and God. He literally criticized the church, government, and liturgy and suggested that these institutions harm the religion. Milton suggests that the Church tries to offer a shape to God while though God does have a shape, it is beyond human perception and thus, any attempt to give a body to God will corrupt the divinity. He metaphorically compares religion with a human body with various parts. In Book II, John Milton offers the Tale of Wen in which Wen tries to establish that he is the supreme and most important part of the body. However, a philosopher appears and discusses the role of Wen and proves that Wen is just a parasite that is exploiting the other parts of the body. Milton then compares the Church system with Wen.
In this pamphlet, Milton opposed the establishment of the Central church government as was the case of the Roman Catholic Church (under Pope) and Anglican Church (headed by the Monarch of England). Instead of central authoritarianism, Milton supported local governance and suggested that individual congregations should govern themselves.
The Divorce Tracts
From August 1643 to March 1645, John Milton published four pamphlets in 18 months and all of them offered his idea of the need for freedom to divorce. He suggested that the freedom to divorce will prove to be beneficial for both sexes. These four tracts were The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce, The Judgement of Martin Bucer, Tetrachordon, and Colasterion.
In all these tracts, the central idea was that divorce could be “to the good of both sexes.”
The full title of the first pamphlet was The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce: Restor'd to the Good of Both Sexes, From the Bondage of Canon Law and it was published in August 1643. The Judgment of Martin Bucer was published in July 1644 in which he supported the pro-divorce arguments of German protestant reformer Martin Bucer. In Tetrachordon, John Milton offered his viewpoint of the four important scriptural texts about Divorce. These four scriptural passages deal with divorce and these are Genesis1:27–28, Deuteronomy 24:1, Matthew 5:31–32 and 19:2–9, and I Corinthians 7:10–16. Tetrachrodon was published in March 1645, and in the same month, Milton published the fourth tract on divorce titled Colasterion which means “rod of punishment” in Greek.
Background
In June 1642, John Milton got married to Mary Powell, a 17-year-old young girl. He was 34 years old. Mary Powell belonged to a royalist family and she was also a royalist while Milton was a supporter of Parliamentarians. Milton believed that Mary Powell was intellectually inferior to him, also, she was too young to him. Furthermore, while Mary Powell belonged to an affluent family and was raised with all comforts, John Milton lead an austere lifestyle by nature. This created a rift between the newlywed couple and Mary soon decided to desert John Milton alone and went back to her family home. In The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce, John Milton not only offered the reason and logic behind his argument for freedom of divorce between an incompatible couple. At that time, the subject of Divorce in England was ruled by the Canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. Strictly speaking, divorce was almost forbidden and was only allowed in extreme cases of adultery. Milton couldn’t blame Mary Powel for adultery and hence, his divorce to her was impossible. Milton thus raised the logic of individual volition and personal liberty.
The argument of the Tracts on Divorce
In a way, Milton opposed the Spiritual authority over marriage as mentioned in Matthew 19: 3 – 9 while offering his idea of marriage based on human nature. He opposes marriage as merely a means to procreate or reproduce, or as a remedy against fornication. Rather he emphasizes human nature and why God created an able companion for man. He argues that the purpose of marriage is "the apt and cheerful conversation of man with woman, to comfort and refresh him against the evils of solitary life" Milton says that if a couple is "mistak’n in their dispositions through any error, concealment, or misadventure" for them "spight of antipathy to fadge together, and combine as they may to their unspeakable wearisomnes and despaire of all sociable delight" violates the purpose of marriage as mutual companionship. Thus, according to Milton, if a married couple finds that they are mutually incompatible and cannot bear being with each other, they must be allowed to legally and respectfully divorce each other.
Milton continued to support and express his idea of the purpose of marriage and did so even in Paradise Lost in which he describes how Adam felt lonely while observing other animals enjoying the fruits of companionship. Adam then begs God to offer him a companion and God creates Eve from Adam’s rib.
Achievements of Doctrine on Divorce
Milton vociferously argued in support of the freedom to divorce and raised his argument in front of the Westminister Assembly. He argued that divorce is a private matter. Though his argument was not fully accepted, the Westminster Assembly agreed that in certain circumstances, as in the case of adultery or abandonment, divorce must be allowed. The Westminster Assembly was broadly a Puritan organization. Milton himself was a Puritan. While Puritans were supposed to follow Scriptures word by word, it was a big win for Milton as the Westminster Assembly agreed to loosen the rules on Divorce in special cases of adultery and abandonment. Despite that, Milton couldn’t divorce Mary Powell and in 1645, Mary Powell returned to Milton and both of them successfully led married life.
So this was it about the initial prose works of John Milton. We will continue to discuss his other works in the upcoming videos. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards.
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