What is the role of the Son of God in Milton’s theodicy?
Milton’s poems ‘Paradise Lost’ and ‘Paradise Regained’ present a Son of God with numerous roles, from
mediating between God and his creation, to being the key agent in God’s triumph over evil and Death.
Milton’s Son is a combination of man and God, and as such acts as the only substantial representation of
the Father accessible to humanity. Overall, the main role of Milton’s Son is his ability to offer salvation to
humanity, a gift which is freely given. Key features of the poems, such as the contrasting descriptions of
Satan and the Son, Milton’s personal stance on free will, and the mediatory actions of the Son, all centre
around the Son’s role as an agent of salvation.
Milton’s free will theology and his presentation of grace establishes the conditions for salvation and
redemption through Christ. Milton argues that man can choose both good and evil through his own free
will, and fatally for humanity, Adam and Eve chose the wrong way, 1 leading them to fall. In ‘Paradise Lost’
Book 3, free will is essential in maintaining the “justice and imputation” 2 of God, since Mankind is able to
make their own decisions, and bear the consequences of such. If God had created Man without free will,
any good actions enacted by them would have been a consequence of God’s will, as opposed to their own
wish to do good, devaluing the moral worth of the action. Milton argues that the free ability to choose has
the positive consequence of elevating human actions which prioritise obedience to God, since humanity
has the power to choose to sin, but instead chooses God (in these actions). This is introduced by Milton as
the concept of ‘right reason,’ through the character of Adam.3 Furthermore, when goodness is injured by
the sinful events of the Fall, Milton presents it as recoverable by a combination of God’s grace, and the hard
work of man.4 Overall, Milton’s free will theology is redemptive, since it examines the conditions of human
goodness to remind readers of the positive attributes of humanity. This is essential in considering the
position of Milton’s Son of God in redemption, which will be examined further in his presentation of Christ’s
mediation between humanity and God.
One of the Son’s key roles is as a mediator between Adam and Eve and God. This is well summarised in
Book 12 of ‘Paradise Lost,’ which argues that “to God there is no access without a Mediator.” 5 Since the Fall,
Adam and Eve have lost their connection to God, as well as their home in paradise, both of which were
created only for an innocent creation. In their fallen state, they are unacceptable, and it is only through the
intrinsic worth of Christ that they can again be considered acceptable in God’s eyes6 and regain merit.
Indeed, the Son seems to stand up for humanity’s cause, as during the Heavenly Council he argues that the
Father must both extend grace to humans and justify Himself to humanity through the Son’s redemption. 7
Without the work of the Son on the possibilities for the human condition, fallen humanity would be unable
to reconcile with God, and thus achieve salvation, since God would not interact with His fallen creation. As
1
Smith, Nigel. 'Paradise Lost and Heresy’, in McDowell, Nicholas and Smith, Nigel (eds), The Oxford
Handbook of Milton. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2009.. Pg521.
2
Milton, John. Paradise Lost. N.p: London, 1817. Pg60.
3
Smith. The Oxford Handbook of Milton. Pg523.
4
McColley DK. ‘Milton and the sexes’ in The Cambridge Companion to Milton. Cambridge University
Press: Cambridge. Pg178.
5
Milton. Paradise Lost. Pg319.
6
Hillier, Russell M. Milton’s Messiah: The Son of God in the Works of John Milton. Oxford University
Press: Oxford, 2011. Pg32.
7
Ibid., pg41.
, such, the Son’s role as a mediator between Adam and Eve and God allows creation to remain hopeful of the
possibility of redemption,8 and bring them the possibility of salvation.
The Son’s intercession on behalf of humanity is also important in drawing mankind’s attention to their sins.
Combined with His championing humanity’s future, this indicates that the Son’s key role is based on
salvation and redemption for humanity. For example, in Book 10, the Son, not God, is the one who
confronts Adam and Eve on their sins after their temptation by Satan.9 This is of importance, since Milton
presents the Son as taking the condition of humanity upon himself, as He is key in warning them of “their
sinful state.”10 Without this, Adam and Eve would likely have felt shame and guilt as a result of God’s
discovery of their disobedience, but would have lacked the tools by which to improve their condition.
Therefore, in bringing the sins of humanity to their attention, the Son allows for the possibility of creation’s
improvement, and thus God’s extension of salvation through Him to creation. Indeed, as discussed above,
without Adam and Eve’s work to make amends for God, it is presented by Milton as unlikely that He would
have allowed humanity to return to His good graces. Furthermore, when the Son hears the prayers of Adam
and Eve after their Fall, He offers this up to God combined with His personal payment of their debts (his
sacrifice.)11 God accepts and grants the possibility of eternal life to those who follow His commandments. 12
Therefore, without the intercession and mediation of the Son, humanity would both lack the possibility for
acceptance by God and salvation. Overall, Milton’s presentation of the Son as a mediator is key to his wider
theodicy of the Son of God as the agent of salvation.
In his close relationship with the Father, Milton’s Son of God also acts as a substantial representation of
God for humanity on Earth, ultimately allowing for the possibility of salvation. The Son is the manifestation
of the Father for humanity,13 illuminating the nature of Milton’s God, and working as an agent of God’s will.
He is the perfect example of God’s revealed will on Earth.14 For example, Milton draws attention to the
visible and invisible of God, with the Son representing God visibly, which God himself cannot do (at least for
humanity to physically see.) In Book 6, the Son’s physicality is described as one in which the “invisible is
beheld Visibly,”15 demonstrating how the Son’s physical manifestation allows him to demonstrate the
qualities of God, and lead others into His goodness and grace, which to Adam and Eve after the Fall would
be otherwise unknown. Without a substantial representation of God, Adam and Eve, and later humanity
would lack guidance and an understanding of the nature of God. As such, the Son is able to bring salvation
for humanity, in allowing them knowledge of God, his grace, and their abilities to regain His favour.
The Son as a substantial representation of God is also crucial in the process of salvation, as He is able to
ensure God’s involvement in it. In Book 8, God is described as occupying a state of unconnectedness in His
universe,16 suggesting that without the Son as a divine force on Earth, God would lack any involvement in
8
Hillier. Milton’s Messiah: The Son of God in the Works of John Milton. Pg41.
9
Smith. The Oxford Handbook of Milton. Pg513.
10
Milton. Paradise Lost. Pg66.
11
Smith. The Oxford Handbook of Milton. Pg513.
12
Ibid., pg513.
13
Lewis, C. S. A Preface to Paradise Lost. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1942. Pg80.
14
Hillier. Milton’s Messiah: The Son of God in the Works of John Milton. Pg17.
15
Milton. Paradise Lost. Pg164.
16
Currart, Stuart. 'The ‘World’ of Paradise Lost', in McDowell, Nicholas and Smith Nigel (eds), The
Oxford Handbook of Milton. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2009. Pg529.
Milton’s poems ‘Paradise Lost’ and ‘Paradise Regained’ present a Son of God with numerous roles, from
mediating between God and his creation, to being the key agent in God’s triumph over evil and Death.
Milton’s Son is a combination of man and God, and as such acts as the only substantial representation of
the Father accessible to humanity. Overall, the main role of Milton’s Son is his ability to offer salvation to
humanity, a gift which is freely given. Key features of the poems, such as the contrasting descriptions of
Satan and the Son, Milton’s personal stance on free will, and the mediatory actions of the Son, all centre
around the Son’s role as an agent of salvation.
Milton’s free will theology and his presentation of grace establishes the conditions for salvation and
redemption through Christ. Milton argues that man can choose both good and evil through his own free
will, and fatally for humanity, Adam and Eve chose the wrong way, 1 leading them to fall. In ‘Paradise Lost’
Book 3, free will is essential in maintaining the “justice and imputation” 2 of God, since Mankind is able to
make their own decisions, and bear the consequences of such. If God had created Man without free will,
any good actions enacted by them would have been a consequence of God’s will, as opposed to their own
wish to do good, devaluing the moral worth of the action. Milton argues that the free ability to choose has
the positive consequence of elevating human actions which prioritise obedience to God, since humanity
has the power to choose to sin, but instead chooses God (in these actions). This is introduced by Milton as
the concept of ‘right reason,’ through the character of Adam.3 Furthermore, when goodness is injured by
the sinful events of the Fall, Milton presents it as recoverable by a combination of God’s grace, and the hard
work of man.4 Overall, Milton’s free will theology is redemptive, since it examines the conditions of human
goodness to remind readers of the positive attributes of humanity. This is essential in considering the
position of Milton’s Son of God in redemption, which will be examined further in his presentation of Christ’s
mediation between humanity and God.
One of the Son’s key roles is as a mediator between Adam and Eve and God. This is well summarised in
Book 12 of ‘Paradise Lost,’ which argues that “to God there is no access without a Mediator.” 5 Since the Fall,
Adam and Eve have lost their connection to God, as well as their home in paradise, both of which were
created only for an innocent creation. In their fallen state, they are unacceptable, and it is only through the
intrinsic worth of Christ that they can again be considered acceptable in God’s eyes6 and regain merit.
Indeed, the Son seems to stand up for humanity’s cause, as during the Heavenly Council he argues that the
Father must both extend grace to humans and justify Himself to humanity through the Son’s redemption. 7
Without the work of the Son on the possibilities for the human condition, fallen humanity would be unable
to reconcile with God, and thus achieve salvation, since God would not interact with His fallen creation. As
1
Smith, Nigel. 'Paradise Lost and Heresy’, in McDowell, Nicholas and Smith, Nigel (eds), The Oxford
Handbook of Milton. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2009.. Pg521.
2
Milton, John. Paradise Lost. N.p: London, 1817. Pg60.
3
Smith. The Oxford Handbook of Milton. Pg523.
4
McColley DK. ‘Milton and the sexes’ in The Cambridge Companion to Milton. Cambridge University
Press: Cambridge. Pg178.
5
Milton. Paradise Lost. Pg319.
6
Hillier, Russell M. Milton’s Messiah: The Son of God in the Works of John Milton. Oxford University
Press: Oxford, 2011. Pg32.
7
Ibid., pg41.
, such, the Son’s role as a mediator between Adam and Eve and God allows creation to remain hopeful of the
possibility of redemption,8 and bring them the possibility of salvation.
The Son’s intercession on behalf of humanity is also important in drawing mankind’s attention to their sins.
Combined with His championing humanity’s future, this indicates that the Son’s key role is based on
salvation and redemption for humanity. For example, in Book 10, the Son, not God, is the one who
confronts Adam and Eve on their sins after their temptation by Satan.9 This is of importance, since Milton
presents the Son as taking the condition of humanity upon himself, as He is key in warning them of “their
sinful state.”10 Without this, Adam and Eve would likely have felt shame and guilt as a result of God’s
discovery of their disobedience, but would have lacked the tools by which to improve their condition.
Therefore, in bringing the sins of humanity to their attention, the Son allows for the possibility of creation’s
improvement, and thus God’s extension of salvation through Him to creation. Indeed, as discussed above,
without Adam and Eve’s work to make amends for God, it is presented by Milton as unlikely that He would
have allowed humanity to return to His good graces. Furthermore, when the Son hears the prayers of Adam
and Eve after their Fall, He offers this up to God combined with His personal payment of their debts (his
sacrifice.)11 God accepts and grants the possibility of eternal life to those who follow His commandments. 12
Therefore, without the intercession and mediation of the Son, humanity would both lack the possibility for
acceptance by God and salvation. Overall, Milton’s presentation of the Son as a mediator is key to his wider
theodicy of the Son of God as the agent of salvation.
In his close relationship with the Father, Milton’s Son of God also acts as a substantial representation of
God for humanity on Earth, ultimately allowing for the possibility of salvation. The Son is the manifestation
of the Father for humanity,13 illuminating the nature of Milton’s God, and working as an agent of God’s will.
He is the perfect example of God’s revealed will on Earth.14 For example, Milton draws attention to the
visible and invisible of God, with the Son representing God visibly, which God himself cannot do (at least for
humanity to physically see.) In Book 6, the Son’s physicality is described as one in which the “invisible is
beheld Visibly,”15 demonstrating how the Son’s physical manifestation allows him to demonstrate the
qualities of God, and lead others into His goodness and grace, which to Adam and Eve after the Fall would
be otherwise unknown. Without a substantial representation of God, Adam and Eve, and later humanity
would lack guidance and an understanding of the nature of God. As such, the Son is able to bring salvation
for humanity, in allowing them knowledge of God, his grace, and their abilities to regain His favour.
The Son as a substantial representation of God is also crucial in the process of salvation, as He is able to
ensure God’s involvement in it. In Book 8, God is described as occupying a state of unconnectedness in His
universe,16 suggesting that without the Son as a divine force on Earth, God would lack any involvement in
8
Hillier. Milton’s Messiah: The Son of God in the Works of John Milton. Pg41.
9
Smith. The Oxford Handbook of Milton. Pg513.
10
Milton. Paradise Lost. Pg66.
11
Smith. The Oxford Handbook of Milton. Pg513.
12
Ibid., pg513.
13
Lewis, C. S. A Preface to Paradise Lost. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1942. Pg80.
14
Hillier. Milton’s Messiah: The Son of God in the Works of John Milton. Pg17.
15
Milton. Paradise Lost. Pg164.
16
Currart, Stuart. 'The ‘World’ of Paradise Lost', in McDowell, Nicholas and Smith Nigel (eds), The
Oxford Handbook of Milton. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2009. Pg529.
