Blavatsky Blogger
Taking Theosophical
ideas
into the 21st
century
Synopsis of
Background
The Poem
is about Adam and Eve--how they came to be created and how they came to lose
their place in the Garden of Eden, also called
It's the
same story you find in the first pages of Genesis, expanded by
story of
the origin of Satan. Originally, he was called Lucifer, an angel in heaven who
led his followers in a war against God, and was ultimately sent with them to
hell. Thirst for revenge led him to cause man's downfall by turning into a
serpent and tempting Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.
The Story
The story
opens in hell, where Satan and his followers are recovering from defeat in a
war they waged against God. They build a palace, called
Pandemonium,
where they hold council to determine whether or not to return to battle.
Instead they decide to explore a new world prophecied to be created, where a
safer course of revenge can be planned. Satan undertakes
the
mission alone. At the gate of hell, he meets his offspring, Sin and Death, who
unbar the gates for him. He journeys across chaos till he sees
the new
universe floating near the larger globe which is heaven. God sees Satan flying
towards this world and foretells the fall of man. His Son, who
sits at
his right hand, offers to sacrifice himself for man's salvation.
Meanwhile,
Satan enters the new universe. He flies to the sun, where he tricks an angel,
Uriel, into showing him the way to man's home.
Satan
gains entrance into the Garden of Eden, where he finds Adam and Eve and becomes
jealous of them. He overhears them speak of God's commandment that they should
not eat the forbidden fruit. Uriel warns Gabriel and his
angels,
who are guarding the gate of
Raphael
recounts to them how jealousy against the Son of God led a once favored angel
to wage war against God in heaven, and how the Son, Messiah, cast him and his
followers into hell. He relates how the world was created so mankind could one
day replace the fallen angels in heaven.
Satan
returns to earth, and enters a serpent. Finding Eve alone he induces her to eat
the fruit of the forbidden tree. Adam, resigned to join in her
fate, eats
also. Their innocence is lost and they become aware of their nakedness. In
shame and despair, they become hostile to each other. The Son
of God
descends to earth to judge the sinners, mercifully delaying their sentence of
death. Sin and Death, sensing Satan's success, build a highway
to earth,
their new home. Upon his return to hell, instead of a celebration of victory,
Satan and his crew are turned into serpents as punishment. Adam reconciles with
Eve. God sends Michael to expel the pair from
Biography of John Milton (1608-1674)
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Taking Theosophical
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