The education of Adam, Samson, and Jesus : a critical essay : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Abstract

The idea behind this thesis stemmed from an independent study of the works of the great John Milton. During this study, aspects of knowledge and how characters gained that insight began to fit together in a sort of mosaic. Adam, Samson, and Jesus each experienced different circumstances, yet there was a pattern to the outcomes of those circumstances and the men who withstood them. Each character appeared to learn about himself on three unique levels of learning, the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual. In the end of their stories, it was apparent that each character had discovered the design of his own learning and had integrated that self-knowledge into himself. In examining this self-knowledge, each character came to a greater and fuller understanding of God. This puzzle of reason, which, when solved, becomesa mirror of self-reflection, is the enigma of God. The solving of the puzzle in Milton's works is the inspriration for this journey through the minds, hearts, and souls of three men -- Adam, Samson, and Jesus.