This Week in Christian History: Santa Claus, Paradise Lost, An Archbishop Consecrated

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, December 03, 2017

John Milton Born - December 9, 1608

The title page of the John Milton classic 'Paradise Lost.' — The title page of the John Milton classic "Paradise Lost." | (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

This week marks the anniversary of when the author of one of western civilization' most influential literary masterpieces was born.

John Milton, a Puritan writer and pamphleteer who authored the epic poem "Paradise Lost," was born in London to John and Sara Milton. He had many siblings, though most died young.

Milton's most famous work "Paradise Lost," has had a strong influence on the English speaking world, with a 2017 BBC column arguing that its influence was second only to the works of William Shakespeare.

"Paradise Lost inspired Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, while Wordsworth began his famous sonnet London, 1802 with a plea: 'Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour: England hath need of thee,'" noted the column.

"Malcolm X read Paradise Lost in prison, sympathising with Satan, while AE Housman quipped that 'malt does more than Milton can / To reconcile God's ways to man.'"