Lines+320-480+Shana

=Book 1 Lines 320-480=

Photo credit to [|anadah] Photo credit to [|AdamosMaximus]

On line 324, the mention of "Cherub and Seraph" are references to the two ranks of angels in the first hierarchy of angels in Christianity. Adam is guarded by two cherubim angels after his fall, and cherubs are also mentioned in the book of Exodus. Seraphs appear in Isaias 6:6. "Amram's son" of line 339 alludes to Moses and how he caused the flood of locusts to come and destroy Egypt. Line 392 mentions "moloch," which was a king who was worshipped by idolatrous Israelites. It alludes to how children sacrifices were made to the "moloch" in line 395, "children's cries unheard." The "valley of Hinnom" of line 404 refers to the valley of the damned, where Moloch was worshipped. "Chemos" in line 406 alludes to a Moabite deity Solomon built a shrine for. "Aroar" and "Nebo" are Moabite towns; from Nebo, Moses saw the first glimpse of the promised land of Canaan. Line 413 mentions "Israel in Sittim," referring to the Isrealites that committed "whoredom" with the daughters of Moab at Shittim on their way from Egypt to Canaan. On line 416, the "a place east of the Jerusalem temple, often called the Mount of Olives, where the shrines of pagan dieties like Moloch, Baal, Chemosh, and Ashtoreth stood. "Good Josiah" of line 418 destroyed this shrines later. are the plural forms of Baal and Astarte. Baal was a god often depicted as a calf or other beasts and Astarte was a middle eastern goddess of fertility and war. "Sion" of line 442 refers to Israel's promised land. The ""Rimmon" of line 467 refers to the Semitic God of weather. Line 470 reads "A Leper once he lost and gained a king," referring to the Syrian general Naaman and King Ahaz. Although he initially laughed at the prophet Elisha's suggestion to bathe in the Jordan to rid of his leprosy, when it worked, he switched from worshipping Rimmon to worshipping God. But at the same time, King Ahaz converted to the worship of Rimmon and built an alter for him. "Osiris, Orus, and Isis" of line 478 allude to the second group of devils, Egyptian gods driven from heaven by the revolt of the giants.

"Mesopotamian representation of Baal" Photo credit to [|fraserspeirs]

Line 348 mentions "their great Sultan," which alludes to both a Sultan, the leader in the Islamic world and Satan. Linking them together, Milton "literally demonizes Islam rulers ([|Luxon])."

"The populous North" of line 351 alludes to the fall of Rome because it is the place where barbarian troops were thought to have entered. On line 353, "Rhene or the Danaw" refer to the Rhine and Danube Rivers, which comprised of most of the northern frontier of the Roman Empire.