In Milton's Paradise Lost, angels and men are arranged in a divinely established hierarchy based on their relative closeness to God. Over the course of the epic, characters develop different and often conflicting conceptions of the spiritual hierarchy, based on different interpretations of the underlying principles that govern action within the hierarchy. These principles include the relationship between merit and rank, how freedom is defined within the hierarchy, and the reasons why one is promoted or demoted. Milton takes great care to illustrate the basis of each character's understanding of the spiritual hierarchy and demonstrates to the reader the implications of each character's individual interpretation. The reader is thus able to struggle together with the main characters to draw conclusions that will shape their personal approach to spirituality. Furthermore, the reader can make comparisons between the spiritual hierarchy that exists in Paradise Lost and the hierarchies that exist in the human world. In this way, Milton uses spiritual hierarchy as a path to an intellectual foundation for theology, asking the reader to struggle alongside the main characters to understand the central tenets of Christian thought. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Milton illustrates that the conception of the relationship between divinely appointed rank and spiritual fulfillment is central to the intellectual understanding of spiritual hierarchy. At the beginning of Paradise Lost, Milton makes it very clear that it is spiritual merit as assessed by God that authorizes rank, rather than rank indicating spiritual merit. In Book III, God says directly to the Son: “you… have been found / By merit rather than by birthright Son of God, / Found more worthy of being so good” (III. 305-10). Although the exaltation of the Son appears to be a separate event from God's original creation of the angelic hierarchy, we must remember that time does not exist in heaven as it does on Earth. As Ide explains, “…this moment in heaven is not the present generation of the Son, but the revelation of a previous generation” (Ide 147). This contextual distinction is significant because it changes the meaning of the word "birthright," suggesting that "birthright" refers to God's original hierarchical institution, which applies to all angels. Therefore, Milton through God is making it clear that spiritual merit was the factor that dictated the original institution for all, as opposed to a more arbitrary factor such as those we might find in human hierarchies. This definition of the relationship between merit and rank provides a solid intellectual foundation from which the reader can begin to analyze the convergence of spiritual hierarchy and meritocracy in Paradise Lost. Milton uses Satan as a counterexample of how the reader should understand the relationship between spiritual merit. and rank. Throughout the epic, Satan illustrates the folly of believing that established rank indicates spiritual merit. From the beginning, Satan shows that he believes his rank is what gives him spiritual authority over his minions. As Durham notes, “…throughout the poem [Satan] addresses his charges by title…as if titles were indicative of valor (and as a subtle reminder of his superior status)” (Durham 16). Failing to understand that his rank does not define his worth, Satan cannot recognize that he rises in the spiritual hierarchy by increasing his spiritual worth in the eyes of God. Instead, Satan attempts to risecompletely subverting the hierarchy, a tactic that seems rational when compared to the human hierarchical operation but which results in complete failure in Heaven. The failure of Satan's coup demonstrates how a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of spiritual hierarchy has vast implications in contrast to human hierarchies, thus guiding the reader's formation of an intellectual basis for approaching spirituality. Instead of using the Son to counter Satan's erroneous understanding of rank and value in the spiritual hierarchy, Milton uses a lesser angel, Abdiel. The fact that Abdiel is congratulated on his meritorious desertion from Satan, despite his relatively low angelic rank, is significant in terms of constructing the reader's conception of hierarchical principles. Durham writes that "...Abdiel demonstrates...being 'equally free' allows an angel of lower rank to compete with one of higher rank...provided the lesser being is in accordance with God's commands" (Durham 16). Abdiel draws strength for his fight against Satan, the superior angel, by repeating the correct conception of hierarchical rank that God presented in his exaltation of the Son. Referring to the Son, Abdiel directly tells Satan that "God and nature say the same thing, / When he who rules is most worthy and excels / Those he rules." Abdiel here asserts that the Son, due to his great spiritual value, is truly deserving of heavenly authority. Abdiel himself, in fact, ultimately rises in hierarchical stature, perhaps not with an obvious change of title, but at least with being recognized and distinguished by God because he has raised his worth both through obedience and through the spread of the word of God to Satan. Abdiel's intellectual triumph over Satan provides the reader with a stark contrast between spiritual hierarchy and human hierarchy, indicating that in the former individuals rise and fall regardless of their established rank. The idea that within the spiritual hierarchy rank is simply an expression of merit has great implications. for the newly created man. Among men, however, there are only two hierarchical levels, man and woman, occupied respectively by Adam and Eve. If one were to believe that this hierarchical rule among angels is also true of man, it will ultimately be seen that this is a bold statement by Milton that works both for and against the ideals of gender equality. The simple fact that Adam and Eve, at least spiritually, hold a rank equivalent to their spiritual worth supports the idea that Adam is closer to God than Eve. This can alternatively be interpreted, however, that Eve has the ability to rise above Adam in terms of spiritual hierarchical rank, despite Adam's established superiority at the time of creation. Thus, implicit in Milton's engineered structure is an ambiguity behind the spiritual potential of men and women, and indeed an ambiguity behind who would be most likely to fall if tempted. While each character in Paradise Lost has the ability to objectively analyze the spiritual hierarchy. , we find that one's conception is often distorted by their rank and the resulting perspective of hierarchical functioning. In Book IV, Satan despairs, thinking he has made the wrong decision by rebelling. In his personal debates, he temporarily suggests that part of his madness was a result of the perspective of his high rank. "Oh if his mighty destiny had foreordained / I an inferior angel, would I have remained / Then happy; no boundless hope had stirred / Ambition" (IV. 58-61), Satan laments, conceiving that his established position has caused the fell because it fueled his growing ambition. However,Satan quickly and rightly dismisses this idea, considering that he, as a lower angel, may have fought God in much the same way, and that angels as high as him were still capable of remaining loyal. Through this illustrated internal confusion about the effect rank has on the perception of hierarchy, Milton demonstrates Satan's continued inability to understand the nature of spiritual hierarchy. This intellectual difficulty becomes the primary barrier placed between Satan and possible spiritual redemption, and mirrors the intellectual difficulty the reader is having with the principles of the spiritual hierarchy. Allowing the reader to identify with Satan, therefore, ensures that the reader will have to wrestle with theological concepts from both the correct and incorrect perspectives. Milton later gives us specific insight into the source of Satan's difficulties with the spiritual hierarchy. In Book V, Satan gives a speech inciting his minions to rebel and asks how an angel could accept the Son as ruler when angels are equal to the Son. Can [the Son]... without lawErr no, much less let it be our Lord, and seek worship for the abuse of those imperial titles which affirm that we are ordained to rule, not to serve? (V. 798-802)Satan argues that since the angels and the Son were both created by God, they should share equal freedom. The obvious problem with Satan's claim is its hypocrisy. Satan has no problem being the primary and probably only influential ruler of his servants, as evidenced by his meticulous lecture in Hell, but he refuses to see the merit in God appointing a ruler who would be a source of authority. Any obstacle to Satan, even the appointment of a Son who would help guide the angels to higher spiritual levels, is seen as a threat to his freedom. Milton uses this argument about the nature of freedom to frame an ongoing debate in Paradise Lost regarding the difficult to understand concept that one is always free if one always chooses the good. Satan's apparent hypocrisy also serves to remind the reader that it is his intellectual conception of spiritual hierarchy, as opposed to base motives alone, that leads to his downfall. Part of what Milton wants the reader to understand about the nature of the spiritual hierarchy is that one's freedom is not compromised simply because they are content with the rank established by God. Satan makes the mistake of viewing the established hierarchical structure as a prison from which he desires free yourself. In one of his most revealing lines, Satan tells Michael that he will "turn this heaven itself into hell / Thou most fabulous, here yet to dwell free, / If not to reign" (VI. 291-93). By emphasizing that he would be content simply to be free from the Son's authority, Satan demonstrates that he is not rebelling simply because he is power-hungry. However, Satan's falsely idealistic motive to gain freedom is based on his misconception that one can subvert the spiritual hierarchy to gain freedom. Abdiel, however, once again provides the alternative to the hierarchical conception of Satan. He tells Satan during the battle in heaven that true servitude, or lack of freedom, is "To serve the unwise, or he who has rebelled / Against his worthiest, as thy [servants] now serve thee" (VI 178-80). Abdiel here illustrates a central tenet inherent to Milton's spiritual hierarchy: that trying to override a more worthy individual in the hierarchy through subversion is futile. It also reinforces the idea that one is always free to choose the good by explaining that servitude or loss of freedom means making poor spiritual choices,for example choosing to serve Satan. Milton also introduces the idea that an individual's conception of the nature of the good spiritual hierarchy is influenced by the perspective they have from their particular rank. Adam, for example, is very aware of his established superiority over Eve, and this influences how he interprets the nature of the spiritual hierarchy. Because of this taste for authority, Adam's conception of the spiritual hierarchy tends to oscillate between that of the two heavenly characters who hold similar positions: the Son and Satan. Benet writes that Adam seeks to emulate the Son in the separation scene, asking Eve to remain with him so that he may have the opportunity to deny Satan for both of them, just as the Son volunteers to sacrifice himself for all the sins of the man. However, post-fall Adam reveals that, like Satan, he places great faith in rank over merit, or rather, potential merit. “But from me what can proceed, / But all corrupt, and mind and will depraved” (X. 824-25), cries Adam, convinced that his lowered state after the fall will destroy his sons' chance of rising in rank . The reader, understanding that Adam's conceptions of spiritual hierarchy are due in part to his perceived rank, can conceptualize how these theological ideas apply to the real world. Since Eve is on the lowest rung of the spiritual hierarchy, her perspective and therefore conception of the spiritual hierarchy is very different from that of Adam. Benet writes that Eve alternately desires to emulate Abdiel “…because her status vis-à-vis the tempter and other high-ranking angels matches hers in relation to that of Adam” (Benet 132). He goes on to propose that Eve's desire to separate was due to a desire to thwart Satan as Abdiel had done, an active display of obedience to God. While perhaps Eve did not act solely because she could relate to Abdiel in his lowered position, it is nevertheless helpful note that their similar hierarchical statuses resulted in similar conceptions of success within the spiritual hierarchy. Of course, Eve fails to thwart Satan, but because she is not torn between conceptions of spiritual hierarchy, as Adam is, she is able to take almost immediate responsibility for her actions and help Adam begin repentance. The spiritual hierarchy originally established by God is, as previously mentioned, not permanent. Indeed, Milton shows that there are several ways in which one can elevate one's spiritual status. The most visible strategy for spiritual advancement presented by Milton is the idea of ​​taking a lower hierarchical position to get closer to God. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Son's willingness to take the form of a man to redeem humanity from his sins. God states that this action would ultimately be a positive spiritual step when he tells him that "your humiliation will exalt / With you also your manhood on this throne" (III. 313-14). Milton is also very careful to make it clear that stooping is not the same as turning away from God. After the Son volunteers to take human form, God directly tells the Son that "in descending to assume the nature of Man, he will not diminish or degrade the [his] own" (III. 303-4). Milton here reinforces the idea that lower rank does not translate into lower worth in the eyes of God. We see some evidence of lowering oneself in hierarchical stature to get closer to God in Adam and Eve. For example, Eve after the fall prostrates herself before Adam, offering to suffer punishment for both if God allows it. In this we have a physical and symbolic abasement which, although unanswered by God, gives the reader a sense of the possibility of spiritual renewal.Subsequently, the two lower themselves to the ground and cry repentantly, in a passage that is notable for being the only set of lines repeated closely in the text. Once again, God does not respond to these cries, but because of the hierarchical implications established earlier, the reader recognizes greater meaning to the scene and thus Adam and Eve actually rise to spiritual status. When the Son is exalted above all other angels, however, Satan reacts exactly as if his position, and therefore his value, had been lowered. Abdiel, who serves throughout Paradise Lost as an example of someone with a correct conception of spiritual hierarchy, explains to Satan during their battle the flaw in his logic. The angels of all positions in heaven, Abdiel tells Satan, are not "overshadowed by his kingdom, / But made more illustrious, for he the chief / One of our number so small becomes, / His laws our laws, the all honor is done / Returns ours” (V. 841-45). He sees the Son not as an authority figure whose presence diminishes the value of all those below, but as a spiritual bridge between the angels and God. As Ide notes, exaltation “…is a loving act of condescension on the part of God…God now offers the opportunity for closer participation with him [to the angels]” (Ide 148). he fails to realize this, largelyIn the same way that Eve relates to God through Adam, the Son offers him and all the angels the opportunity to develop a fuller spiritual bond with God. When he refuses to accept the Son as link between the angels and God, Satan once again excludes himself from the possibility of redemption due to intellectual misunderstandings about hierarchy. Another interesting aspect of the spiritual hierarchy in Paradise Lost is the way Milton presents the role of ambition. Satan clearly recognizes, at least temporarily, that his rebellion was motivated by ambition when he cries that "pride and worse ambition have brought me down" (IV. 40). What Satan does not recognize is how his conception of the spiritual hierarchy makes him suspicious of the values ​​of all the other angels, and this suspicion to the point of cynicism blocks his path to any possible redemption. When Abdiel angrily turns away from Satan's authority, we understand that his motives are pure because God himself congratulates him. Servant of God, well done, well you fought the best battle, who maintained against the rebellious multitudes the cause of truth, in words mightier than they in arms (VI. 29-32)God clearly attributes Abdiel's righteous deed as a struggle to preserve the truth. Satan, however, misinterprets Abdiel's motives for obedience as a mere ambitious attempt to rise in the established hierarchy. “But well, thy com'st / Before thy comrades, ambitious to win / From me some plume” (VI. 159-61), Satan tells Abdiel. Not only does Satan accuse Abdiel of detestable ambition, but he immediately assumes that Abdiel's ambition was to specifically rise above himself. This suspicion illustrates the depth to which Satan's misconception of spiritual hierarchy is influencing his actions and perspective. Satan accuses the Son of attributing vile motives to such. In Book V he tells his servants: "The great Messiah... / ...crossing quickly through all hierarchies / Means to triumph and give laws" (V. 691-93). Here Satan implies a twofold accusation: first, that the Son is not worthy of the right to rule, and second, that the Son is being resurrected "quickly" and therefore has not paid his due. The insinuation here is that every righteous act, whether performed by the lowest cherub or by the Son himself, is performedselfishly so that God grants status or power in exchange. Satan has here revealed his belief that the rationale behind serving and performing righteous deeds is to merely gain status within the spiritual hierarchy. The way Satan sees his relationship with God as dependent on mutually beneficial transactions of service and reward can be identified directly in the text. Michals highlights how in Book IV Satan analyzes his decision to rebel against God primarily in economic terms. “His language,” he writes, “reflects a mixed conception of value, a feudal hierarchy that is not so much imagined in terms of mutual duties as rationalized in terms of debt and payment” (Michals 505). Satan, in other words, cannot understand why one should serve God without receiving an equal return on their investment. This contrasts directly with the advice of Milton's narrator, who had previously commented that service without expectations is the type of service most prized by God. This contrast further demonstrates the depth of Satan's misconception, and the economic quality of misconception helps the reader connect concepts of spiritual hierarchy to knowledge of how hierarchies work in the human world. By reducing service to God to the level of mutually beneficial transactions, Satan eliminates the true spiritual nature of the hierarchy established by God. However, he is not the only character to diminish the meritocratic aspect of the hierarchy. Adam, whose inclination towards the satanic conception of the spiritual structure we have already seen, commits a similar error. He suggests that those who are simply faced with temptation are degraded in the eyes of God. Such thinking has considerable moral implications and, as Benet proposes, "...detracts from the positive achievement of loyalty..." (Benet 133). Eve also reduces the spiritual nature of the hierarchy when she mixes ambition and service by trying to thwart Satan for, apparently, the expected appreciation of God and/or Adam. These examples of hierarchical conceptions that reduce the meaning of spirituality and merit without becoming critical elements of the action of the epic demonstrate how Paradise Lost helps to distance the reader from faulty theological assumptions. Another significant concept that helps clarify the nature of the spiritual hierarchy in Paradise Lost is that of relative perfection, the idea that two characters can exist on different hierarchical levels and still maintain a level of perfection. Part of this perfection is established in the concept that all of God's creations are imbued with elements of divinity, for example man is created in the image of God. What makes relative perfection critical to understanding the nature of spiritual hierarchy, however, is that it provides a way in which a level of equality can be identified between those in different positions. Relative perfection allows all individuals the ability to seek God's approval without actually competing or feeling competitive with that approval. Durham writes that at the beginning of the war in Heaven, “…all the angels behave admirably…in the heat of battle, hierarchical rank becomes meaningless to the warriors” (Durham 18). Satan, as we well know, appears to have a certain level of envy for the Son's exalted position, and this envy stems from the fact that Satan does not see himself as relatively perfect and yet inferior to the Son, but as an equal who has been unjustly belittled. Finally, we must analyze the effects of the spiritual hierarchy on Adam and Eve in the context of their worldly knowledge. It must be said that the idea of ​​spiritual hierarchy is somewhat. 7.2 (1995).