Milton's vision

Milton is often remembered as a severe Puritan whose faith was narrow, cold and hostile to humanity, even by readers who admire his poetry. Theo Hobson challenges that picture and argues that few thinkers of the period opposed religious authoritarianism as fiercely as Milton did.

Hobson contends that Milton held political freedom to be part of the Christian gospel itself. In Milton's view, Protestantism and political liberty were allies rather than rivals. By regarding all ecclesiastical power with suspicion, Milton helped lay the groundwork for the modern ideal of secularism. Hobson presents him as a Christian libertarian who hoped every form of church would eventually wither away, leaving the gospel free of coercion.

The book places Milton within today's debates about religion's role in public life. It examines how religious belief gives rise to secular ideals and interacts with them, and Hobson argues that no earlier study of Milton has addressed these core questions so directly.