# Question about John Milton and John Donne



## cih1355 (Jun 26, 2006)

Were John Milton and John Donne Christians?


----------



## Laura (Jun 26, 2006)

The former was the secretary for Oliver Cromwell for some time; I understand that he had more political sympathies with the Puritans than doctrinal affinities (though notable among them was strong anti-Catholic convictions), but he was a professed Christian. He started out training for the ministry and decided to be a poet instead.

Donne was an Anglican clergyman. His love poetry became more sanctified after he entered the ministry...still, he was rather eccentric.


----------



## VirginiaHuguenot (Jun 26, 2006)

There have been debates on the PB previously about whether John Milton was an Arian or not. He started out as a Puritan, but went off the Puritan path on the issue of divorce, and his theology as expressed in _Paradise Lost_ and _De doctrina Christiana_ has been criticized as unorthodox. 

John Donne was an Anglican. He is one of my favorite poets. Although some of his poems convey sensuality, I am not aware of a reason to doubt his profession of faith as a Christian.


----------

