The Christian Perspective in An Essay on Man -- Alexander Pope Essay o

The Christian Perspective in An Essay on Man Some might argue that Alexander pontiffs An Essay on Man presents the viewpoint of a deist. Others might take in that the rime fails to record Christian concepts of good and dark, especially since the poet concludes his first epistle with the seemingly unchristian claim that whatever IS, is Right (I. 1. 294). Yet pontiffs argu ments actually reflect a conventional Christian perspective, which can be verified by comparing his poem with New Testament teachings. In his attempt to vindicate God in the face of suffering, he does not, like the pantheist, rule out the world of evil. Pope knows that men are capable of vice and that suffering is real. Pope does not argue that evil does not exist rather he argues that its existence does not preclude the justice of God. Like the writers of the New Testament, particularly the apostle Paul, Pope claims that pride and envy leads earth to question the justice of God, and he insists that men s ubmit to God, remaining content with their lot in life. Although Pope claims that one justness is clear, Whatever IS, is RIGHT (I. 1.294), he recognizes suffering But errs not nature from this prissy end,From burning suns when livid deaths descend,When earthquakes swallow, or when tempest sweepTowns to one grave, all in all nations to the deep? (I. ll. 140-143) Pope does not only acknowledge the existence of evil. He describes it in vivid detail. In the above passage, he paints a dread(a) picture of plagues caused by excessive heat, of destructive earthquakes, and of storms that decimate entire towns and nations. He writes too of Ammon, who was turned loose to scourge mankind (I. l. 160). He may argue that nature does not err t... ...realizes this himself for a moment at the end of the second epistle. For he does not conclude by attempting to justify the existence of evil. Rather, he says only that one comfort still essential rise, / Tis this, Tho Mans a fool, yet GOD IS W ISE (II. ll. 292-293). In the end, it is better to take that every man (including Pope) is a fool for failing to explain evil than to believe that God is not wise for allowing it. This couplet is one further proof of the Christian influence in Popes An Essay on Man. In the Epistle to the Romans, Paul writes Let God be true, but every man a liar (Romans 34). Works Cited Pope, Alexander. An Essay on Man. Ed. Gordon N. Ray. capital of Massachusetts Houghton Miflin Company, 1969. The New American Bible. Nashville Catholic Publishers, Inc., 1971. The King James Bible. Cleveland The cosmos Publishing Company, 1967.