WEEK 9 - FALSE IDOLS AND BLAKE
Originally published at CANDY'S BLOG. You can comment here or there.
After staring off our discussion this week I could not help myself commenting on Question 2:
“The Everlasting Gospel” (445-453)
“The Vision of Christ that thou dost see/ Is my Visions Greatest Enemy” (453). From these two lines (in the context of what you know of Blake- of this poem), is Blake’s “Greatest Enemy”?
Initially I thought Blake was taking a direct hit at the representation of Jesus and other biblical characters within churches and religious establishments. I could not get past this thought and began to wonder if Blake was protestant in the way that he disregarded the extravagance of the Catholic Church and those who were in its heirachy.
If this was the case then Blake would believe strongly in the following commandment:
You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth
These representations of Jesus, Mary, The Disciples etc… are therefore false idols, although they give us a visual reference, they should not be made. We in faith should not need images to reinforce our belief. Therefore, one can assume that Blake was also commenting upon the misuse of these idols by the church to enforce fear and perhaps even enforce their own agendas.
Ahhh Blake you seem to be a man of my own heart…
This week I commented here
http://studentblogs.acu.edu.au/s00092434/2009/09/26/literature-journal-week-9-my-own-leaf/comment-page-1/#comment-16
Great poem! i really liked all the imagery you were able to put in it, if i may could i suggest perhaps separating your lines more, because some seem to detract from the flow and it would make a large difference if they were on a new line. just a suggestion, none the less, great work.