At War With God Theology In Christpher — страница 3

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summarizes Tamburlaine’s attitude toward the sovereignty of God, saying that Tamburlaine not only rejects the authority of a Supreme Being, but also establishes himself as a challenging authority and demands that those under his authority honor him with the same obedience and faithful service they would show their god (p. 87). Marlowe’s Tamburlaine also disputes God’s ability to govern the affairs of men. The pagan god of war has surrendered control to him, Tamburlaine maintains (Marlowe, 1967, p. 95). Consequently, he is of no benefit to those who would withstand him. Jehovah, Tamburlaine claims, lives in terror, fearing He Himself may be dethroned by Tamburlaine at any moment. (Marlowe, 1967, p. 96). Consumed with fear and busy protecting His own kingdom, then, Jehovah

also stands powerless to intervene in earthly matters. Finally, according to Tamburlaine, “Mahomet remains in hell,” unaware of the sufferings his people endure at Tamburlaine’s hands. Marlowe, 1967, p. 182). Lacking knowledge and himself a prisoner, Mohammed too is incapable of affecting the course of history. Through Tamburlaine’s portrayals of the Greek and Roman pagan deities, the Jehovah of Christianity and Judaism, and the Mohammed of Islam, Marlowe effectively suggests that man will find in organized religion no divine being capable of assisting him in the struggles of life. In conclusion, Marlowe’s Tamburlaine, likes its author, defies the spirit of the Tudor Renaissance by denying the role of providence in the events of history. Furthermore, it rejects the

orthodox Christianity of Marlowe’s era, exalting both Mohammed and the manifold deities of Greece and Rome to the level of Jehovah and implying that all are equally impotent. Finally, having brought into question the identity of the true God, His character, and His power, Marlowe’s Tamburlaine prepares the reader to question the very existence of God and so advances Marlowe’s own atheistic philosophy.