Sir Richard Blackmore and the Bible: A Reading of His Physico-theological Poems in Bloomington, MN

Sir Richard Blackmore (1650_1729) was deeply affected by the Protestant poetic trends in England, which favored the Sacred Scriptures as a source for what was termed 'divine poetry.' His preference also prized the religious poetic trends as a spiritual weapon against vice and atheism. His advocacy of ideas upholding virtue, morality, and Christianity in a world that was undergoing phenomenal changes in its mores served as a backbone for the renewal and strengthening of the increasing popularity of divine poetry. This work further explores the Bible's influence on Blackmore's physico-theological poems, his personal notions of a Creator, and his scientific ideas.