In this section I intend to argue that Milton deconstructed medieval theology's dualistic representations of Cristianity. To suggest that Milton “deconstructed” anything (let alone Christianity) may seem little more than a thinly veiled attempt to attach this work to an influential movement; nonetheless, I hope not only to bring attention to recent scholarship that has traced deconstruction from Derrida (through Heidegger) to a surprising Reformation antecedent in Luther but also to approach Milton's “monism” in a new way. I shall argue that this monism may be seen as the result of Milton's de-structuring of medieval theology's dualistic Christianity, Christianity understood as being con-structed within what I am terming the “Christian–pagan” dyad.

Of course, it will not be suggested that Milton simply inverted the structure to privilege the pagan or Earthy; on the contrary, I shall argue that Milton suggests an origin of the Christian–pagan dyad in a scripturally sanctioned Christianity rooted in the Earth which understands human beings as “Spirits rooted in the Earth” or “Spirits of place.” Seen in these terms, Milton's deconstruction may seem a risky business indeed, in that he is unabashedly embracing that Earthy aspect of Creation that a thousand years of Church doctrine had sought to cleave off from the Spirit.