In adapting the terse Genesis story of the Fall Milton was faced with numerous narrative and
philological riddles. Where for example was Adam when Eve was tempted or what exactly was
the meaning of those first Hebrew words addressed to Eve by the serpent? It has long been
suggested that in attempting to resolve some of these scriptural problems Milton was in part
influenced by Jewish Bible interpretation. In fact so substantially has the epic been seen to
echo rabbinic exegesis that it has been referred to as Christian midrash. Yet how does this
view of Milton's artistic ecumenism tally with the hostility towards the rabbis that pervades
early modern Christian writing including Milton's own prose works? By tracing Christian
exegetical debates about what the rabbis had to contribute towards an understanding of the
first chapters of the Hebrew Bible this study attempts to outline the boundaries of early
modern interfaith dialogue and to reassess to what extent Milton may have crossed them.
