Doubting the Divine in Early Modern Europe: The Revival of Momus, the Agnostic God

Abstract

Besides its thematic and dating-period value, Doubting the Divine in Early Modern Europe may not be much of a surprising statement and choice of title for a book such as this one.The history of early modernity is fuelled-among other breedinggrounds-by anti-religious feelings and ideas, which contributed to, and were the harbingers of, major ensuing revolutions in Europe and elsewhere.The subtitle, however, may sound more surprising and even intriguing, The Revival of Momus, the Agnostic God.There are several reasons why the subtitle should draw the interest of various types of scholars and even a certain general reader.One principal reason is the mention of 'agnostic,' which has once again become a popular attitude along with the revival of religious dogmas, and a second reason is the implied notion that such a metaphysical tradition, or intellectual creed, has a god of its own and that somehow the 'agnostic' perspective may be further traced to the creation of Momus, the alleged "Agnostic God."McClure neatly structures the material in major literary and historical periods: the Classical tradition of the Greek Pantheon, the Renaissance of Leon Battista Alberti's Momus novel, the Reformation Momus, the "Momus" in the "Execution of Giordano Bruno" chapter, Milton's Luciferian Momus, the "God of Modern Criticks," and concludes with a peregrination on the surviving Momus of modernism.As a standard-length work, the book is rich in descriptive content, detailed analysis and references, and includes corpulent bibliography and an index that is chiefly a list of names discussed or cited in the text.In his discussion throughout the book, the author invites the reader to view Western literary history, and particularly the critical tradition, through the lenses of the metaphysical and fictional Momus figure.Such invitation recurs frequently at different points within the periodization discussed in the various sections: "We might ponder whether Socrates himself, as a tireless and annoying critic of his fellow Athenians, was a type of Momus figure" (7).Regarding the Renaissance, he speaks of the antihero figure in Alberti's eponymous novel, and of Alberti's silence concerning God, as evidence not only of the resurgence of scepticism, but also of an epiphany and of the maturation of anti-clerical feelings and diatribes, which were fully exposed during later periods such as the Reformation.The elasticity with which the 'Momus' meme and epithet is employed becomes colourful in the section devoted

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