Jerusalem banned, again

Commentary in The Times:

Why this fastidious anguish over the use of such majestic poetry in a church service? Blake’s vision may be based on the legend that, as a boy, Jesus Christ was brought to England by Joseph of Arimathea, on one of his trading trips. But it does conjure a wonderful image of the Lamb of God hiking across 1st-century England – perhaps enjoying a stroll on the South Downs or gazing in awe at Stonehenge. Two things, however, cause misgivings among some purist clerics. The first is that Blake seems to be calling for mankind, rather than God, to create a “Heaven on Earth”. In other words, Jerusalem is closer to being a humanist cry for social justice than a religious prayer for divine intervention. But doesn’t the Church promote social justice? Don’t congregations pour thousands of pounds on to collection plates to help to alleviate Third World poverty?

Perhaps, then, the second objection is more pertinent: that Jerusalem stirs up nationalist sentiments. It is true that Blake includes the word England four times in two verses. But the references to “dark satanic mills” and “clouded hills” are hardly flattering. And England in this context surely represents earthly existence, just as Jerusalem represents paradise. Besides, it is odd for a priest in the Church of England to object to the use of the word England in a religious context.

My hunch? In his lifetime the anti-Establishment Blake made no secret of his contempt for organised religion in general, and clerics in particular. It is said that he attended church only three times: for his baptism, his wedding and his funeral.


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