Themes in Redemption

God's love and mercy

God's love and mercy is the single theme of Redemption. This is the new lease of the poem. The parable echoes Jesus' dying words on the cross when he says to the penitent thief: ‘To-day you shall be with me in paradise' (Luke 23:43). In other words, at the moment of dying, his thoughts are for those he wishes to rescue.

Investigating Redemption
  • Does God seem distant in Redemption?
    • Look at the language of place Herbert uses.
  • Do we get the sense that it is God, or Jesus specifically, whom Herbert is making his landlord?
  • In what sense is Christ always being crucified for those seeking him?
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