Deliver Us from Evil

Spiritual alchemy and renewal

In this post, we aim to explore the lessons of Milton's "Samson Agonistes" as they relate to our modern understanding of evil, specifically through the lens of Karen Mitchell's Persistent Predatory Personality (PPP) model.

By examining Samson's journey from despair to purposeful sacrifice alongside contemporary research on predatory personalities, we seek to illuminate the spiritual responsibilities we carry in what many believe to be a self-chosen "time of peril."

Through this exploration, we ultimately discover how maintaining hope becomes a form of resistance, and how the mythic Phoenix offers a powerful symbol for transformation in dark times.

Milton’s “Samson Agonistes”

John Milton's dramatic poem "Samson Agonistes" (1671) portrays the biblical hero Samson during his final hours. The work opens with Samson blind and imprisoned by the Philistines in Gaza after being betrayed by his wife Delilah.

Throughout the poem, various visitors come to Samson, including his father Manoa (who offers hope of ransom), a chorus of sympathetic Danites, members of the Israelite tribe of Dan to which Samson belongs, his treacherous wife Delilah (seeking reconciliation), and a Philistine giant named Harapha who mocks him.

The dramatic tension builds when a Philistine officer arrives to command Samson's presence at a festival, where he is to perform for their entertainment. Initially refusing, Samson later feels a divine prompting and agrees to go.

The poem culminates in Samson's final act of strength — pulling down the pillars of the Philistine temple, killing himself along with thousands of his enemies, thereby fulfilling his role as God's chosen deliverer of Israel.

The work explores themes of suffering, divine providence, heroism, and redemption through sacrifice. Rather than depicting a conversion narrative, it presents Samson's spiritual journey from despair to renewed purpose and divinely sanctioned vengeance.

So what lesson about deliverance from evil does the story of Samson hold for us today?

First, it reminds us that human strength alone is insufficient against profound evil. Samson, despite his supernatural physical power, falls victim to his own weaknesses and the deception of others. This suggests that confronting evil requires more than just material or physical resources.

Second, the narrative emphasizes that even those who have fallen can find redemption. Samson, though blinded and imprisoned due to his own failings, ultimately fulfills his divine purpose. This offers hope that past mistakes need not determine future potential for meaningful action against evil.

Third, Milton's portrayal particularly highlights the complex relationship between personal suffering and divine purpose. Samson's greatest victory comes through sacrifice rather than triumph in the conventional sense. This challenges us to reconsider our understanding of what constitutes effective resistance to evil.

Finally, the story warns against placing trust in those who have demonstrated untrustworthiness. Samson's repeated willingness to confide in Delilah despite her betrayals serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of naivety when confronting malevolent forces.

True deliverance often requires spiritual renewal, wisdom, and sometimes personal sacrifice.

We All Chose to Live in This Time of Peril

The spiritual foundation for believing we chose to live in perilous times stems from several theological perspectives:

First, there's the concept of divine providence — that our existence in this particular historical moment is not accidental but purposeful. In Milton's worldview, God assigns specific roles to individuals within salvation history, just as Samson was "ordained" as Israel's deliverer despite his personal failings.

Second, this belief connects to the idea of pre-mortal existence in some theological traditions, suggesting souls may have accepted earthly assignments before birth, knowingly embracing difficult periods to fulfill divine purposes.

Third, trials are opportunities for spiritual refinement. Milton portrays Samson's suffering not merely as punishment but as redemptive — a spiritual journey during which his true purpose is ultimately realized.

Milton's portrayal of Samson presents valuable insights into our responsibilities during perilous times. Through Samson's journey, we learn that we must first awaken to our divine purpose — recognizing, as Samson eventually did, that we may be instruments of a higher design even amid apparent failure.

This awakening requires honest self-examination; Samson's initial downfall through self-indulgence and poor judgment teaches us that confronting personal weaknesses is essential before we can effectively confront external evils. In other words, self awareness and spiritual awareness are critical attributes that produce the strength necessary to endure the coming tribulations.

The narrative reveals how Samson initially surrenders to despair, yet ultimately transcends it — suggesting that maintaining hope in seemingly hopeless circumstances constitutes a form of resistance in itself.

Perhaps most challenging is Milton's suggestion that meaningful opposition to evil often demands personal sacrifice rather than personal triumph; Samson's final victory comes at the cost of his life, reminding us that true deliverance may require giving more than we had planned.

Finally, Samson acts only when "roused" by divine inspiration, teaching us that discerning not just what action to take but when to take it requires spiritual sensitivity. These intertwined responsibilities suggest that living purposefully in perilous times demands both inward spiritual discernment and outward concrete action — a dynamic balance that Milton himself sought throughout his own tumultuous political and religious life.

Maintaining hope in seemingly hopeless circumstances constitutes a form of resistance in itself. When we examine Samson's narrative, we see a man initially consumed by despair—blind, chained, and mocked by his enemies. Yet within this darkness, a spark of purpose gradually reignites. Milton portrays this internal transformation as both deeply personal and cosmically significant. Samson's renewed hope becomes the precursor to action, suggesting that the refusal to surrender to despair represents the first victory against oppressive forces.

This principle resonates powerfully when considered alongside the concept of the Persistent Predatory Personality (PPP). According to Karen Mitchell's model, individuals with this personality type are characterized by "a deep level of malevolence" with shared attributes including "a drive to control, sadism, predation, manipulation, and self-focus."

Whatever its source — from this world or another — this characterizes the evil we all face.

Mitchell’s research suggests these abhorred individuals specifically target those who exhibit "features of vulnerability" including isolation, limited support systems, and being generally "well-meaning" and thus easier to manipulate. They are isolated not only from others whose opinions may differ, but from objective reality itself.

Maintaining Hope

The very act of maintaining hope — of refusing to be permanently diminished by predatory forces — becomes a form of boundary-setting against those who would exploit hopelessness as a vulnerability. Just as Mitchell's research on the Persistent Predatory Personality — the existential evil we all face — indicates that awareness of predatory patterns might enable potential victims to become "untargetable," developing resilient hope serves as a protective measure against manipulation.

Like Samson awaiting divine prompting before his final act, hope in seemingly hopeless circumstances requires patience and discernment. It isn't blind optimism but rather a grounded expectation that meaning and purpose persist despite apparent defeat. This perspective challenges the narratives that predatory personalities attempt to impose on their targets — narratives of isolation, worthlessness, and helplessness.

In times of peril, whether facing external oppression like Samson or confronting the more subtle predation described in Mitchell's research, cultivating hope becomes not merely a psychological coping mechanism but an ethical stance — a refusal to participate in one's own diminishment and an affirmation that the darkness, however persistent, does not have the final word.

Katriona Beales - Hope as an Act of Resistance

Hope as Resistance

Maintaining hope in seemingly hopeless circumstances constitutes a form of resistance in itself. When we examine Samson's narrative, we see a man initially consumed by despair—blind, chained, and mocked by his enemies. Yet within this darkness, a spark of purpose gradually reignites. Milton portrays this internal transformation as both deeply personal and cosmically significant. Samson's renewed hope becomes the precursor to action, suggesting that the refusal to surrender to despair represents the first victory against oppressive forces.

This principle resonates powerfully when considered alongside the concept of the Persistent Predatory Personality (PPP). According to Mitchell's model, individuals with this personality type are characterized by "a deep level of malevolence" with shared attributes including "a drive to control, sadism, predation, manipulation, and self-focus." The research suggests these individuals specifically target those who exhibit "features of vulnerability" including isolation, limited support systems, and being generally "well-meaning" and thus easier to manipulate.

Like Samson awaiting divine prompting before his final act, hope in seemingly hopeless circumstances requires patience and discernment. It isn't blind optimism but rather a grounded expectation that meaning and purpose persist despite apparent defeat. This perspective challenges the narratives that predatory personalities attempt to impose on their targets—narratives of isolation, worthlessness, and helplessness.

In times of peril, whether facing external oppression like Samson or confronting the more subtle predation described in Mitchell's research, cultivating hope becomes not merely a psychological coping mechanism but an ethical stance—a refusal to participate in one's own diminishment and an affirmation that the darkness, however persistent, does not have the final word.

Collapse of the Middle Ground

The notion that we will soon be forced to explicitly choose good over evil — that the comfortable middle ground of complacency will cease to be an option — resonates deeply with both Milton's portrayal of Samson and our understanding of predatory personalities.

In "Samson Agonistes," we witness a protagonist who, after years of compromise and moral ambiguity, faces a moment of ultimate decision. Milton portrays this not as an arbitrary circumstance but as the culmination of divine purpose —Samson's entire life has led to this singular moment where neutrality becomes impossible. His choice becomes binary: either continue in defeated submission or embrace a sacrificial resistance against evil.

This collapse of the middle ground parallels what Mitchell's research suggests about encounters with predatory personalities. The research indicates that predators have "a finely tuned antennae for identifying vulnerabilities in others.” This targeting strategy thrives precisely in environments where complacency prevails — where people prefer not to acknowledge the presence of malevolence or, even worse, rationalize it (“everything will work out just as it always does.”).

As Mitchell notes, even researchers who dedicate their careers to studying these personalities "aren't necessarily aware of how bad they really are." This suggests that our collective complacency stems partly from cognitive limitations — we struggle to comprehend the depth of predatory malevolence until directly confronted by it. Like Samson before his awakening, we drift along until circumstances force a sudden reckoning.

The collapse of the middle ground may ultimately serve as a clarifying force. Just as Mitchell's PPP model aims to cut through competing and conflicting academic models by identifying core shared attributes of predatory personalities, moments of stark moral choice strip away the comfortable ambiguities that often cloud our ethical vision.

If we accept the premise that such a time of choosing approaches, Milton's Samson offers a template for preparing: deep introspection, recognition of personal weakness, renewed connection to transcendent purpose, and ultimately, the courage to act decisively when the moment arrives.

The middle ground of complacency may be comfortable, but Milton suggests it was never meant to be permanent — it was always a prelude to the Moment of Truth.

Samson Destroys the Philistine Temple, Bolognese School

The Samson Option

I assess geopolitical drama mostly through the lens of the messages of Medjugorje, where the Mother of Jesus has appeared regularly since 1981. She emphasized that, “World War III will not take place.” She also stated that the tribulations that once awaited us have been mitigated, ostensibly because a great number of individuals have matured spiritually.

I also assess geopolitical events through the lens of biblical prophecy, particularly the Gog-Magog War. Today, the Middle East is a powder keg looking for a fuse. I believe it may soon find one; the rhetoric surrounding Iran’s nuclear program is overheating.

Israel’s aptly named “Samson Option” envisions Israel "bringing down the temple" upon itself and its enemies, if threatened with assured annihilation. It is widely acknowledged, though officially unconfirmed, that Israel commands a substantial nuclear arsenal, with estimates ranging as high as 200-300 warheads.

This robust nuclear capability underpins Israel’s strategy of deterrence, which asserts the readiness to deploy these weapons if presented with an existential threat. Seymour Hersh's 1991 book, The Samson Option, delves into the history of Israel's nuclear strategy, focusing on how the country cultivated its nuclear program for last-resort use.

It’s conceivable that use of a nuclear weapon against Iran might actually deter nuclear Armageddon rather than bring it about.

The Phoenix Rising

To conclude our exploration of Miltonic resistance and predatory personalities, the symbol of the Phoenix is an apt metaphor to unify these themes. Throughout history, the Phoenix has represented the ultimate embodiment of hope within hopelessness — a creature that must face complete destruction before its renewal becomes possible.

Like Samson in Milton's dramatic poem, the Phoenix doesn't simply endure suffering passively; its transformation requires active participation in its own destruction. This paradoxical dynamic mirrors Samson's final act — embracing death to achieve his ultimate purpose. Both narratives suggest that in times where evil seems ascendant, the path forward may require radical acceptance of difficult truths before renewal becomes possible.

The Phoenix's cycle of death and rebirth illuminates the collapse of the middle ground discussed earlier. The creature exists in one of two states — consumption by flames or resurrection — with no softly simmering middle position. Similarly, as the comfortable middle ground of complacency collapses, we face a Phoenix moment collectively, where transformation becomes not just possible but requisite.

Perhaps most importantly, the Phoenix embodies the essential quality needed when confronting evil predatory forces: resilient hope. Not naive optimism, but the tested conviction that destruction, however complete it seems, need not be the final word, a lesson the residents of Atlantis apparently never learned.

In this time of great peril, the Phoenix calls us to recognize that the choice between good and evil, between predation and protection, may very well require passing through fire. Yet it also promises that from even the most complete destruction, new life remains possible for those who maintain the courage to hope.