In Memoriam A.H.H. Religion Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Line)

Quote #1

Strong Son of God, immortal Love,
Whom we, that have not seen thy face,
By faith, and faith alone, embrace,
Believing where we cannot prove; (1-4)

From the very beginning it seems that the possibility of doubt is very much on Tennyson's mind. Jesus = God = Love, but humans cannot actually see him, so must take his existence on faith. There's no way to prove it. We can totes see how this might present a problem.

Quote #2

Thou seemest human and divine. (13)

Tennyson hedges his bets here and uses "seemest" ("seems") in relation to his views on whether Jesus is really both human and divine. Compared to the more in-your-face moments of doubt he'll later have, this is a quiet and understated moment of questioning faith.

Quote #3

(in Him is no before) (546)

God is all-seeing and all-knowing. He's sort of like the eye in the sky, watching your every move. He can foresee and see things at the same time, because he's outside of time. There is "no before," meaning God-time doesn't work like puny human-time that can be counted on clocks or by mere chronology.