Jonathan Edwards

1703-1758

Beginnings…

Born in East Windsor, Connecticut to a devoutly Puritan family.

As a boy, he preached sermons to his friends from a makeshift pulpit he built behind his home.

Learned to speak Latin, Greek, and Hebrew by his 12th birthday.

Wrote many philosophical and scientific essays as a young boy.

Education

Entered Yale at 13 and graduated 4 years later as the valedictorian.

Went on to earn a Master’s degree in theology.

The Rise…

Edwards became pastor of the Congregational Church in Northampton, Massachusetts in 1729, after his grandfather, Soloman Stoddard, died. Edwards had been assisting his grandfather for two years.

Became one of the leaders of the Great Awakening, a religious revival that swept the colonies in the 1730’s and 1740’s.

…And Fall

Edwards was dismissed from his position as Pastor in Northampton in 1750 after members of his church grew displeased with his extreme conservative beliefs and calling out of church members.

Moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts and preached to the Native Americans.

New beginning and the end

Became president of the college of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1757, but died shortly after taking office of a small pox innoculation.

Works…

Edwards was known for his powerful sermons. Most of his works appealed to reason and logic, except “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” which is highly emotional.

“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” was delivered in 1741 in Enfield, Connecticut.

The sermon was said to have caused listeners to rise up in fits of hysteria.