Jonathan Edwards
Dr. Garth M. Rosell - 1
Jonathan Edwards
CH/TH614 (Jonathan Edwards)
Fall Semester 2014
Dr. Garth M. Rosell, Instructor
Thursday Afternoons
Considered by many to be America's most brilliant theologian, Jonathan Edwards (17031758) was also a philosopher, a college president, a pastor, a revival preacher, a
missionary to the Native Americans, a noted author (whose writings are known and read
around the globe), the husband of a remarkable woman and the father of eleven children.
Drawing primarily upon Edwards' own writings, this course will seek to explore the
fascinating life and ministry of one of America's most influential figures. Each session
will focus on at least one major aspect of Edwards' life and work and each session will
examine at least one of Edwards' writings.
Required Textbooks:
George M. Marsden, Jonathan Edwards: A Life (New Haven & London: Yale
University Press, 2004), ISBN 0-300-09693-3, paperback edition
Stephen J. Stein, ed., The Cambridge Companion to Jonathan Edwards
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007), ISBN 978-0-521-618052, paperback edition.
Jonathan Edwards, The Great Awakening, Volume 4: Works of Jonathan Edwards
edited by C. C. Goen (New Haven & London: Yale University Press,
2009), ISBN 0-300-01437-6, paperback edition
Wilson H. Kimnach, Kenneth P. Minkema, & Douglas Sweeney, eds., The
Sermons of Jonathan Edwards: A Reader (New Haven: Yale University
Press, 1999), ISBN 0-300-07768-8, paperback edition
Stephen J. Nichols, ed., Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions and Advice to Young
Converts (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2001). ISBN 0-87552-189-4,
paperback edition.
Course requirements: Students who are taking the course for credit are required to
attend class regularly, to complete at least 2500 pages of reading (including the
required textbooks); to write a 15-20 page research paper on one major aspect of
Edwards' life and work (for example, Edwards' biblical exegesis, his work as a
missionary, his interest in science, his pastoral ministry, etc.); to write a 5-7 page
analysis paper on one of the following writings by Edwards: either (a) Sinners
in the Hands of an Angry God; (b) A Faithful Narrative of the Surprizing Work of
God; or (c) The End for Which God Created the World; to write a list of
twenty-five "resolutions" (similar to the 70 "resolutions" Edwards used to guide
his life) and to take a final examination at the end of the course.
Research Paper: Each student in the class will be asked to write a 15-20 page research
paper on one major aspect of Edwards' life and work. Completed papers should
be typed and in correct form (for example, double-spaced, using twelve-point
font, footnoted where appropriate, with bibliography, etc.). Those who have not
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had as much experience in writing research papers may want to consult a reliable
style manual like Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers,
Theses, and Dissertations, 8th edition (Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
2013). Students may also find it helpful to consult William Kelleher Storey,
Writing History: A Guide for Students (New York: Oxford University Press,
2003). These papers will be due no later than Friday, December 12th, at 4:00
p.m.
Grading of the papers: Your research papers will be evaluated on the
basis of three primary criteria: (1) the depth of the research in both
primary and secondary materials; (2) the quality of the analysis/argument
you present; and (3) the clarity, accuracy and beauty of the writing.
Attention to these matters will not only help you on this paper assignment
but it will also aid you in developing the kinds of skills you will be using
in those various ministries to which God has called each one of you.
Cheating and plagiarism: Please exercise special care in the use of
sources. Institutional guidelines can be found in your Student Handbook
under "Violations of Academic Integrity." As followers of Christ, we
need to maintain the very highest standards of professional conduct.
Analysis Paper: Each student in the class will be asked to write a 5-7 page analysis
of one of the three key writings by Edwards listed above: describing its major
arguments, pointing out its major strengths and weaknesses and indicating the key
lessons it might have for contemporary readers. These papers will be due by no
later than Friday, December 12th, at 4:00 p.m.
Twenty-five Resolutions: A listing of "resolutions" (similar to those that Edwards
used to guide his life). These resolutions will be due by the time of the class
meeting on Thursday, October 9th, during which they will be part of our class
discussion.
Reading: Each student in the class will be asked to submit a brief reading report listing
the percentage of the 2500 pages of required reading that they have completed for
the class. This will be due on Friday, December 12th, at 4:00 p.m..
Grading of the reading will be as follows: 100%=A; 95-99%=A-; 90-94%=B+;
85-89%=B; 80--84%=B-; 75-79%=C+; 70-74%=C; 65-69%=C-; 60-64%=D+;
55-59%=D; 50-54%=D-; Below 50%=F. No credit is given for skimming.
Puritan Prayers: Each class lecture will be opened with a prayer from Arthur Bennett,
ed., The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions
(Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2009).
Late work and extensions: Late work (unless it has been permitted by the Registration
Office through an official written extension form) will be penalized one full
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letter grade for each week (or any portion of a week) that the work is late.
Normally, the Registration Office only grants an extension in cases of serious
illness and/or a death in the immediate family. Since most students have very
busy schedules, it would not be fair for any instructor to grant one individual
student a benefit that was not extended to all. In practical terms, this means
that you will need to plan your semester carefully so as to complete all required
work in a timely manner. Do not ask the instructor for an extension.
Course Grading: Your final grade for the course will be computed as follows:
Research Paper:
25%
Analysis Paper:
15%
Reading Report (2500 pages):
30%
Twenty-five Resolutions
5%
Final Examination
25%
Grading scale: The seminary has adopted an official numerical equivalence for
the letter grades that students are assigned. Published annually, these are as
follows: A+=4.0; A=4.0; A-=3.7; B+=3.3; B=3.0; B-=2.7; C+=2.3; C=2.0;
C-=1.7; D+=1.3; D=1.0; D-=0.7; F=0.0. "A" means "conspicuous excellence;"
"B" means "exceeding the minimum;" "C" means "satisfactory" work; "D"
means "passing" but "unsatisfactory;" and "F" means "course has been failed."
Computation of course grade: Based on the above percentages and numerical
equivalences, your grade for this course will be computed on the following scale:
Final Point Total
Final Grade
3.85 to 4.0
A
3.65 to 3.84
A3.3 to 3.64
B+
3.0 to 3.29
B
2.7 to 2.99
B2.3 to 2.69
C+
2.0 to 2.29
C
1.7 to 1.99
C1.3 to 1.69
D+
1.0 to 1.29
D
0.7 to 0.99
D0.0 to 0.69
F
In order to achieve a particular grade, the student must fall exactly within the
above scale. No rounding-off is allowed.
Resources for Jonathan Edwards: The most important resources for the study of
Jonathan Edwards are The Works of Jonathan Edwards published by Yale University
Press: Vol. I: Freedom of the Will; Vol. II: Religious Affections; Vol. III: Original Sin;
Vol. IV: The Great Awakening; Vol. V: Apocalyptic Writings; Vol. VI: Scientific and
Philosophical Writings; Vol. VII: David Brainerd; Vol. VIII: Ethical Writings; Vol. IX:
History of the Work of Redemption; Vol. X: Sermons and Discourses, 1720-1723; Vol.
XI: Typological Writings; Vol. XII: Ecclesiastical Writings; Vol. XIII: The
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"Miscellanies," a-500; Vol. XIV: Sermons and Discourses, 1723-1729; Vol. XV: Notes
on Scriptures; Vol. XVI: Letters and Personal Writings; Vol. XVII: Sermons and
Discourses, 1730-1733; Vol. XVIII: The "Miscellanies," 501-832; Vol. XIX: Sermons
and Discourses, 1734-1738; Vol. XX: The "Miscellanies," 833-1152; Vol. XXI: Writings
on the Trinity, Grace and Faith; Vol. XXII: Sermons and Discourses, 1739-1742; Vol.
XXIII: The "Miscellanies," 1153-1360; Vol. XXIV: The Blank Bible; Vol. XXV:
Sermons and Discourses, 1743-1758; Vol. XXVI: Catalogues of Reading. We will be
using these materials throughout the course.
The Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University (along with its satellite centers in
Poland, Germany, Australia, South Africa and at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
near Chicago) provides a treasure-trove of Edwards-related resources at its website
<http://edwards.yale.edu/> Some of the Edwards materials can be downloaded to the
"Kindle." Students might also wish to visit the websites for the Jonathan Edwards
Institute (founded by Pedro Govantes, one of our seminary graduates) and/or The
Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals located at the Billy Graham Center on
the campus of Wheaton College in Illinois.
The two major repositories of Edwards materials are the Franklin Trask Library at
Andover-Newton Theological Seminary in Newton Centre, Massachusetts and the
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. The latter houses
nearly 1,200 manuscript sermons, most of the surviving Edwards manuscripts and the
theological notebooks known as the "Miscellanies."
Additional materials can be found in the resources listed below and in the bibliographies
of the books we will be using for the class.
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CLASS SCHEDULE
September 11: Introduction to Jonathan Edwards: Life, Times and Literature
This lecture provides both an introduction to the course and its requirements and a basic
orientation to available resources for the study of Jonathan Edwards. Special attention is
given to Edwards' "Diary," his "Personal Narrative" and his seventy "Resolutions." Signup sheets for class presentations will be circulated.
Session I: Life, Times and Literature
Required reading:
George M. Marsden's brief biographical sketch in Stephen J. Stein, A
Cambridge Companion to Jonathan Edwards (Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2007), pp. 19-38;
Kenneth P. Minkema, "Personal Writings," in Stein, Cambridge
Companion, pp. 39-60.
Suggested reading:
Gerald R. McDermott, ed., Understanding Jonathan Edwards: An
Introduction to America's Theologian (New York: Oxford, 2009);
Iain H. Murray, Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography (Edinburgh:
The Banner of Truth Trust, 1987);
George M. Marsden, A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards (Grand Rapids,
MI: Eerdmans, 2008);
Elizabeth D. Dodds, Marriage to a Difficult Man: The "Uncommon
Union" of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1971);
Perry Miller, Jonathan Edwards (New York: Dell Publishing, 1949);
Stephen J. Nichols, Jonathan Edwards: A Guided Tour of his Life and
Thought (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2001);
Sereno Edwards Dwight, The Life of President Edwards (New York: G.
& C. & H. Carvill, 1830);
Samuel Hopkins, The Life and Character of the Late Reverend, Learned,
and Pious Mr. Jonathan Edwards, President of the College of New Jersey
(Boston: S. Kneeland, 1765);
James P. Byrd, Jonathan Edwards for Armchair Theologians (Louisville:
Westminster John Knox Press, 2008);
George S. Claghorn, Jonathan Edwards Letters and Personal Writings,
Vol. 16: Works of Jonathan Edwards (New Haven and London: Yale University
Press, 1998), especially Edwards' "Letters," "Resolutions," "Diary," and "Personal
Narrative," pp. 741-804;
M. X. Lesser, Reading Jonathan Edwards: An Annotated Bibliography in
Three Parts, 1729-2005 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007);
Sang Hyun Lee, ed., The Princeton Companion to Jonathan Edwards
(Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005).
Rachel S. Stahle, The Great Work of Providence: Jonathan Edwards for
Life Today (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2010).
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Session II: Jonathan Edwards Puritan Heritage
Required reading: George M. Marsden, Jonathan Edwards: A Life (New
Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2004), pp. xvii-xx, 1-24;
David Hall, "The New England Background," in Stein, Cambridge
Companion, pp. 69-79.
Suggested reading: Alan Simpson, Puritanism in Old and New England
(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1966);
Leland Ryken, Visible Saints: The Puritans as they Really Were (Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1986);
John Coffey and Paul C. H. Lim, eds., The Cambridge Companion to
Puritanism (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008);
Francis J. Bremer, The Puritan Experiment: New England Society from
Bradford to Edwards, revised edition (Hanover and London: University Press of
New England, 1976);
Geoffrey F. Nuttall, Visible Saints (Oxford: Blackwell, 1957);
Edmund S. Morgan, Visible Saints (Ithaca & London: Cornell University
Press, 1965);
Kelly M. Kapic and Randall C. Gleason, eds., The Devoted Life: An
Invitation to the Puritan Classics (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004);
Christopher Hill, Puritanism and Revolution (New York: St. Martin's
Press, 1997);
Horton Davies, The Worship of the English Puritans (Morgan, PA: Soli
Deo Gloria Publications, 1997) and The Worship of the American Puritans
(Morgan, PA: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1999);
Perry Miller, Errand Into the Wilderness (New York: Harper & Brothers,
1956);
Robert P. Martin, A Guide to the Puritans (Edinburgh: The Banner of
Truth Trust, 1997);
Francis J. Bremer and Tom Webster, ed., Puritans and Puritanism in
Europe and America: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia (Santa Barbara, CA:
ABC Clio, 2006);
Christian History & Biography magazines, "The American Puritans"
(issue 41); ""Jonathan Edwards" (issue 77); "Richard Baxter" (issue 89);
"George Whitefield" (issue 38); and "Jonathan Edwards and the Great
Awakening" (Vol. IV, No. 4).
September 17: Edwards' Early Years, Conversion and Pietist Heritage
Session I: Jonathan Edwards Early Life and Conversion
Required Reading: Edwards, "God Glorified in the Work of
Redemption," (1731), in The Sermons of Jonathan Edwards: A
Reader, pp. 66-82.
George M. Marsden, Jonathan Edwards: A Life, pp. 25-58.
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Recommended Reading: Josh Moody, The God-Centered Life:
Insights from Jonathan Edwards for Today (Vancouver: Regent College
Publishing, 2007);
J.E. Smith; H.S. Stout; and K.P. Minkema, eds., A Jonathan Edwards
Reader (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995);
John Piper, A Godward Life: Savoring the Supremacy of God in
All of Life (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Press, 1997);
Amy Plantinga Pauw, "The Supreme Harmony of All:" The
Trinitarian Theology of Jonathan Edwards (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans,
2002).
Session II: Jonathan Edwards Pietist Heritage
Suggested Reading: Philip Jacob Spener, Pia Desideria (Philadelphia:
Fortress Press, 1964);
Richard F. Lovelace, The American Pietism of Cotton Mather (Grand
Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1979);
F. Ernst Stoeffler, Continental Pietism and Early American Christianity
(Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2007);
Carter Lindbert, ed., The Pietist Theologians (Oxford: Blackwell, 2005);
Peter C. Erb, Pietists: Selected Writings (New York: Paulist Press, '
1983);
John R. Weinlick, Count Zinzendorf (Bethlehem, PA: The Moravian
Church in America, 2001);
Dale W. Brown, Understanding Pietism (Nappanee, IN: Evangel
Publishing House, 1996);
Katherine M. Faull, Moravian Women's Memoirs (Syracuse, NY:
Syracuse University Press, 1997);
Peter Erb, tran., Johann Arndt: True Christianity (New York: Paulist
Press, 1979).
Alister E. McGrath, Reformation Thought: An Introduction, 3rd ed.,
(Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 1999.
Timothy George, Theology of the Reformers (Nashville: Broadman
Press, 1988);
Alister E. McGrath, A Life of John Calvin (Oxford: Blackwell, 1990);
Roland H. Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther (Peabody,
MA: Hendrickson, 2009);
Carter Lindberg, The European Reformations (Oxford: Blackwell, 1996);
John T. McNeill, ed., Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion, Vols.
XX and XXI in the Library of Christian Classics (Philadelphia: Westminster
Press, 1960).
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Main Street, Northampton (1786) as drawn by Maitland de Gorgorza (taken from Stephen J.
Nichols, ed., Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions and Advice (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2001), p. 7.
September 25: Edwards on Creation, Scripture and Preaching
Session I: God's Two Books: Creation and Scripture
Required Reading: George M. Marsden, Jonathan Edwards: A Life,
pp. 59-81;
Stephen J. Stein, "Edwards as a Biblical Exegete," in Stein, Cambridge
Companion, pp. 181-195; and Stephen H. Daniel, "Edwards as Philosopher,"
in Stein, Cambridge Companion, pp. 162-180;
Jonathan Edwards, "The Importance and Advantage of a Thorough
Knowledge of Divine Truth" (1739) in The Sermons of Jonathan Edwards:
A Reader, pp. 26-48.
Recommended Reading: Stephen J. Stein, ed., Jonathan Edwards
"The Blank Bible," Parts I and II, Vol. 24 of the Works of Jonathan Edwards
(New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006);
Stephen J. Stein, ed., Jonathan Edwards Notes on Scripture, Vol. 15
of the Works of Jonathan Edwards (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998);
Wallace E. Anderson, ed., Jonathan Edwards Scientific and Philosophical
Writings (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1980);
Douglas A. Sweeney, "Edwards and the Bible," in Gerald R. McDermott,
ed., Understanding Jonathan Edwards: An Introduction to America's Theologian
(New York: Oxford University Press, 2009), pp. 63-89;
Kenneth P. Minkema, "The Harmony of the Old and New Testament,"
in Stephen J. Stein, ed., Jonathan Edwards's Writings (Bloomington: Indiana
University Press, 1996), pp. 52-65;
John H. Gerstner, The Rational Biblical Theology of Jonathan Edwards,
3 volumes (Powhatan, VA: Berea, 1991-1993);
Robert E. Brown, Jonathan Edwards and the Bible (Bloomington: Indiana
University Press, 2002);
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Douglas A. Sweeney, "Longing for More and More of It'? The Strange
Career of Jonathan Edwards's Exegetical Exertions," in Stout, Minkema and
Maskell, eds., Jonathan Edwards at 300 (Lanham, MD: University Press of
America, 2005), pp. 25-37.
Session II: Jonathan Edwards as a Preacher
Required Reading: Wilson H. Kimnach, "Edwards as a Preacher" in
Stein, Cambridge Companion, pp. 103-124 and 181-195;
Wilson H. Kimnach, Kenneth P. Minkema, & Douglas A. Sweeney, eds.,
The Sermons of Jonathan Edwards (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999).
Recommended Reading: John H. Gerstner, Steps to Salvation: The
Evangelistic Message of Jonathan Edwards (Philadelphia: The Westminster
Press, 1960); Ralph G. Turnbull, Jonathan Edwards the Preacher (Grand Rapids,
MI: Baker Book House, 1958);
Wilson H. Kimnach, Caleb J. D. Maskell, and Kenneth P. Minkema,
eds., Jonathan Edwards's Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God: A Casebook
New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010);
John Carrick, The Preaching of Jonathan Edwards (Edinburgh: The
Banner of Truth Trust, 2008);
John Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI:
Baker, 2004);
Robert E. Brown, Jonathan Edwards and the Bible (Bloomington, IN:
Indiana University Press, 2002);
Jonathan Edwards "Blank Bible" and "Notes on Scripture" (Volumes 24
and 15 in The Works of Jonathan Edwards);
Wilson H. Kimnach, ed., Sermons and Discourses, 1720-1723; Kenneth
P. Minkema, ed., Sermons and Discourses, 1723-1729; Mark Valeri, ed.,
Sermons and Discourses, 1730-1733; M. X. Lesser, ed., Sermons and
Discourses, 1734-1738; Harry S. Stout and Nathan O. Hatch, eds., Sermons
and Discourses, 1739-1742; and Wilson H. Kimnach, ed., Sermons and
Discourses, 1743-1758; in The Works of Jonathan Edwards (Yale University
Press).
October 2: Jonathan Edwards as Pastor and Evangelist
Session I: Jonathan Edwards as a Pastor
Required Reading: Marsden, Jonathan Edwards, pp. 114-149.
Recommended Reading: Patricia J. Tracy, Jonathan Edwards, Pastor:
Religion and Society in Eighteenth-Century Northampton (Eugene, OR: Wipf &
Stock Publishers, 1980)
Horton Davies, The Worship of the American Puritans (Morgan,
PA: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1999);
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Douglas A. Sweeney, Jonathan Edwards and the Ministry of the Word
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009).
Edmund S. Morgan, Visible Saints: The History of a Puritan
Idea (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1963).
Session II: Jonathan Edwards as an Evangelist
Required Reading: Jonathan Edwards, The Great Awakening, Vol. 4:
The Works of Jonathan Edwards, edited by C. C. Goen (New Haven and London:
Yale University Press, 2009). Give particular attention to the fine introduction
by C. C. Goen, pp. 1-95.
Harry S. Stout, "Edwards as Revivalist," and Douglas A. Sweeney,
"Evangelical Tradition in America," in Stein, Cambridge Companion, pp. 125143 and 217-238.
Marsden, Jonathan Edwards, pp. 150-238.
Recommended Reading: Joseph Tracy, The Great Awakening
(Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1842);
Alan Heimert and Perry Miller, eds., The Great Awakening: Documents
Illustrating the Crisis and its Consequences (Indianapolis and New York: BobbsMerrill Co., 1967);
Thomas S. Kidd, The Great Awakening: The Roots of Evangelical
Christianity in Colonial America (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007);
Leigh Eric Schmidt, Holy Fairs: Scotland and the Making of American
Revivalism, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001);
Mark A. Noll, The Rise of Evangelicalism: The Age of Edwards,
Whitefield and the Wesleys (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003);
Edwin S. Gaustad, The Great Awakening in New England (New York:
Harper & Brothers, 1957).
Bernard A. Weisberger, They Gathered at the River: The Story of the
Great Revivalists and Their Impact Upon Religion in America (Boston: Little,
Brown, 1958).
Patricia U. Bonomi, Under the Cope of Heaven: Religion, Society and
Politics in Colonial America (New York: Oxford, 1986).
Jon Butler, Awash in a Sea of Faith: Christianizing the American People
(Cambridge: Harvard, 1990).
Charles H. Maxson, The Great Awakening in the Middle Colonies
(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1920).
Wesley M. Gewehr, The Great Awakening in Virginia (Durham, NC:
Duke University Press, 1930).
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October 9: Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield and the Great Awakening
("Twenty Five Resolutions" are due today)
Session I: Edwards and Whitefield
Required Reading: Marsden, Jonathan Edwards, pp. 239-252
Recommended Reading: Elisabeth D. Dodds, Marriage to a Difficult
Man: The 'Uncommon Union' of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards (Philadelphia: The
Westminster Press, 1971);
George Whitefield's Journals and George Whitefield's Letters (Edinburgh:
The Banner of Truth Trust, 1992 and 1976);
Harry S. Stout, The Divine Dramatist: George Whitefield and the
Rise of Modern Evangelicalism (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1991);
Frank Lambert, "Pedlar in Divinity:" George Whitefield and the
Transatlantic Revivals (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1994).
Arnold A. Dallimore, George Whitefield: God's Anointed Servant in
the Great Revival of the Eighteenth Century (Wheaton: Crossways Books, 1990);
Norman Pettit, ed., The Life of David Brainerd in The Works of Jonathan
Edwards (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1984);
Charlotte Gordon, Mistress Bradstreet: The Untold Life of America's
First Poet (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2005);
Edmund S. Morgan, The Puritan Family (New York: Harper Torchbooks,
1966).
Jonathan and Sarah Edwards
Session II: Edwards' Principles of Spiritual Renewal
Recommended reading: "The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the
Spirit of God" (Works of Edwards, Vol. 4, pp. 213-288);
"Some Thoughts Concerning the present Revival of Religion in New
England" (Works of Edwards, Vol. 4, pp. 290-530);
Charles Chauncy, "Enthusiasm Described and Cautioned
Against" and "Seasonable Thoughts on the State of Religion" (in Alan Heimert
and Perry Miller, The Great Awakening (Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1967),
pp. 228-256 and 291-304;
"Some Letters Relating to the Revival" (Works of Edwards, Vol. 4, pp.
531-566;
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"Twelve Distinguishing Signs of Truly Gracious and Holy Affections" in
John E. Smith, ed., Jonathan Edwards Religious Affections, Vol. 2 of the Works
of Jonathan Edwards (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1959), pp. 193-461.
Reading Week I (October 13-17): No class but students are expected to use the time
for reading and research
October 23: Edwards Understanding of the Church
Session I: Jonathan Edwards Ecclesiology
Required Reading: Marsden, Jonathan Edwards, pp. 253-374; David
D. Hall, "The New England Background," in Stephen J. Stein, The Cambridge
Companion to Jonathan Edwards (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2007); and Jonathan Edwards, "A Farewell Sermon," in Sermons of Jonathan
Edwards: A Reader, pp. 212-241.
Recommended Reading: David D. Hall, ed., Jonathan Edwards
Ecclesiastical Writings, Vol. 12: Works of Jonathan Edwards (New Haven and
London: Yale University Press, 1994), including Edwards' "An Humble Inquiry,"
"Misrepresentations Corrected," and "Narrative of Communion Controversy."
John Wilson, ed., A History of the Work of Redemption, Vol. 9 in The
Works of Jonathan Edwards (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989).
Session II: The Making of the Yale Edition of Edwards Works
Special Lecture by John H. Edwards, a descendant of Jonathan
Edwards and a transcriber of many of the Edwards sermons in
the Yale series.
October 30: Reflections on Edwards Theology: A Special Lecture and Discussion
led by Jim Thomforde, a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary,
Director of the Christian Union at Cornell University and a doctoral student
at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland)
Required reading: E. Brooks Hollifield, "Edwards as Theologian," and Philip
F. Gura, "Edwards and American Literature," in Stein, The Cambridge
Companion, pp. 196-214, 144-161 and 262-279.
Marsden, Jonathan Edwards, pp. 375-431.
Recommended reading: Michael J. McClymond and Gerald R. McDermott, The
Theology of Jonathan Edwards (New York: Oxford University
Press, 2012)
Conrad Cherry, The Theology of Jonathan Edwards:
A Reappraisal (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1990);
James P. Byrd, Jonathan Edwards for Armchair Theologians (Louisville:
Westminster John Knox Press, 2008);
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Mark A. Noll, America's God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham
Lincoln (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002);
Sang Hyun Lee, ed., Jonathan Edwards Writings on the Trinity, Grace,
and Faith, Vol. 21: Works of Jonathan Edwards (New Haven and London: Yale
University Press, 2003);
Paul Ramsey, ed., Jonathan Edwards Ethical Writings, Vol. 8: Works of
Jonathan Edwards (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1989);
William J. Danaher, The Trinitarian Ethics of Jonathan Edwards
(Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2004);
November 6: Edwards Understanding of History and the Rise of Modern
Evangelicalism
Session I: Edwards Understanding of History
Required reading: Avihu Zakai,"The Age of Enlightenment," in
Stephen J. Stein, The Cambridge Companion to Jonathan Edwards (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 2007).
Recommended reading: Avihu Zakai, Jonathan Edwards's
Philosophy of History: The Reenchantment of the World in the Age of
Enlightenment (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003);
David Bebbington, Patterns in History: A Christian Perspective
on Historical Thought (Vancouver: Regent College Publishing, 2000).
Session II: The Rise of Modern Evangelicalism
Recommended reading: Mark A. Noll, The Rise of Evangelicalism
The Age of Edwards, Whitefield and the Wesleys (Downers Grove, IL:
InterVarsity Press, 2003);
Alan Heimert and Perry Miller, eds., The Great Awakening: Documents
Illustrating the Crisis and its Consequences (Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Co.,
1967).
Douglas A. Sweeney, The American Evangelical Story: A History
of the Movement (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005).
Leonard I. Sweet, ed., The Evangelical Tradition in America (Macon, Ga.:
Mercer University Press, 1984)
Garth M. Rosell, ed., The Evangelical Landscape: Essays on the
American Evangelical Tradition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1996).
Nathan O. Hatch, The Democratization of American Christianity
(New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989).
Garth M. Rosell, "A Speckled Bird: Charles G. Finney's Contribution to
Higher Education," Fides et Historia (Summer 1993), pp. 55-74.
George Marsden, The Evangelical Mind and the New School
Presbyterian Experience (New Haven: Yale, 1970)
Jonathan Edwards
Dr. Garth M. Rosell - 14
Ronald C. White, Louis B. Weeks and Garth M. Rosell, American
Christianity (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1986)
Timothy L. Smith, Revivalism and Social Reform (Eugene, OR: Wipf
& Stock Publishers, 2005).
Donald W. Dayton, Discovering an Evangelical Heritage (New York:
Harper and Row, 1976).
David F. Wells and John D. Woodbridge, eds., The Evangelicals
(Nashville: Abingdon, 1975)
Reading Week II (November 10-14): No class but students are expected to use the
time for reading and research
October 20: No Class (American Academy of Religion and Evangelical Theological
Society Annual Meetings in San Diego, California)
October 27: No Class (Thanksgiving Vacation)
December 4: Edwards as a Missionary and Theologian
Session I: Jonathan Edwards as a Missionary
Required reading: Rachel M. Wheeler, "Edwards as Missionary,"
in Stephen J. Stein, The Cambridge Companion to Jonathan Edwards
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007).
Recommended reading: Rachel M. Wheeler, To Live Upon Hope:
Mohicans and Missionaries in the Eighteenth-Century Northeast (Ithaca, NY:
Cornel University Press, 2008);
Norman Pettit, ed., The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. VII: The Life
of David Brainerd (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985);
David Wynbeek, David Brainerd: Beloved Yankee (Grand Rapids, MI:
Eerdmans, 1961).
Session II: Edwards Enduring Legacy
Required reading: Marsden, Jonathan Edwards, pp. 432-505;
D. W. Bebbington, "The Reputation of Edwards Abroad," M. X.
Lesser, "Edwards in 'American Culture,'" Stephen D. Crocco, "Edwards's
Intellectual Legacy," and Ava Chamberlain, "Edwards and Social Issues,"
in Stein, Cambridge Companion, pp. 239-344.
Recommended reading: Jonathan Edwards, "'The Mind' and Related
Papers," in Wallace E. Anderson, ed., Jonathan Edwards Scientific and
Philosophical Writings, Vol. 6 in the Works of Jonathan Edwards, pp. 313-393
"Treatise on Grace" in Jonathan Edwards Writings on the Trinity, Grace
Jonathan Edwards
Dr. Garth M. Rosell - 15
and Faith, Vol. 21 of The Works of Jonathan Edwards, edited by Sang Hyun Lee
(New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003), pp. 153-311;
Rachel S. Stahle, The Great Work of Providence: Jonathan Edwards for
Life Today (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2010);
E. Brooks Hollifield, Theology in America: Christian Thought from the
Age of the Puritans to the Civil War (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003);
Wallace E. Anderson, ed., Jonathan Edwards Scientific and Philosophical
Writings, Vol. 6: Works of Jonathan Edwards (New Haven and London: Yale
University Press, 1980, including the "Spider" Papers, "Natural Philosophy," and
the "Mind;"
Wallace E. Anderson and Mason I. Lowance, Jr., eds., Jonathan Edwards
Typological Writings, Vol. 11: Works of Jonathan Edwards (New Haven and
London: Yale University Press, 1993), including "Images of Divine Things,"
"Types," and "Types of the Messiah."
Louis J. Mitchell, Jonathan Edwards on the Experience of Beauty in
Studies in Reformed Theology and History, New Series, No. 9 (Princeton:
Princeton Theological Seminary, 2003) and Louis J. Mitchell, "The Theological
Aesthetics of Jonathan Edwards," in Theology Today (April 2007);
D. G. Hart, Sean Michael Lucas and Stephen J. Nichols, eds., The Legacy
of Jonathan Edwards: American Religion and the Evangelical Tradition (Grand
Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003);
Josh Moody, The God-Centered Life: Insights from Jonathan Edwards for
Today (Vancouver: Regent College Publishing, 2006);
John Piper and Justin Taylor, eds., A God-Entranced Vision of All Things
(Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2004);
December 11: Final Examination
A three-hour, closed book, in-class essay examination will be given today.
Students will be asked to write three essays on various aspects of Jonathan
Edwards life and work.
Jonathan Edwards
Dr. Garth M. Rosell - 16
Selected Bibliography
Excellent bibliographical resources can be found in our readings for the course and on the
website for the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University <http://edwards.yale.edu/>
Brown, Robert E. Jonathan Edwards and the Bible (Bloomington: Indiana
University Press, 2002)
Chai, Leon. Jonathan Edwards and the Limits of Enlightenment Philosophy
(New York: Oxford University Press, 1998)
Cherry, Conrad. The Theology of Jonathan Edwards: A Reappraisal
(Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1990)
Conforti, Joseph A. Jonathan Edwards, Religious Tradition & American
Culture (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1995)
Danaher, William J. The Trinitarian Ethics of Jonathan Edwards (Louisville:
Westminster John Knox Press, 2004)
Daniel, Stephen H. The Philosophy of Jonathan Edwards: A Study in Divine
Semiotics (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994)
Fiering, Norman Sanford Jonathan Edwards's Moral Thought and Its British
Context (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1981)
Guelzo, Allen C. Edwards on the Will: A Century of American Theological
Debate (Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 1989)
Gura, Philip F. Jonathan Edwards: America's Evangelical (New York: Hill &
Wang, 2005)
Hall, David D. Worlds of Wonder, Days of Judgment: Popular Religious Belief in
Early New England (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1990)
Hatch, Nathan O., and Harry S. Stout Jonathan Edwards and the American
Experience (New York: Oxford University Press, 1988)
Holifield, E. Brooks Theology in America: Christian Thought from the Age of the
Puritans to the Civil War (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003)
Howe, Daniel W. Making the American Self: Jonathan Edwards to Abraham
Lincoln (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1997)
Jenson, Robert W. America's Theologian: A Recommendation of Jonathan
Edwards (New York: Oxford University Press, 1988)
Lee, Sang Hyun The Philosophical Theology of Jonathan Edwards (Princeton:
Princeton University Press, 2000)
Lee, Sang Hyun, ed., The Princeton Companion to Jonathan Edwards (Princeton:
Princeton University Press, 2005)
Lesser, M. X. Reading Jonathan Edwards: An Annotated Bibliography in Three
Parts, 1729-2005 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007)
McClymond, Michael Encounters with God: An Approach to the Theology of
Jonathan Edwards (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998)
Joody, Josh Jonathan Edwards and the Enlightenment: Knowing the Presence of
God (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2005)
Pauw, Amy Plantinga "The Supreme Harmony of All": The Trinitarian Theology
of Jonathan Edwards (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002)
Jonathan Edwards
Dr. Garth M. Rosell - 17
Smith, John Edwin Jonathan Edwards: Puritan, Preacher, Philosopher (Notre
Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1992)
Stout, Harry S. The New England Soul: Preaching and Religious Culture in
Colonial New England (New York: Oxford University Press, 1986)
Stout, Harry S., Kenneth P. Minkema, and Caleb J. D. Maskell Jonathan Edwards
at 300: Essays on the Tercentenary of His Birth (Lanham, MD: University Press of
America, 2005)
Sweeney, Douglas A., and Allen C. Guelzo The New England Theology: From
Jonathan Edwards to Edwards Amasa Park (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006)
Zakai, Avihu Jonathan Edwards' Philosophy of History: The Re-Enchantment of
the World in the Age of Enlightenment (New York: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 2001)