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.