Jonathan
Edwards (1703–58) is widely considered to be one of America’s most important
Christian thinkers – a theologian of comparable significance to Saint
Augustine, John Calvin, or Karl Barth. His published writings, made available
online by Yale University, extend to some 73 volumes on subjects as various as
aesthetics, metaphysics, typology, redemptive history, ethics, and revival. His
complex ideas have won the attention of historians, theologians, literary
critics, psychologists, and philosophers working across universities all over
the world. It is a remarkable legacy for a humble pastor and a Gospel preacher
who sought to guide lost sinners to Christ and to help Christians to make sense
of the work of the Spirit of God.
Reading
his published writings may appear daunting to the uninitiated. With 73 volumes,
where should the reader even begin? And that’s not to mention the vast corpus
of secondary literature relating to Edwards and early evangelicalism. In terms
of biography, George Marsden’s Jonathan
Edwards: A Life (2003) is second to none – an outstanding scholarly
biography setting Edwards within the cultural and religious context of the eighteenth
century. When it comes to reading Edwards himself, knowing where to begin is a
little more difficult. John Smith, Harry S. Stout, and Kenneth P. Minkema (eds)
have put together a fine selection of readings from Edwards’ writings in A Jonathan Edwards Reader (1995), with a
critical scholarly introduction. The various selections should give the reader
a taste for Edwards’ writings and a sense of where to progress in terms of
reading. A similar collection, The
Sermons of Jonathan Edwards: A Reader (1999) edited by Wilson H. Kimnach,
Kenneth P. Minkema, and Douglas A. Sweeney, contains a selection of his finest
sermons with a scholarly introduction by the editors. Those new to Edwards
should certainly consider reading ‘A Divine and Supernatural Light’ (1734),
‘Heaven is a World of Love’ (1738), and ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’
(1741) first of all for a sense Edwards’ style and a feel for his theological
substance as a preacher.
Once
you’ve gained some light from reading these selections, you may want to delve a
little deeper into some of Edwards’ major works. The Distinguishing Marks (1741) is arguably the best place to begin
for a sense of Edwards’ theology of revival and religious experience – offering
the reader insight into Edwards’ method for distinguishing an authentic work of
Holy Spirit in religious awakening. The
End for which God Created the World (1765) is perhaps the next port of
call. Here Edwards considers the glory of God as the ultimate end creation, and
subsidiary to this end is human happiness which Edwards believes is intimately tied
up with the glory of God. For Edwards, true happiness is found in God himself –
a sense of His beauty and glory. Those interested in Edwards’ view of revival
should consider reading A Faithful
Narrative (1737), a work describing and almost clinically analysing the
religious awakenings during his ministry in Northampton, Massachusetts. And
if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you may want to dive into The Religious Affections (1746) and get
to grips with Edwards’ psychology of religion. With some 73 volumes made freely
available to read online by the Jonathan Edwards centre at Yale University,
there really is no shortage of choice.
However,
if reading online is not your cup of tea, you might consider investing in some
of the published volumes by Yale University Press. The first few volumes are
available at a reasonable price in paperback, but some volumes are eye
wateringly expensive – you’ll almost need a mortgage to buy the set. Each
volume is prefaced with a critical scholarly introduction of outstanding
quality by leading experts in the field of early evangelicalism, specifically in
the scholarly literature relating to Edwards. However, if you are looking to
keep costs low, the two hardback volumes published by the Banner of Truth
contain most of Edwards’ major works and sermons, and are worth every penny
(see The Works of Jonathan Edwards
– an affordable set for preachers and pastors). Those reading for scholarly
purposes should consult the Yale editions of Edwards works and make use of the
fully searchable corpus online at http://edwards.yale.edu.
Secondary
literature on Edwards has become something of a cottage industry among scholars
with new books coming out every year – even as the writer of Ecclesiastes once
said, ‘Of the making of books, there is no end’ (Ecclesiastes 12:12). The Cambridge Companion to Edwards
(2007) edited by Stephen J. Stein is a useful place to begin and contains
valuable suggestions for further reading on specific subjects. There are
myriads of books on Edwards’ theology and knowing where to begin can be
something of a headache. The most comprehensive single volume introduction I
have read is The Theology of Jonathan
Edwards (2012) by Michael J. McClymond and Gerald R. McDermott. This volume
contains chapters on subjects as various as beauty and aesthetics, metaphysics,
typology, apologetics, exegesis, the doctrine of the Trinity, theological
anthropology, soteriology, the Church, ethics, eschatology, and society, as
well as useful chapters on historiography and the various scholarly and
theological interpretations of Edwards. The footnotes throughout offer useful
suggestions for further reading on specific subjects. In terms of Edwards’
influence and legacy, Jonathan Edwards at
Home and Abroad: Historical Memories, Cultural Movements, Global Horizons
(2003) edited David W. Kling and Douglas A. Sweeney contains some outstanding
essays relating to Edwards’ ministry, his relevance to American culture, and
the international scope of his legacy.
The
quality of scholarship on Edwards is truly remarkable – something all
historians of early evangelicalism should aim to emulate. On a personal note, reading
Edwards and the scholarly literature has done my soul and mind a world of good.
Edwards expands the heart and the head at once – something of a rarity in
modern scholarship. ‘Men [may] have a great deal of pleasure in human knowledge,
in studies of natural things; but this is nothing to that joy which arises from
… divine light shining in the soul … this spiritual light is the dawning of the
light of glory in the heart. There is nothing so powerful as this to support
persons in affliction, and to give the mind peace and brightness, in this stormy
and dark world’ (Edwards, 1734).