"The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 13" by Jonathan Edwards

The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 13 Volume 13: The "Miscellanies", Entry Nos. a-z, aa-zz, 1-500 Jonathan Edwards, Thomas A. Schafer

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Series:: The Works of Jonathan Edwards Series
Format:: Hardback
Publication date:: 28 Dec 1994
ISBN:: 9780300060591
Imprint:: Yale University Press
Dimensions:: 596 pages: 235 x 156mm
Illustrations:: 34 b-w illus.

Categories:

Literature & Literary Studies »
Anthologies »

This book begins the publication of Jonathan Edwards's personal theological notebooks, called collectively the "Miscellanies." The entries in Volume 13 span the early years of Edwards's ministry, (1722-1731) and range widely in subject matter. They record Edwards's initial thoughts on some of his most characteristic ideas, such as original sin, free will, the Trinity and God's end in creation. However, many entries relate to doctrinal and polemical subjects not included in the corpus of Edwards's published writings. The volume also contains Edwards's own alphabetical index to the entire "Miscellanies"; this "Table" is a theological document in its own right that reveals the interrelationship among the various components of Edwards's theological system.

The editor's introduction includes an interpretive essay that relates Edwards's growing body of entries in the "Miscellanies" to the main events in his life and progressing career. It also explores how even before the beginning of his tutorship at Yale in 1724 Edwards had developed both within and outside of the "Miscellanies" certain fundamental positions that constitute the truly distinctive elements in his theology. The introduction ends with an explanation of the methodology used to establish for the first time the chronology of the early miscellanies. The conclusions of this research are summarized in a comprehensive chronological chart that locates by date not only entry nos. a-500, but also the sermons, essays and other manuscripts Edwards composed prior to 1731.

Thomas A. Schafer is professor of church history emeritus, McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago.

"Edwardseans will find much here that will certainly contribute to a fuller understanding of Edwards's thought. . . . With this volume, the venerable Edwards edition reaches a new phase. The private Edwards, the imaginative, reflective intellect steeped in his metaphysical subject matter, now appears. The result is that we now have a richer and more complex picture of this important colonial American thinker and writer."?Sargent Bush, Jr., Documentary Editing

"Schafer's introduction is studded with stunning observations that come from a lifetime of immersion in these texts. Recommended especially for seminary and graduate libraries."?Gerald R McDermott, Religious Studies Review