Jonathan Edwards (October 5, 1703 – March 22, 1758) was a preacher, theologian, and missionary to Native Americans. Edwards is widely acknowledged to be America's most important and original philosophical theologian, and he’s considered one of America's greatest intellectuals. Edwards's theological work is very broad in scope, but he is often associated with his defense of Reformed theology, the metaphysics of theological determinism, and the Puritan heritage. Recent studies have emphasized how thoroughly Edwards grounded his life's work on conceptions of beauty, harmony, and ethical fittingness, and how central The Enlightenment was to his mindset. For example, Edwards was genuinely committed to the promotion of gender equality. His interest in Eve has been interpreted by scholars as an indication that he harbored proto-feminist views:
Edwards played a very critical role in shaping the First Great Awakening, and he oversaw some of the first fires of revival in 1733–1735 at his church - First Church - in Northampton, Massachusetts. Edwards delivered the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", a classic of early American literature, during another wave of revival in 1741, following George Whitefield's tour of the Thirteen Colonies.
Edwards is also widely known for his many books: The End For Which God Created the World; The Life of David Brainerd, which served to inspire thousands of missionaries throughout the 19th century; and Religious Affections, which many Reformed Evangelicals continue to read today.
This edition of Edwards’ Many Mansions, a short essay about Heaven, is specially formatted with images of the great theologian.
