Theology of Jonathan Edwards (Div/Rel 3240) [*]

 

 

Vanderbilt University	Instructor: James P. Byrd, Jr., Ph.D.
Spring, 2002	Email: james.p.byrd@vanderbilt.edu
Mondays, 1:10-3:00	Office: 215 Divinity, Phone: 343.3976

1. Course Description:

Jonathan Edwards was arguably America’s greatest theologian. This advanced seminar will study his thought in reference to the Enlightenment and the Reformed theological tradition. Most of the reading in the course will focus on Edwards’s writings, including sermons, theological treatises, and ethical works.

2. Course Requirements: 

A.     Attendance, Reading, and Participation. Since the seminar meets only once per week, attendance at all sessions is particularly important. The calendar of topics and assignments details the assigned readings for each session. Students should study the required readings carefully in preparation for class discussions. (30% of final grade).

B.     Leadership in Seminar Discussion. Each student shall have the opportunity to lead the seminar in discussion. Seminar leaders should introduce the topic of the week and facilitate the seminar’s conversation regarding that topic and the assigned readings. Each seminar leader shall prepare a brief (1 page) agenda that outlines some questions or issues for the seminar to consider in discussion.  Each seminar leader should distribute copies of the agenda at the beginning of the seminar (20% of final grade).

C.     Written Assignments. Students shall pursue one of the options listed below. Students should inform the instructor, in writing, of their preferred option by the second class session (28 January).

Option 1: Students shall complete the following:

v     A research essay on a topic of interest within the scope of the course. Essays should be approximately 20 pages, double-spaced, with a standard font such as Times New Roman (12 point). Papers should include either footnotes or endnotes, formatted according to the guidelines in Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 6th rev. ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996). Students should have topics approved by the instructor by 18 February. The instructor will read and comment on any draft submitted by 25 March. The final version of the essay is due no later than 26 April. Students must submit research essays in electronic form, through email attachment or diskette  (40% of final grade).

v     1 critical book review of a book selected from the bibliography section (3) of the syllabus. The critical book reviews should be prepared according to guidelines that the instructor will distribute separately. Students should consult with the instructor in selecting a book to review. The critical book review is due on 11 March (10% of final grade).

Option 2: Students shall complete the following:

v     5 critical book reviews of books selected from the bibliography section (3) of the syllabus. The critical book reviews should be prepared according to guidelines that the instructor will distribute separately. Students should consult with the instructor in selecting books to review. The first two reviews are due no later than 11 March. The final three reviews are due on 26 April (50% of final grade).

 

3. Bibliography of Secondary Studies

The following bibliography features selected books on Edwards that should prove useful to students in the course. Some of these books are classic studies, while others are recent works that reveal current trends in Edwards studies. For more extensive bibliographies, students may consult the following two works by M.X. Lesser: Jonathan Edwards: An Annotated Bibliography, 1979-1993 (Westport: Greenwood, 1994) and Jonathan Edwards: A Reference Guide (Boston: G.K. Hall, 1981).

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. Garden City: Anchor Books, 1966.

Conforti, Joseph A. Jonathan Edwards, Religious Tradition, & American Culture. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1995.

Daniel, Stephen H. The Philosophy of Jonathan Edwards: A Study in Divine Semiotics. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994.

Fiering, Norman. Jonathan Edwards's Moral Thought and its British Context. Chapel Hill: Published for the Institute of Early American History and Culture, 1981.

Guelzo, Allen C. Edwards on the Will: A Century of American Theological Debate. 1st ed. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 1989.

 Howe, Daniel Walker. Making the American Self: Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln, Studies in cultural history. 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. Expanded ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000.

McClymond, Michael James. Encounters with God: An Approach to the Theology of Jonathan Edwards. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.

McDermott, Gerald R. Jonathan Edwards Confronts the Gods: Christian Theology, Enlightenment Religion, and Non-Christian Faiths. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.

­­­_____. One Holy and Happy Society: The Public Theology of Jonathan Edwards. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1992.

Miller, Perry. Jonathan Edwards. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1981.

Morimoto, Anri. Jonathan Edwards and the Catholic Vision of Salvation. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1995.

Smith, John E. Jonathan Edwards: Puritan, Preacher, Philosopher. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1992.

Tracy, Patricia J. Jonathan Edwards, Pastor: Religion and Society in Eighteenth Century Northampton. 1st ed, American century series. New York: Hill and Wang, 1980.

 

4. Calendar of Class Sessions and Assignments

 

Wk	Date	Assignment
1	Jan. 14	Introduction to the Course
2	Jan. 28	Jonathan Edwards’s New England: Theology, Preaching, and Culture   v     Stout, Harry S. The New England Soul: Preaching and Religious Culture in Colonial New England. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986.   {Seminar leadership presentations scheduled} {Written assignment options selected}
3	Feb. 4	Early Writings: September-October, 1723 and August, 1728-February, 1729    (only available in Yale ed.)   v     The Spider Letter v     Miscellanies 65-81, 331-384 v     Notes on the Apocalypse (Exposition and Series #s 1-24) v     The Mind (Entry 1: Excellency) v     Notes on Scripture (Entries 64-73 and 111-141) v     Images of Divine Things (Entries 1-17)
4	Feb. 11	The Great Awakening Defended   v     A Faithful Narrative (1737) v     Some Thoughts (1742) v     Miscellanies 668-688
5	Feb. 18	History of the Work of Redemption (1739ff.)   {Research topics approved}
6	Feb. 25	The Sermons of Jonathan Edwards         Katherine Paisley, discussion leader   v     "The Reality of Conversion" v     "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." v     "Heaven is a World of Love." v     "I Know My Redeemer Lives."
7	March 11	Treatise on Religious Affections (1746)            {Critical book reviews due}
8-9	March 18 –March 25	Freedom of the Will (1754)   {25 March: draft submissions due}
10	April 1	Original Sin (1758)
11	April 8	Two Dissertations: The End for Which God Created the World (1765)
12	April 15	Two Dissertations: Nature of True Virtue (1765)
13	April 22	Legacies of Jonathan Edwards   Lee, Sang Hyun, and Allen C. Guelzo. Edwards in Our Time: Jonathan Edwards and the Shaping of American Religion. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans, 1999.

 

While Edwards’s writings have been printed in various forms over the years, the definitive publication of Edwards’s works is the Yale edition, which is an ongoing project. The first volume, Freedom of the Will, appeared in 1957 and the latest, Sermons and Discourses, 1734-38, was published in 2001. The editors of the Yale volumes are leading scholars in Edwards studies and the editorial introductions to the volumes provide excellent guides to Edwards’s thought.  The one drawback to the Yale edition is price; volumes typically retail for approximately $85.00. The instructor, therefore, does not expect students to purchase the Yale volumes, though they are on reserve in the library and students are encouraged to use them.

The following table lists the assigned readings for the semester and the location of these texts in various editions of Edwards’s works and on the Internet. Students should seek to read the assignments in the Yale edition whenever possible; however, other versions may be consulted when the Yale volumes are unavailable.

 

 

Title	Y	BT	F	L	W	SR	www?
The Spider Letter	6.163-169						www1
Miscellanies 65-81	13.235-248
Miscellanies 331-384	13.409-453
Notes on the Apocalypse	5.97-135
The Mind	6.332-338						www1
Notes on Scripture	15.68-69, 81-90
Images of Divine Things	11.51-55
Faithful Narrative	4.129-211	1.344-364	3.1-71	3.1-71	3.229-272		www1
Some Thoughts	4.289-530	1.365-430	6.1-206		3.273-425
Miscellanies 668-688	18.212-251
History of Redemption	v.9	1.532-619	5.11-282	5.11-303	1.291-516		www1
Reality of Conversion						83-104
Sinners in the Hands		2.7-12	6.450-464		4.313-321	49-65	www1
Heaven is a World	8.366-397					242-272
I Know My Redeemer						141-160
Religious Affections	v.2	1.234-343	4.1-351	4.1-351	3.vii-228		www1
Freedom of the Will	v.1	1.1-93	1.123-437		2.1-182		www2
Original Sin	v.3	1.143-233	2.79-387	2.79-387	2.307-510		www1
The End	8.401-536	1.94-121	1.439-535		1.191-257		www1
Nature of True Virtue	8.539-627	1.122-142	2.7-78	2.7-78	2.259-304		www1

 

Y         The Works of Jonathan Edwards. 19 vols. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1957-.  

BT       The Works of Jonathan Edwards, With a Memoir by Sereno E. Dwight. 2 vols. Edward Hickman, ed. Carlisle and Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1974.  

F          The Works of President Edwards. 10 vols. Edward Williams and Edward Parsons, eds. New York: Burt Franklin, 1968. 

L          The Works of President Edwards in Eight Volumes. 8 vols. Leeds: E. Baines, 1806-1811. 

W         The Works of President Edwards in Four Volumes. 4 vols. New York: Leavitt and Allen, 1857.  

SR        The Sermons of Jonathan Edwards: A Reader. W. H. Kimnach, K. P. Minkema, &  D. A. Sweeney, eds. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999.  

www    Availablity of Edwards’s works on the Internet:

www1  Works of Jonathan Edwards currently available online at www.jonathanedwards.com

www2 Freedom of the Will currently available at www.ccel.org/e/edwards/will/home.html