Jonathan Edwards: A Life - Tapa blanda

"This universally lauded biography portrays America's greatest theologian, 300 years after his birth."-Richard N. Ostling, Associated Press "This universally lauded biography portrays America's greatest theologian, 300 years after his birth."-Richard N. Ostling, Associated Press "Magnificent. . . . This is a book that tells us as much about the intellectual foundations of America as it does about Jonathan Edwards."-Damian Thompson, Daily Telegraph "A biography by a historian of religion who sets his subject in the Reformation context, of the mighty American preacher, logician and theologian who lighted the fuse on the Great Awakening of the 18th century."-New York Times Book Review "A biography. . . . of the mighty American preacher, logician and theologian who lighted the fuse on the [18th century] Great Awakening."-New York Times Book Review "It may not stretch the evidence to call Jonathan Edwards the most important religious figure in American history. . . . [Edwards'] arguments [are] analyzed with great skill and sensitivity in Jonathan Edwards: A Life. . . . Marsden, himself an evangelical believer, puts Edwards back where he belongs, firmly in the theological world of the Reformation. . . . Marsden makes a convincing case for his greatness."-Garry Wills, New York Times Book Review "Marsden's thorough, dispassionate and enlightening book is the first to weave into a smooth, continuous narrative the events of Edward's life and the development and content of his philosophy. . . . Outstanding."-Paul Johnson, Sunday Telegraph "A triumph of scholarship, but also of readability. . . . [A] richly satisfying and interesting portrait of the man and his time. . . ."-Robert E. Brown, Times Literary Supplement "A triumph of scholarship, but also of readability. Marsden successfully straddles the diverse fields in which Edwards was formed and to which he contributed, to give a richly satisfying and interesting portrait of the man and his time, including insights from American studies, theology, philosophy and even the history of natural science."-Robert E. Brown, Times Literary Supplement "Magisterial."-Wall Street Journal "A magisterial biography."-Wall Street Journal "In his superb and engrossing new biography of Jonathan Edwards, George Marsden has given us the most comprehensive account we have of the man who, as much as Benjamin Franklin-in some ways more than Franklin-is the spiritual godfather of our nation. . . . What sets Marsden's work apart, what makes it so accessible, is that he has committed the entire enterprise to narrative, to telling a story-the saga of Jonathan Edwards."-Robert D. Richardson, Washington Post Book World "Marsden's elegant prose and vivid, vivacious storytelling brings Edwards to life. This magisterial and definitive biography reveals the complexities of Edwards's life and provides new appreciation for his commitment to fostering religious sensibilities in the increasingly secular world of his time. This is a beautifully written book about one of America's most important thinkers."-Publishers Weekly (starred review) "In what will stand as the definitive biography, George Marsden sets out to bridge the gap between Edwards as seen by students of American culture and Edwards as seen by theologians. He succeeds brilliantly in this objective and in the process not only brings Edwards to life as a Christian and as a human being but also provides an enthralling portrait of the age in which he lived. . . . George Marsden already has a reputation as one of America's leading historians. This work shows him to be a sympathetic biographer and a skilled interpreter of Christian thought."-Paul Richardson, Church of England Newspaper "Well-researched. . . . Discriminating in its assessments and appreciative of Edwards' life and theology. . . . Highly recommend[ed]. . . . It contains the best use of source material by an experienced historian and scholar."-Robert Davis Smart, Reformation and Revival Journal Winner of the Philip Schaff Prize sponsored by the American Society of Church History A finalist for the 2003 National Book Critics Circle Award in the biography category Winner of the 2001-2003 Annibel Jenkins Biography Prize sponsored by the Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies "At last! A highly readable biography of Jonathan Edwards that takes account of the mountain of recent Edwards scholarship and is willing to acknowledge the agonies and ambiguities as well as the triumphs of Edwards life. A great companion to the Jonathan Edwards Reader and TheJonathan Edwards Sermons."-Amy Plantinga Pauw, Louisville Presbyterian Seminary "Marsden has brought together in a magisterial synthesis the details of the man's daily life and the range of ideas that challenged the assumptions of his time and ours."-Edmund S. Morgan "In this biography, Marsden has produced a masterpiece. It is eloquent, reliable, and comprehensive. I found it insightful and inspiring throughout."-George S. Claghorn, West Chester University, editor of Letters and Personal Writings of Jonathan Edwards "This is the finest biography of Edwards that I have read. It will be the standard benchmark for Edwards scholarship for generations to come."-Harry S. Stout, Yale University "I have been reading Edwards fairly intensively since 1965. There is no question that Professor Marsden's biography is the best book ever written about America's (and perhaps the world's) greatest theologian. Marsden's work is the best because, in his own words, it 'tells a good story that illuminates not only the subject, but also the landscapes surrounding that person.' Henceforth, I shall require Marsden whenever I teach Edwards."-Sam T. Logan, Jr., President and Professor of Church History, Westminster Theological Seminary

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) is a towering figure in American history. A controversial theologian and the author of the famous sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, he ignited the momentous Great Awakening of the eighteenth century. In this definitive and long-awaited biography, Jonathan Edwards emerges as both a great American and a brilliant Christian. George Marsden evokes the world of colonial New England in which Edwards was reared-a frontier civilization at the center of a conflict between Native Americans, French Catholics, and English Protestants. Drawing on newly available sources, Marsden demonstrates how these cultural and religious battles shaped Edwards's life and thought. Marsden reveals Edwards as a complex thinker and human being who struggled to reconcile his Puritan heritage with the secular, modern world emerging out of the Enlightenment. In this, Edwards's life anticipated the deep contradictions of our American culture. Meticulously researched and beautifully composed, this biography offers a compelling portrait of an eminent American.