Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), colonial New England minister and missionary, was one of the greatest preachers and theologians in American history.

In a world wracked by the clash of European powers, Jonathan Edwards, one of the most extraordinary theologian-pastors in the history of Christianity, sought to express by means of the spoken word and printed text his vision of the glory of God, sovereign over this worlds empires, and its practical implications for humanity.

It was Jonathan Edwards's genius that he could make full use of John Locke's philosophy and Isaac Newton's discoveries to reinterpret man's relationship to God in such a way that the experience of supernatural grace became available to people living in an intellectual and cultural climate very different from that of 17th-century England.

In so doing, Edwards helped transmit to later generations the richest aspect of American Puritanism: the individual heart's experience of spiritual and emotional rebirth. Further, by his leadership in the religious revivals of the early 18th century, Edwards helped make the experience an integral part of American life for his own time and for the following century.