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A study of the theology of the American preacher Jonathan Edwards, linking his conversion with his distinctive understanding of divine participation.
Was Jonathan Edwards the stalwart and unquestioning Reformed theologian that he is often portrayed as being? In what ways did his own conversion fail to meet the standards of his Puritan ancestors? And how did this affect his understanding of the Divine Being and of the nature of justification? Becoming Divine investigates the early theological career of Edwards, finding him deep in a crisis of faith that drove him into an obsessive lifelong search for answers.
Instead of a fear of God, which he had been taught to understand as proof of his conversion, he experienced a 'surprising, amazing joy'. Suddenly he saw the Divine Being in everything and felt himself transported into a heavenly world, becoming one with the Divine family. What he developed, as he sought to make sense of this unexpected joy, is a theology that is both ancient and early modern: a theology of divine participation rooted in the incarnation of Christ.
Was Jonathan Edwards the stalwart and unquestioning Reformed theologian that he is often portrayed as being? In what ways did his own conversion fail to meet the standards of his Puritan ancestors? And how did this affect his understanding of the Divine Being and of the nature of justification? Becoming Divine investigates the early theological career of Edwards, finding him deep in a crisis of faith that drove him into an obsessive lifelong search for answers.
Instead of a fear of God, which he had been taught to understand as proof of his conversion, he experienced a 'surprising, amazing joy'. Suddenly he saw the Divine Being in everything and felt himself transported into a heavenly world, becoming one with the Divine family. What he developed, as he sought to make sense of this unexpected joy, is a theology that is both ancient and early modern: a theology of divine participation rooted in the incarnation of Christ.
Price: $29.99
Pages: 244
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Inc.
Imprint: Lutterworth Press
Publication Date:
25 January 2018
Trim Size: 9.02 X 5.98 in
ISBN: 9780718895259
Format: Paperback
BISACs:
RELIGION / History, History of religion
Withrow's fascinating look at Edwards's incarnationalism is must reading for Edwards scholars. By tying Edwards's Spirit-Christology to his doctrine of the Spirit's role in binding believers to Christ, helping them understand the Scriptures, and thereby helping them participate in the very life of God, he has developed a reading of Edwards that will generate fresh thinking about this quasi-mystical sage and his variations on such crucial theological themes for years to come.
— DOUGLAS A. SWEENEY, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
In Becoming Divine, Brandon Withrow has provided a masterful explication of Edwards's understanding of the intricate relationship between what the Bible is and what conversion does, between 'Biblicism' and 'union with Christ.' Withrow places Edwards's work carefully and accurately within the broader historical/theological tradition of hermeneutics and spirituality and shows how Edwards's theology is 'a Protestant candidate for continuing interests in ecumenical dialogue between Western and Eastern Christians.' For all of these reasons, I enthusiastically recommend this book.
— SAMUEL T. LOGAN Jr.
Beneath these pages is a truckload of careful spadework which informs Withrow's thoughtful analysis of many of the literary influences on Jonathan Edwards's 'spiritual reading' of Scripture. One result is a better understanding of Edwards's view of the sublime doctrine historically termed 'deification' . . . Readers will find much in Withrow's knowledge of the life, times, and thought of Edwards to enlarge their own understanding of the same.
— DON WHITNEY
— DOUGLAS A. SWEENEY, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
In Becoming Divine, Brandon Withrow has provided a masterful explication of Edwards's understanding of the intricate relationship between what the Bible is and what conversion does, between 'Biblicism' and 'union with Christ.' Withrow places Edwards's work carefully and accurately within the broader historical/theological tradition of hermeneutics and spirituality and shows how Edwards's theology is 'a Protestant candidate for continuing interests in ecumenical dialogue between Western and Eastern Christians.' For all of these reasons, I enthusiastically recommend this book.
— SAMUEL T. LOGAN Jr.
Beneath these pages is a truckload of careful spadework which informs Withrow's thoughtful analysis of many of the literary influences on Jonathan Edwards's 'spiritual reading' of Scripture. One result is a better understanding of Edwards's view of the sublime doctrine historically termed 'deification' . . . Readers will find much in Withrow's knowledge of the life, times, and thought of Edwards to enlarge their own understanding of the same.
— DON WHITNEY
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction
Part One: The Judeo-Christian Tradition of Jonathan Edwards
1 The Illuminating Word and Spirituality from Antiquity to the Early Reformation
2 Scripture and Spirituality in Early-Modern Biblical Interpretation
Part Two: Jonathan Edwards's Spirituality in His New England World
3 The Seeds of Spirituality in the Young Edwards, 1703-1723
4 The Pursuit of Divine Excellencies, 1723-1730
5 The Incarnational Spirituality of the Mature Edwards
Part Three: Jonathan Edwards's Spiritual Reading of the Sacred Text
6 Unlocking the Divine Treasure Chest
7 The Lasting Voice of Edwards
Bibliography
Index
Abbreviations
Introduction
Part One: The Judeo-Christian Tradition of Jonathan Edwards
1 The Illuminating Word and Spirituality from Antiquity to the Early Reformation
2 Scripture and Spirituality in Early-Modern Biblical Interpretation
Part Two: Jonathan Edwards's Spirituality in His New England World
3 The Seeds of Spirituality in the Young Edwards, 1703-1723
4 The Pursuit of Divine Excellencies, 1723-1730
5 The Incarnational Spirituality of the Mature Edwards
Part Three: Jonathan Edwards's Spiritual Reading of the Sacred Text
6 Unlocking the Divine Treasure Chest
7 The Lasting Voice of Edwards
Bibliography
Index