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Magnalia Christi Americana or the Ecclesiastical History of New England volume 1: from Its First Planting in the Year 1620 unto the Year of Our Lord 1698

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This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

672 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1702

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About the author

Cotton Mather

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Cotton Mather A.B. 1678 (Harvard College), A.M. 1681; honorary doctorate 1710 (University of Glasgow), was a socially and politically influential New England Puritan minister, prolific author, and pamphleteer. Cotton Mather was the son of influential minister Increase Mather. He is often remembered for his connection to the Salem witch trials.

Mather was named after his grandfathers, both paternal (Richard Mather) and maternal (John Cotton). He attended Boston Latin School, and graduated from Harvard in 1678, at only 16 years of age. After completing his post-graduate work, he joined his father as assistant Pastor of Boston's original North Church (not to be confused with the Anglican/Episcopal Old North Church). It was not until his father's death, in 1723, that Mather assumed full responsibilities as Pastor at the Church.

Author of more than 450 books and pamphlets, Cotton Mather's ubiquitous literary works made him one of the most influential religious leaders in America. Mather set the nation's "moral tone," and sounded the call for second and third generation Puritans, whose parents had left England for the New England colonies of North America to return to the theological roots of Puritanism.

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11 reviews11 followers
January 29, 2008
Not something to read front to back necessarily, but very interesting. He is a master of revisionist history, and his accounts of various important New World men reveals a lot about the Puritan mindset, particularly the didactic panic of one trying to (re?)convert the wayward youth. I think I find this kind of text so engaging because it resonates with my own experiences as LDS; i.e., it's not the first time I have had experience with this genre. :)
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