An Unpublished Essay of Edwards on the Trinity: With Remarks on Edwards and His Theology - Scholar's Choice Edition

by Jonathan Edwards

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Genres: Theology, Christian, Nonfiction

164 pages, Paperback

First published April 9, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database named Jonathan Edwards.

Jonathan Edwards was the most eminent American philosopher-theologian of his time, and a key figure in what has come to be called the First Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s.

The only son in a family of eleven children, he entered Yale in September, 1716 when he was not yet thirteen and graduated four years later (1720) as valedictorian. He received his Masters three years later. As a youth, Edwards was unable to accept the Calvinist sovereignty of God. However, in 1721 he came to what he called a "delightful conviction" though meditation on 1 Timothy 1:17. From that point on, Edwards delighted in the sovereignty of God. Edwards later recognized this as his conversion to Christ.

In 1727 he was ordained minister at Northampton and assistant to his maternal grandfather, Solomon Stoddard. He was a student minister, not a visiting pastor, his rule being thirteen hours of study a day. In the same year, he married Sarah Pierpont, then age seventeen, daughter of Yale founder James Pierpont (1659–1714). In total, Jonathan and Sarah had eleven children.

Stoddard died on February 11th, 1729, leaving to his grandson the difficult task of the sole ministerial charge of one of the largest and wealthiest congregations in the colony. Throughout his time in Northampton his preaching brought remarkable religious revivals.

Yet, tensions flamed as Edwards would not continue his grandfather's practice of open communion. Stoddard believed that communion was a "converting ordinance." Surrounding congregations had been convinced of this, and as Edwards became more convinced that this was harmful, his public disagreement with the idea caused his dismissal in 1750.

Edwards then moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, then a frontier settlement, where he ministered to a small congregation and served as missionary to the Housatonic Indians. There, having more time for study and writing, he completed his celebrated work, The Freedom of the Will (1754).

Edwards was elected president of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University) in early 1758. He was a popular choice, for he had been a friend of the College since its inception. He died of fever at the age of fifty-four following experimental inoculation for smallpox and was buried in the President's Lot in the Princeton cemetery beside his son-in-law, Aaron Burr.

Reviews

[Ben Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best things outside the bible I've ever read.

Despite being very short it took me c. 3 hours to wade through it; but it is the definition of logic on fire.

Presents a glorious view of God.

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soul stirringly fascinating!

[Alex Kearney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found myself understanding the Trinity more after reading this. And, I realized how little I know about the Trinity after reading this. That’s exactly what Edwards expects to happen to the reader.

Here is a good summary of what Edwards is getting at in this discourse:

“And this I suppose to be that blessed Trinity that we read of in the holy Scriptures. The Father is the Deity subsisting in the prime, unoriginated and most absolute manner, or the Deity in its direct existence. The Son is the Deity generated by God's understanding, or having an idea of him­self, and subsisting in that idea. The Holy Ghost is the Deity subsisting in act, or the divine essence flowing out and breathed forth, in God's infi­nite love to and delight in himself. And I believe the whole divine essence does truly and distinctly subsist both in the divine idea and divine love, and that therefore each of them are properly distinct persons."

This whole work was dizzying. Brain-melting. I’m still struggling to understand the idea of the Son of God as the idea or image of God the way Edwards defines it. He certainly does not let this detract from the personhood of the Son. I think his argument best explains what the Scriptures mean when they say Jesus is the logos, the Word, the image of God, the Light that has come into the world.

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This essay goes into the different, but complicated ways that the whole "3-in-1" saying about the Trinity can/could work. Obviously, we can't know just how it works because we're finite, but we have been given the ability to think things through and Edwards does so pretty well.

Recommended 12+ for topics younger readers may not understand.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief work that is more a collection of thoughts. Edwards seemed to be writing as a means of thinking. It is a very thought provoking read and I recommend it to stir your thoughts about the Trinity.

[Cole Shiflet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better every time I read it.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is thought-provoking. Attempts to explain the Trinity beyond those provided by the ecumenical creeds invariably create as many problems as they try to answer, and almost inevitably lead to heresy. Perhaps the reason this essay remained unpublished is because Edwards knew this. That said, in this short piece Edwards shares some thought-provoking ideas about the nature of the Trinity. In trying to summarize them I fear I will inaccurately represent them, so don't take my word for it; read the essay for yourself.

That said, I will try to distill Edwards basic ideas. Edwards sees God the Father as the fount and origin of Deity. Edwards sees God the Son as God's perfect idea of himself, the perfect representation of himself (see Hebrews 1:3), the exact form of God (see Philippians 2:6). Surprisingly (unless I missed it) Edwards doesn't link this thought directly to the biblical concept of the Logos (see John 1), though that would be the perfect connection with this conception of the Son as the "idea" of God. Edwards explains that because God's idea of himself would be by definition perfect, that idea would be God as well. This is how Edwards explains the Son being begotten by the Father and being co-equal with the Father.

Edwards sees the Holy Spirit as the will and action of the Father and the Son, which is ultimately expressed as love. Edwards sees the Holy Spirit as the love that exists between the Father and the Son, and which proceeds from them. He also sees the Holy Spirit as the comfort and joy of of the Father and the Son, shared between them.

Something interesting to me about this essay is that in it Edwards spends the majority of his time talking about the Holy Spirit. I wasn't sure why that is. I don't know if it's because he feels his claims about the Spirit have less solid Scriptural support so he needs to spend more energy defending them. But in some ways, this is mostly an essay about the Holy Spirit.

Edwards has an interesting theology of the Holy Spirit due to the ways he interprets and ties together various biblical texts about the Spirit. I found these statements particularly insightful: "The sum of all that Christ purchased for men was the Holy Ghost.... The Holy Ghost is the sum of all good things. Good things and the Holy Spirit are synonymous expressions in Scripture." Edwards then proceeds to explain how all the spiritual blessings provided to us by God are summed up and found in the Holy Spirit himself. I think it interesting and refreshing to see a Reformed scholar talking so much about the Holy Spirit; perhaps this is something Reformed Christians could learn from today, not to mention Pentecostals as well.

To conclude, I think Edwards provides some interesting insights about the Trinity which can be helpful as long as they are not pressed too far.

[Christopher Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I suppose it's cheating to log this as a book since it's only 20 pages long but whatever. It's amazing and enormously helpful, gives me the vocabulary to understand why I was so uncomfortable with Milton's picture of the Godhead in Paradise Lost

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I've read this 5 times, and it gets better with each read. I highly recommend it.

[Gabe Mira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far the most helpful explanation of the Trinity that I have ever read. It’s a must read for sure!

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating presentation on two very true doctrines—eternal generation and procession.

[Landon Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Logic on fire

[Reid & June Sandford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jonathan Edwards has again shown his great knowledge of God's Written Word. Even though this is a short essay it is complex and weighty. It deserves very careful reading (I read through it twice) and you will find marvelous insights.

[Sean Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is:

Profound. Or wrong.
Mysterious. Provoking.
Limited. Laudable.

I do agree with Edwards wholeheartedly here:

I think the Word of God teaches us more things concerning [the Trinity] to be believed by us than have been generally believed.

[Theology · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author starts of with "perfect being" philosophy and explains his Bible texts from this philosophy. He takes Bible texts out of their context to read his philosophy into them. His ideas aren't "dangerous" but this is just an unconvincing/inconclusive philosophical work.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short read and full meaty truths about our great God.

[Andrew Mcneill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but deeply profound. As enlightening a work on the Trinity as could be imagined.

[C. Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did a masters thesis on this book. I read all of Edwards while in seminary. I really came to admire the depth of his theology.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

really excellent