Jonathan Edwards

Abstract

Knowledge of the highest good has occupied a central place in the Academy. If the highest good is only attained in the afterlife then the present life is both minimized and drained of meaning. Although Jonathan Edwards was the president of Princeton only for a short time, his theology had significant influence on how students understood the knowledge of God and religious experience. Specifically, Edwards taught a form of the beatific vision and placed emphasis on religious affections for determining sincere Christian belief and practice. After his death his legacy at Princeton continued in these areas and in a form of idealism that was perpetuated among the students. The combination of empiricism (religious experience) and idealism led to a form of otherworldliness that is contrary to the Westminster Confession and the original goals of Princeton.