This study1 explores Jonathan Edwards’s engagement with Chinese philosophy within the framework of Reformed Catholicity – a theological vision committed to biblical fidelity, historical continuity, and Christian unity. Edwards showed a notable openness to non-Protestant and non-Western traditions, drawing on Roman Catholic writings about Confucianism and Taoism. He believed traces of divine revelation could be found in Chinese classics and viewed China as part of God’s redemptive plan. His perspective aligned in part with Catholic missionaries who saw Confucian teachings as echoing biblical truths, possibly inherited from the patriarchs. In contrast to Deists, who rejected the authority of Scripture, Edwards defended the Reformed insistence on divine revelation and redemption. Though he sometimes oversimplified Chinese thought due to limited sources, his work reveals a striking global theological imagination. This study highlights an overlooked aspect of Edwards’s theology and its relevance for cross-cultural dialogue between Reformed theology, Roman Catholicism, and Chinese philosophy.
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Allen, Michael & Swain, Scott R. 2015. Reformed Catholicity: The Promise of Retrieval for Theology and Biblical Interpretation. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.
Bedford, Arthur. 1730. The Scripture Chronology Demonstrated by Astronomical Calculations. London.
Brown, Stewart J. 2013. “Chinese Influences on the European Enlightenment.” In Selected Papers of the Beijing Forum 2012: The Harmony of Civilisations, edited by Zhang Zhifang, 380–97. Beijing: Peking University Press.
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Edwards, Jonathan. 1977. Apocalyptic Writings: “Notes on the Apocalypse,” An Humble Attempt. Edited by John E. Smith. The Works of Jonathan Edwards. Vol. 5. New Haven; London: Yale University Press.
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Edwards, Jonathan. 1998. Notes on Scripture. Edited by Stephen J. Stein. The Works of Jonathan Edwards. Vol. 15. New Haven; London: Yale University Press.
Edwards, Jonathan. 2002. The “Miscellanies”: (Entry Nos. A-z, Aa-zz, 1–500). Edited by Thomas A. Schafer. The Works of Jonathan Edwards. Vol. 13. New Haven; London: Yale University Press.
Edwards, Jonathan. 1999. Sermons and Discourses, 1730–1733. Edited by Mark Valeri. The Works of Jonathan Edwards. Vol. 17. New Haven; London: Yale University Press.
Edwards, Jonathan. 2000. The “Miscellanies”: (Entry Nos. 501–832). Edited by Ava Chamberlain. The Works of Jonathan Edwards. Vol. 18. New Haven; London: Yale University Press.
Edwards, Jonathan. 2004. The “Miscellanies”: (Entry Nos. 1153–1360). Edited by Douglas A. Sweeney. The Works of Jonathan Edwards. Vol. 23. New Haven; London: Yale University Press.
Edwards, Jonathan. 2006. The “Blank Bible”: Part 1 & Part 2. Edited by Stephen J. Stein. The Works of Jonathan Edwards. Vol. 24. New Haven; London: Yale University Press.
Edwards, Jonathan. 2006. Sermons and Discourses, 1743–1758. Edited by Wilson H. Kimnach. The Works of Jonathan Edwards. Vol. 25. New Haven; London: Yale University Press.
Edwards, Jonathan. 2008. Catalogues of Books. Edited by Peter J. Thuesen. The Works of Jonathan Edwards. Vol. 26. New Haven; London: Yale University Press.
Edwards, Jonathan. 2016. Jonathan Edwards Sermons, 1727–1728. Edited by Wilson H. Kimnach. New Haven: The Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University.
Larrimore, Mark. “Orientalism and Antivoluntarism in the History of Ethics: On Christian Wolff’s “Oratio De Sinarum Philosophia Practica”.” The Journal of Religious Ethics 28, no. 2 (2000): 189–219.
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Zhu, Victor. 2023. America’s Theologian Beyond America: Jonathan Edwards, Israel, and China. New York: Oxford University Press.
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This study1 explores Jonathan Edwards’s engagement with Chinese philosophy within the framework of Reformed Catholicity – a theological vision committed to biblical fidelity, historical continuity, and Christian unity. Edwards showed a notable openness to non-Protestant and non-Western traditions, drawing on Roman Catholic writings about Confucianism and Taoism. He believed traces of divine revelation could be found in Chinese classics and viewed China as part of God’s redemptive plan. His perspective aligned in part with Catholic missionaries who saw Confucian teachings as echoing biblical truths, possibly inherited from the patriarchs. In contrast to Deists, who rejected the authority of Scripture, Edwards defended the Reformed insistence on divine revelation and redemption. Though he sometimes oversimplified Chinese thought due to limited sources, his work reveals a striking global theological imagination. This study highlights an overlooked aspect of Edwards’s theology and its relevance for cross-cultural dialogue between Reformed theology, Roman Catholicism, and Chinese philosophy.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 151 | 151 | 5 |
| Full Text Views | 13 | 13 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 31 | 31 | 1 |