Reiner Smolinski Livres

The book delves into Cotton Mather's complex role in the Salem witch trials, highlighting his defense of the court's decisions in "Wonders of the Invisible World." Mather examines six notorious witchcraft cases, supported by Lt. Governor William Stoughton, and explores the theme of Satan's influence as evidence of Christ's imminent return. Despite his defense of the trials, Mather expresses discomfort with the court's methods, leading to a lasting controversy surrounding his work, which he himself described as "that reviled Book."

"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is Edwards' most famous sermon, and probably the most famous American sermon. Preached durigng the Great Awakening, moved its hearers so powerfully that Edwards was unable to finish delivering it. The sermon's power stems not only from Edwards' masterful use of verbal imagery but also from its message that is both personal and universal.

This volume serves as a companion piece to the ongoing edition of Cotton Mather's Biblia Americana (1693-1728), the first comprehensive Bible commentary composed in British North America. Written by some of the most prominent scholars in the field, the essays in this collection offer original in-depth studies of Mather and his hitherto unpublished scriptural interpretations in the historical context of the Early Enlightenment, and the rise of Pietism. Transcending the pejorative image of the Puritan witch-doctor, Mather emerges from these essays as an erudite scholar and cosmopolitan theologian who was fully immersed in the rising developments of biblical exegesis around the turn of the eighteenth century. In facing the challenge of historical criticism or in examining the meaning of race and gender in the Bible, Mather wrestled with religious questions that are still relevant today.