‘If thou reckon right’: Angels from John Calvin to Jonathan Edwards via John Milton

Abstract

Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) was part of a neo-Calvinist heritage, but he did not claim to be a disciple of the Genevan Reformer. One area of divergence in interpretation was their teachings about angels. Calvin lessened the roles of angels, ascribing to them certain mysteries beyond human comprehension, while Edwards explored angelic nature and history, initially seeing analogies between angels and humans, and then as part of his grand project, A History of the Work of Redemption. In the process, he was shaped by authors in his New England past, including Increase and Cotton Mather, who intently explored the supernatural realm. He also drew on a variety of religious poets within Anglo-American Protestant religious culture that included John Milton, whose influential depiction of the angelic and human fall in Paradise Lost provided inspiration for Edwards’ own redemptive narrative.