Jonathan Edwards and the Heidelberg Catechism

Abstract

As part of the ongoing effort to reappraise the influence and use of the Heidelberg Catechism in early America, an important tradition to consider is New England Puritanism, and an important figure in that tradition, Jonathan Edwards. Though it might be assumed that Edwards had no interaction with the “Palatine Catechism,” a closer look reveals that it was actually a part of the religious culture. This essay looks for the first time at Edwards’ exposure to the document and commentaries on it through colonial book-owning, and then focuses on two episodes in his life in which the Catechism played a role.