Jonathan Edwards

Born in East Windsor, Connecticut, in 1703, he grew up in a deeply religious family and entered Yale at a remarkably young age. He went on to become one of the most important theologians and philosophers in colonial America, known for combining rigorous thought with vivid, emotionally charged preaching.

He served for many years in Northampton, Massachusetts, where his ministry became closely tied to the revivals later called the Great Awakening. His 1741 sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God remains his most famous work, but his wider legacy also includes major writings on faith, revival, and religious experience.

Later in life, he worked as a missionary in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and in 1758 briefly became president of the College of New Jersey, now Princeton. He died the same year, but his influence on American Protestant thought, revival preaching, and religious literature continued long after his death.