Welcome to Visualizing Jonathan Edwards!
No. 1
With the publication of The Jonathan Edwards Miscellanies Companion: Volume 2, the JESociety newsletter is now a weekly publication. The newsletter complements the “Miscellanies Project” by providing visualizations of Edwards’s thought spanning The Works of Jonathan Edwards, volumes 1–26. This newsletter is intended to serve as a helpful resource for both pastors and researchers.
This Week of 12/6/21
Monday (free subscribers): Of Wolves and Men
Wednesday (paid subscribers): Abolishing Ceremonial Law
Friday (paid subscribers): Abraham and Progress of Redemption
Of Wolves and Men in WJE 1–26
VISUAL EDWARDS Results: 'Of Wolves and Men - WJE' - RBoss
Many kinds of brute animals are esteemed very noxious and destructive, many of 'em very fierce, voracious, and many very poisonous, and the destroying of 'em has always been looked upon as a public benefit: but have not mankind been a thousand times as hurtful and destructive as any one of them, yea, as all the noxious beasts, birds, fishes and reptiles in the earth, air and water, put together, at least, of all kinds of animals that are visible? And no creature can be found anywhere so destructive of its own kind, as mankind are. All others for the most part are harmless and peaceable, with regard to their own species. Where one wolf is destroyed by another wolf, one viper by another, probably a thousand of mankind are destroyed by those of their own species. (Original Sin, WJE 3:168)
Include notes: 'False'
Core visualization: 'False'
Visualization: 64 x 36 inches
Term Set A: men, mankind
Term Set B: wolves, wolf
Distance between terms: up to '10'
Labels: 'yes'
Terms A/B:
WJEO 2:357 - Religious Affections
WJEO 5:357 - Apocalyptic Writings
WJEO 14:495 - Sermons and Discourses, 1723-1729
WJEO 24:841 - The "Blank Bible"
Terms B/A:
WJEO 3:168 - Original Sin
WJEO 15:271 - Notes on Scripture
WJEO 19:382 - Sermons and Discourses, 1734-1738
WJEO 21:498 - Writings on the Trinity, Grace, and Faith
WJEO 24:564 - The "Blank Bible"
WJEO 24:841 - The "Blank Bible"
Visualization color palette: 'inferno'
Highlighted term: 'men'
Highlighted term: 'mankind'
Highlighted term: 'wolves'
Highlighted term: 'wolf'
Background: 'black'
Label Color: 'white'
Visualization layout: 'spring'
Layout seed: '1'
About the Jonathan Edwards Society
The vision/mission of JESociety is to promote research and interest in America’s Theologian through innovation, collaboration and publication by:
Publishing The Jonathan Edwards Miscellanies Companions (contributors are already lining up for a volume 3—call for papers will be in March 2022)
Publishing A Series of Treatises on Jonathan Edwards—select, peer-reviewed monographs
Publishing a free/paid Substack newsletter that works through WJE 1-26 to visualize key topics central to Edwards’s thought (I envision this to be of use to both pastors and researchers)
Continued development of Visual Edwards software
What is Visual Edwards?
The idea behind the Visual Edwards software project is to visualize the writings and thought of Jonathan Edwards in a creative way which facilitates exploration, study, and presentation. The sophisticated, image-rich theology of Edwards is a perfect match for today’s visual and tech-driven culture. Initially an effort to visualize Edwards’s natural typology, the Visual Edwards project has now extended to the rest of the printed corpus contained within Yale’s 26 volumes of The Works of Jonathan Edwards.
According to Daniel Cabal, a friend who did a PhD in philosophy at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the Visual Edwards project “straddles the poles of theology, technology, and art.” I see Edwards’s theology and typology meshing with code and media. It's a totally imaginative venture to claim new arenas for the communication of theological truth.