The Concept of a History of Redemption

Scripture focus

That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.

Ephesians 1:10 KJV

At a glance

Summary of the chapter

In October 1757, explaining to the trustees of the College of New Jersey why he was reluctant to accept its presidency, Edwards described a "great work" he had long been planning — a body of divinity cast in an entirely new method, presented not as a system of abstract doctrines but as one unfolding history. Every truth of theology would be shown standing in relation to the great work of redemption by Jesus Christ, which Edwards called the "summum and ultimum" — the highest and final end — of all God's works.

Notebooks from his final years, analyzed by scholars such as John F. Wilson, show Edwards intensively developing this project between roughly 1755 and 1757, even as the Princeton invitation arrived. The plan encompassed all three worlds — heaven, earth, and hell — tracing events from before creation through the entire course of church history and on to the general resurrection, last judgment, and consummation of all things.

Scholars debate whether to call this project "history" in a modern sense; John F. Wilson argued it is better understood as fundamentally theological, a narrative meant to move readers toward genuine religious practice and conversion rather than to satisfy modern historiographical standards. Left unfinished at Edwards's death in 1758, it survives mainly through an earlier sermon series and these late planning notebooks.

Key points

• Edwards's 1757 letter declining, then accepting, the Princeton presidency describes his planned magnum opus, A History of the Work of Redemption, in unusual detail.
• The work was to present the whole of Christian theology thrown into the form of a history, with each doctrine placed in relation to redemption in Christ.
• Edwards called the work of redemption the 'summum and ultimum' of all God's operations — its highest and final purpose.
• Notebooks from 1755-1757 show Edwards developing the project intensively in his final years, alongside an unfinished Harmony of the Old and New Testaments.
• Scholars like John F. Wilson argue the work is best read as theology in historical form, aimed at conversion, rather than history in the modern academic sense.

A line worth remembering

a body of divinity in an entire new method, being thrown into the form of an history

McClymond & McDermott The Theology of Jonathan Edwards, ch. 12

Related Scripture

• Revelation 22:13
• Galatians 4:4
• Acts 1:7
• Colossians 1:16-17

For reflection and discussion

1. What might change in your own understanding of doctrine if you thought of it as one continuous story rather than a set of separate truths?
2. Why might casting theology as history — rather than as abstract propositions — move someone toward conversion or changed practice?
3. Edwards planned to trace God's work through heaven, earth, and hell as one connected story. Where do you see your own life fitting into that larger story?