Jonathan Edwards is well known as America's foremost philosopher and most brilliant theologian. Here we see another individual who was very interested in the events of his time, due to his involvement in various religious and social movements. Edwards' work was primarily concerned with the sovereignty of God, an absolute power. Johnathan Edwards was born on October 5, 1703 in East Windsor, Connecticut. His parents were Rev. Timothy Edwards and Esther Stoddard Edwards. His father was a pastor and his mother, daughter of a well-known and influential pastor. He had quite an interesting childhood, being born into a family of eleven, being the only male. His youth shaped much of what would become the motive for his later actions. Edwards, at the age of nine was already seen as a model of saintliness. He prayed secretly at least five times a day and often discussed religion with others his age during prayer meetings he held with them. His early childhood education was not very traditional as he was educated by his father at home. Despite this, Edwards was a brilliant and academically very advanced person. At the young age of 13, in 1716 he entered the Collegiate School, better known today as Yale University. He began studying Newton and Locke and concentrated on the natural sciences and philosophy. He graduated from Yale in 1720 and was at the top of his class. This was somewhat surprising given the circumstances during his time at Yale. Based on Edwards' personality, he had a tendency to be very shy, but very studious. He also sometimes judged his classmates who didn't work as hard as him. During his college years, Edwards faced depression and various illnesses. Although he had great interests... half of sheet... liography"Edwards, Jonathan." Edwards, Jonathan. Princeton University Press, 1978. Web. ."Jonathan Edwards (theologian)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, February-March. 2014. Web. .Marsden, George M. Jonathan Edwards: A Life. Np: Yale UP, 2003. Print.McClymond, Michael James, and Gerald R. McDermott. The Theology of Jonathan Edwards. New York: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.Waddington, Jeffrey. "Jonathan Edwards: A Short and Legendary Life." Jonathan Edwards: A Short and Historic Life. Reformation21, December 2011. Web. .Wainwright, William. "Jonathan Edwards." Stanford University. Stanford University, January 15, 2002. Web. .