Robert L. Boss
Visualizing Jonathan Edwards
Polish Journal for American Studies, vol. 13 (Autumn 2019), pp. 187-196
Abstract: This article begins by introducing Jonathan Edwards, the eighteenth century American philosopher theologian from Northampton, Massachusetts. Edwards believed that the world of nature had communicative properties, full of types and symbols, and indeed, was a kind of language of God. This article posits that Edwards’ typological language of nature, encapsulated in his notebook “Images of Divine Things” and throughout his written corpus, can be explored through the lense of Digital Humanities and network analysis using Processing and Python programming languages. Next, the article summarizes recent Edwards-focused DH projects by Kenneth Minkema, Michał Choiński, and Michael Keller. The article then recounts the history and development of the Visual Edwards project and how it expands exploration of the 26 volume Yale letterpress edition of The Works of Jonathan Edwards. Features of the Visual Edwards software are introduced briefly, as well as print publications flowing from the project.
Key words: Jonathan Edwards, typology, nature, theology, network analysis, Processing programming language, Python programming language, Digital Humanities, Visual Edwards software, Visual Edwards Library
DOI: 10.7311/PJAS.14/2/2020.04