Jonathan Edwards is well known as one of the most important early American philosophers and most brilliant theologian. Here we see another individual very concerned with the events of his time, due to his involvement in various religious and social movements. Edwards' work was primarily about God's sovereignty, absolute power. Johnathan Edwards was born 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, the daughter of a well-known and influential pastor. He had quite an interesting childhood, being born into a family of eleven, being the only boy. His youth shaped much of what would become the reason for his later actions. Edwards, at the age of nine, was already considered a model of holiness. He prayed secretly at least five times a day and often discussed religion with others his age during prayer meetings he organized with them. His early childhood education was not very traditional as he was homeschooled by his father. Despite this, Edwards was a brilliant and academically advanced person. At the age of 13, he entered Collegiate School, better known today as Yale University, in 1716. He began studying Newton and Locke and focused on natural science and philosophy. He graduated from Yale in 1720 and was first in his class. This was somewhat surprising given the circumstances throughout his time at Yale. Given Edwards' personality, he tended to be very shy, but very studious. He also sometimes judged his classmates who didn't work as hard as he did. Throughout his college years, Edwards dealt with depression and various illnesses. Although he had great interests... middle of paper ......liograph "Edwards, Jonathan." Edwards, Jonathan. Princeton University Press, 1978. web. .."Jonathan Edwards (theologian)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, February-March. 2014. Internet. .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 Brief and Rich Life.” Jonathan Edwards: a brief and storied life. Reformation21, December 2011. Web. .Wainwright, William. “Jonathan Edwards.” Stanford University. Stanford University, January 15, 2002. Web. .