Sarah Edwards | |
|---|---|
&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:Sarah_Edwards_by_John_Badger_ca._1740.jpg) Sarah Edwards, by John Badger ca. 1740 | |
| Born | January 9, 1710 |
| Died | October 2, 1758 (aged 48) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, British America |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 11, including Esther, Jonathan, and Pierpont |
| Father | James Pierpont |
Sarah Edwards (January 9, 1710 – October 2, 1758) was an American missionary and the wife of theologian Jonathan Edwards. Her husband was initially drawn to her spiritual openness, direct relationship with God, and periods of spiritual ecstasy. As a theological student at Yale, he had longed to have a personal relationship with God. His wife's experiences, similar to those of Saint Teresa of Ávila, profoundly affected his religious life and the formation of the New Light. She was a model of spirituality during the Great Awakening of the early 18th century. Her experiences of religious ecstasy were documented in Jonathan Edwards's work, Some Thoughts Concerning the Present Revival of Religion in New England. She was a Puritan who took her faith very seriously. She raised her eleven children, largely by herself, as Jonathan Edwards focused on sermons and books. Among her noted descendants, Sarah was the grandmother of U.S. vice president Aaron Burr.