Divine Beauty Revealed

This book explores the theological aesthetics of Jonathan Edwards through the lens of his biblical interpretation, presenting a fresh and much-needed perspective on one of America’s greatest religious thinkers. While previous scholarship has focused heavily on Edwards’s philosophical or systematic theology, this study uniquely centers his aesthetic vision on Scripture. It argues that Edwards’s understanding of beauty—rooted in the Triune God, revealed through Christ, and reflected in creation—is fundamentally shaped by his exegetical writings and pastoral vocation. Engaging key works such as his Sermons, Miscellanies, Religious Affections, and The Blank Bible, the book demonstrates that Edwards’s theology of beauty permeates core doctrines, including the Trinity, salvation, ecclesiology, and eschatology. In contrast to Enlightenment rationalism, Edwards upheld the Bible as the supreme source of truth, interpreted through the Spirit-enabled “new sense of the heart.” This study fills a critical gap in Edwards scholarship by integrating his aesthetic theology with his biblical hermeneutics, offering new insights into his vision of divine beauty and its transformative impact on the believer and the church.

Author Biography

Youngrae Kim is a visiting professor at the Seoul Hanyoung University and a lecturer at ACTS University (Asian Center for Theological Studies and Mission) in South Korea. He is the translator of Lexham Dictionary of Church History (2022) in Korean.