Discovering Naaman’s hypocrisy A genealogical account of Jonathan Edwards’ exegesis of 2 Kings 5

It is a curious detail that may stimulate a moment’s reflection for a reader of Jonathan Edwards’ Religious Affections, or alternatively pass unnoticed. Naaman, the Syrian general whose healing and apparent conversion is recounted in 2 Kings 5, is used by Edwards as an example of counterfeit affecti...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Underhill, Thomas (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale Universiry [2020]
In: Jonathan Edwards studies
Year: 2020, Volume: 10, Issue: 1, Pages: 65-88
IxTheo Classification:HB Old Testament
Further subjects:B Post-reformation Studies
B Heilung des Aramäers Naaman
B American Religious History
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei registrierungspflichtig)
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Summary:It is a curious detail that may stimulate a moment’s reflection for a reader of Jonathan Edwards’ Religious Affections, or alternatively pass unnoticed. Naaman, the Syrian general whose healing and apparent conversion is recounted in 2 Kings 5, is used by Edwards as an example of counterfeit affections. Modern Bible readers are unlikely to be accustomed to this reading of the Naaman story, which is customarily taken as a remarkable example of the conversion of an Old Testament Gentile to the worship of Yahweh. But far from being an isolated comment, this exegetical judgement on and practical use of the character of Naaman was maintained by Edwards throughout his life, and even seems to have been a favourite example in his sermons. This paper traces Edwards’ consistent approach to this biblical text through his works, and then delves back further to investigate its ancestry in the commentarial and devotional sources which formed the environment in which his engagement with Scripture took place.
ISSN:2159-6875
Contains:Enthalten in: Jonathan Edwards studies