Jonathan Edwards Commentaries on the New Testament – Update

Work on the JECNT continues apace. Below is a brief description of the project:

Jonathan Edwards Commentaries on the New Testament, 6 volumes (RHB, forthcoming)

Robert L. Boss and Allen M. Stanton have contracted with Reformation Heritage Books to produce the Jonathan Edwards Commentaries on the New Testament.

The JECNT project developed in two phases and aims to create comprehensive commentaries on the New Testament based on the Works of Jonathan Edwards. Allen Stanton initially organized the commentaries by providing book introductions and chaining together blocks of the KJV text, the “Blank Bible,” along with the notebook entries explicitly referenced by Edwards. Stanton’s contribution to the project may be designated as Phase One. As rich as Edwards’s “Blank Bible” and notebooks are, they sometimes leave significant stretches of Scripture without comment and fail to capture the finished expression and thought exhibited in his sermons and other writings.

In 2023, I was invited to execute Phase Two and significantly expand the commentaries to integrate the “Blank Bible” with Edwards’s entire 73-volume corpus. Phase Two breaks down Edwards’s sermons, treatises, and notebooks into a line-by-line Scripture commentary woven tightly into the KJV New Testament. These commentaries showcase Edwards as deeply engaged with the Bible, adding context and depth. Comprehensive footnotes were added to connect the commentaries to the Yale critical edition of Edwards’s works, fully capturing the interconnectedness of his thoughts. 

Those contributing forewords to JECNT volumes are as follows: 

  • Matthew – Mark, Joel Beeke, Chancellor of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary
  • Luke – John, Chris Chun, Professor of Church History, Director of Jonathan Edwards Center at Gateway Seminary
  • Acts – 2 Corinthians, Douglas A. Sweeney, Dean of Beeson Divinity School
  • Galatians – Philemon, Adriaan Neele, President of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary
  • Hebrews – Jude, Rhys Bezzant, Principal of Ridley College, Melbourne
  • Revelation, Peter Jung, Jonathan Edwards scholar and Yale associate 

Steve Crocco has contributed an illuminating 7,300 word essay included in the Matthew – Mark volume: “A Brief Account of the Early Years of the Yale Edition of The Works of Jonathan Edwards.” Crocco is uniquely qualified to write such an account since he was familiar with several pillars of Edwards Studies. Crocco served as the longtime librarian at Princeton Seminary and has recently retired as librarian of Yale Divinity. He did his doctoral work at Princeton under Paul Ramsey when Ramsey was editing the Ethical Writings, and under John Wilson who edited History of Redemption.Crocco was also acquainted with John Gerstner, an early editor of the Yale edition, who later authored The Rational Biblical Theology of Jonathan Edwards.

Our hope is, in addition to their scholarly worth, these commentaries will function as a devotional aid for individuals and small gatherings. This multi-volume commentary set, derived from Edwards’s private notebooks, sermons, and treatises, will prove an invaluable asset for academics, pastors, and lay readers. The JECNT will not only shed light on the New Testament, but will also provide a unique and indispensable window upon the galaxy of Edwards’s theology and writings.