num_pages: 460
description: In this classic work of American religious history, Robert Middlekauff traces the evolution of Puritan thought and theology in America from its origins in New England through the early eighteenth century. He focuses on three generations of intellectual ministers―Richard, Increase, and Cotton Mather―in order to challenge the traditional telling of the secularization of Puritanism, a story of faith transformed by reason, science, and business. Delving into the Mathers' private papers and unpublished writings as well as their sermons and published works, Middlekauff describes a Puritan theory of religious experience that is more creative, complex, and uncompromising than traditional accounts have allowed. At the same time, he portrays changing ideas and patterns of behavior that reveal much about the first hundred years of American life.
language: English
title: The Mathers: Three Generations of Puritan Intellectuals, 1596-1728
titlecomplete: The Mathers: Three Generations of Puritan Intellectuals, 1596-1728
characters: Cotton Mather, Increase Mather, Richard Mather
genres: American History, Biography, Historical, History, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 26
awards: awardedAt: 63100800000
name: Bancroft Prize
publisher: University of California Press