Increase Mather

Alan J. Silva (Hamline University)
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Increase Mather was the foremost religious leader of his generation of fervent Puritans in Massachusetts Bay colony. A member of an illustrious lineage of ministers, and a prominent public figure, Mather cultivated an identity as minister of God, preacher of orthodoxy, and prolific writer of theological doctrine and Providential history. Yet he was also caught in the transition between the Puritan piety of the founders and the rapidly encroaching world of the Enlightenment. While less remembered than his clerical predecessor and father-in-law John Cotton, and less famous than ministerial heir and son Cotton Mather, both of whom were part of more well-known historical controversies, Increase Mather was nevertheless a crucial leader in colonial politics who wrote on every major subject and…

2141 words

Citation: Silva, Alan J.. "Increase Mather". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 February 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2985, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2985 Increase Mather 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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