Increase Mather Criticism
Increase Mather (1639–1723) was a pivotal Puritan minister, essayist, and theologian in seventeenth-century Massachusetts, renowned for his involvement in political, religious, and scientific discourses of his time. His works, such as Cases of Conscience (1692), played a significant role during the Salem witch trials by challenging the reliance on spectral evidence. Mather, often caught between traditionalist and progressive views, initially opposed but later supported the Half-Way Covenant, as noted in works like A Discourse Concerning the Subject of Baptisme. His shift in stance reflects his realization of the need for church membership growth to sustain religious communities.
Born to influential Puritan minister Richard Mather, Increase was educated at Harvard and Trinity College, Dublin. His leadership extended to Harvard, where he served as president, promoting scientific inquiry, which he saw as complimentary to theology. This interest is evident in his writings, where he examined contemporary phenomena like comets as divine messages, as discussed in Science and Pseudoscience.
Mather's critical role in shaping colonial policy included securing a new charter from King William III, though his political influence waned due to his association with unpopular colonial governors. His scientific and theological blend is further explored by Robert Middlekauff, who highlights Mather's dual embrace of science and religion as pivotal in his moderate stance during the witch trials.
His literary style, praised for simplicity by Moses Coit Tyler, and his use of paternal imagery, as analyzed by William J. Scheick, reveal Mather's multifaceted approach to his writings. Despite contemporary critics labeling him as rigid, Mather's works remain indispensable for understanding the Puritanical mindset and the socio-political dynamics of early colonial America.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Essays
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Virginia: Its Literature During the Remainder of the First Period
(summary)
In the following excerpt, first published in 1878, Tyler praises Mather for his simple, straightforward literary style.
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Increase Mather
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Walker offers an overview of Mather's life, paying particular attention to the influences on Mather as a young man, and to his conflicts with Harvard College in his later years.
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Dolefull Witchcraft
(summary)
In the following excerpt from a work first published in 1925, Murdock recounts Mather's involvement in the witch trials and argues that Mather has been unfairly labeled throughout history as a proponent of the executions when he was instead a voice for temperance and moderation.
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The Mather Dynasty
(summary)
In the following excerpt, first published in 1927, Parrington assesses Mather as a religious and politically influential figure.
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Anonymity and Art in the Life and Death of That Reverend Man of God, Mr. Richard Mather
(summary)
In the following essay, Scheick examines Increase Mather's biography of his father, Richard Mather, paying particular attention to Increase's use of paternal imagery in a familial, spiritual, and communal sense.
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The Invisible World
(summary)
In the following essay, Middlekauff asserts that while Mather's stated purpose in his scientific writings was to discredit scientific explanations of natural occurrences, it was also this interest in science and his knowledge of the difference between appearance and reality that enabled him to help end the witch trials.
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Science and Pseudoscience
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Lowance analyzes Mather's attempts to combine scientific knowledge with theology to formulate explanations for occurrences in both nature and society, and also praises Mather for being forward-thinking and progressive in his scientific writings.
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Increase Mather's New Jerusalem: Millennialism in Late Seventeenth-Century New England
(summary)
In the following essay, first presented as a lecture at the 1977 American Antiquarian Society annual meeting, Lowance and Watters maintain that 'New Jerusalem' reveals Mather's vision of life during the millennium—the thousand-year period that follows Christian Judgment, during which Christ will reign on earth. The authors also discuss Mather's language, use of symbolism, and his metaphorical and literal interpretations of the scriptures.
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The Salem Witchcraft Prosecutions: The Invisible World at the Vanishing Point
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Weisman assesses Mather's Cases of Conscience as an attempt to end theological uncertainties about the accusations of witchcraft.
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Did the Mathers Disagree about the Salem Witchcraft Trials?
(summary)
In the following essay, Levin questions whether Increase Mather and his son Cotton disagreed about the witch trials and studies the roles for which they are most remembered.
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The Mathers
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Shea examines the narrative style and some key terminology of Mather's autobiography.
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Virginia: Its Literature During the Remainder of the First Period
(summary)
- Further Reading