In my latest reading of George Marsden's Jonathan Edwards: A Life,
I wondered if Jonathan Edwards had Asperger's Syndrome. Marsden does
not speculate about this issue, but, as a person with Asperger's who has
read some about the condition, I could identify with Edwards as Marsden
was describing him.
Edwards essentially studied all day. A lot
of this took place in his personal study, but he also took solitary
walks in nature. And he was rather eccentric: whenever he had a thought
while he was on one of his nature walks, he would pin a piece of paper
to a specific part of his clothes, and he would associate that with his
thought. Then, when he got home, he would write the thought down. In
some cases, his clothes would be covered with a lot of these small
pieces of paper. Marsden wryly states that, for Edwards, "Fashionable
appearance apparently was not a high priority" (page 136).
According
to Marsden, Edwards did not make a lot of pastoral calls, for he was
not adept at small talk and often was not in the mood to socialize, plus
he wanted to devote more time to his studying and writing. Edwards
did, however, talk with parishioners in his study if they needed
counsel. Edwards also did not like to be distracted with the details of
running his estate, and he left that job to his wife and servants.
Edwards
was still able to make contacts, however. Some of that appears to be
because he had prominent relatives. Edwards also impressed people, as
when he gave a sermon defending human dependence on God against
Arminianism (the view that people contribute something to their own
salvation), which got some people's attention and was published. And
Edwards could find common cause with notable people who, like Edwards,
sought to defend Calvinism in a logical manner.
Maybe Edwards had
Asperger's. Maybe he was simply an introvert, and one should remember
that not all introverts have Asperger's. But I could still identify
with Edwards. I myself would love to have a job where I am paid to
study all day. I am not good at small talk, and there are many times
when I'm not in the mood to socialize (though socializing can be fun). I
don't like to be distracted by the details of everyday life----if I had
a wife, I would probably let her handle the finances. I used to enjoy
taking long walks in solitude. I try not to be unfashionable in how I
dress, but fashion is not something I obsess over. And, while I
struggle to make contacts----even with people who share interests with
me----it's a little easier for me to form contacts with people when I
can find a common cause or interest with them (but that may be true of
everyone).
What's interesting is that Edwards, in his solitude and
introversion, could arrive at nuggets of wisdom that he could share
with his congregation. For example, Edwards
preached a sermon about how God's people in the Bible often go through
hard times before God delivers them, and, according to Edwards, that was
to teach them to depend on God. Have I, in my introversion, arrived at
nuggets of wisdom? Well, yes and no. I feel that I can gain wisdom
through interaction with people----wisdom about the things that I can do
and say to make contacts, to get a job, to keep a job, etc. But there
is also something to be said for thinking deeply in solitude.