A Study On Biblical Elements In John Winthrop's Sermon "A Model Of Christian Charity"

As both a great statesman and a great writer in Colonial America, John Winthrop (1588-1649) holds an important position in the history of American literature. His sermon "A Model of Christian Charity" was once identified by the Times as "the greatest sermon of the past thousand years" and it is said to be the most frequently quoted sermon in American history. Many American Presidents, including John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan have mentioned some words of the sermon in their inaugural speech.The great idea of setting up a "City upon a Hill," which Winthrop had mentioned in this sermon, was considered by many scholars as the first and original claim of the concepts of American Superiority and American Mission, which gives it much more significance both in history and academic study.Though John Winthrop' sermon "A Model of Christian Charity" holds such an important position in American history and culture, studies on it are not sufficient enough in the academic field both home and abroad. Up to now, there is no scholar who has made study on this sermon in Biblical perspective. As the source of Puritan ideology and literature, the Bible played an important role in New England society in which John Winthrop lived. There are a number of Biblical elements Winthrop used in his sermon "A Model of Christian Charity," including Biblical words, Biblical rhetorical devices, Biblical allusions and Biblical themes and conceptions. With the method of an overall textual analysis of John Winthrop's sermon "A Model of Christian Charity," this thesis attempts to make a thorough study on Biblical influence upon John Winthrop and his use of Biblical elements in this sermon, aiming to make a modest contribution to the study of early Colonial American literature from a brand-new perspective.