Magnalia Christi Americana

work by Mather

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

Magnalia Christi Americana is a significant work by Cotton Mather, published in 1702. This extensive history chronicles the religious and political life of New England from its Puritan beginnings up to Mather's own time. It serves as a defense of Puritan ideals and practices, detailing the lives of prominent ministers and the establishment of churches and educational institutions like Harvard University. Mather, a prominent Congregational minister himself, aimed to preserve the legacy of the early Puritans and their spiritual mission in America. The work is considered a major contribution to early American literature and historiography.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Cotton Mather
His magnum opus was Magnalia Christi Americana (1702), an ecclesiastical history of America from the founding of New England to his own time. His Manuductio ad Ministerium (1726) was a handbook of advice for young graduates to the ministry: on doing good, on college love affairs, on poetry and…
Read More
His magnum opus was Magnalia Christi Americana (1702), an ecclesiastical history of America from the founding of New England to his own time. His Manuductio ad Ministerium (1726) was a handbook of advice for young graduates to the ministry: on doing good, on college love affairs, on poetry and…
Read More

American colonies
American social and cultural development
…biography, religion, and science entitled Magnalia Christi Americana. Jonathan Edwards made an important contribution to philosophy in his treatise Freedom of Will (1754). Botanist John Bartram and astronomer David Rittenhouse, both Pennsylvanians, and the mathematician John Winthrop IV of Harvard all did creditable work.
Read More
…biography, religion, and science entitled Magnalia Christi Americana. Jonathan Edwards made an important contribution to philosophy in his treatise Freedom of Will (1754). Botanist John Bartram and astronomer David Rittenhouse, both Pennsylvanians, and the mathematician John Winthrop IV of Harvard all did creditable work.
Read More