Expositions of Scripture, 1708-1724, 1708-1724

John Leverett's biblical expositions present his intellectual, religious, and moral thoughts and beliefs. Moreover, they are a reflection of the intellectual issues that confronted Harvard students at the end of the seventeenth century and the beginning of the eighteenth century. They are replete with biblical rhetoric and quotations, parables and metaphors, citations of ancient Greek and Roman poets and philosophers, logical techniques of argument, and discussions of the meanings of Hebrew, Greek, and Latin terms. Leverett published nothing during his twelve years as tutor and sixteen years as president of Harvard College. Consequently, researchers will find that these expositions are the only source of Leverett's reflections on various subjects.

Leverett's expositions consist of 106 sewn booklets. Most of them are 4 1/2 by 7 inches and consist of between 4 and 12 sheets. An index describing the contents of the volumes was created in the nineteenth or early twentieth century. This index assigned each booklet a number by which the booklets are referenced below; however, the booklets and sheets themselves are not numbered. The booklets are arranged numerically, rather than in chronological order. Some of the lectures are dated; however, it is difficult to determine whether the dates indicate the date of composition or of delivery.