Multidimensional Concept of “Puritan”: Who were the Puritans and when they appeared?

Abstract

This study focuses on the origins of the concept of “puritans” and explores and defines the multiple Puritan identities. Due to differing views on puritans and their complex identity, there has not been a standard and unified definition of “Puritans.” Much research has been devoted to creating an all-inclusive term that can represent Puritan experience. In English, the word “Puritan” has a standard meaning, but the original meaning has changed and mutated overtime in part due to the misuse and alteration of the word by anti-Puritan groups. That has contributed to the Puritans’ complex identity. Moreover, researchers disagree on how to define the concept of Puritan. Thus, this study tries to discuss and deconstruct various views on the notion of “Puritan” to present a multidimensional meaning of “Puritans”. We also explore why and how a particular religious community were considered as “puritans” to show who the Puritans were and who could be identified as a Puritan. This allows us to better understand how puritanism as one of the most influential religious movements in Christianity in general and in Protestantism in particular played a significant role in founding the United States of America, one of the best countries in the world.