Final answer:
Listeners of Jonathan Edwards' sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God' reacted with intense emotion, weeping, shouting, and fainting due to the vivid and terrifying content of the sermon, which was part of the Great Awakening in 1741.
Step-by-step explanation:
During Jonathan Edwards' sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", his listeners reacted with overwhelming emotion. In 1741, at a meeting in Enfield, Connecticut, Edwards delivered this sermon as part of the Great Awakening, sparking intense reactions. People in the congregation responded by weeping, shouting, and fainting, evidencing a tide of passion and religious fervor never before seen in Colonial churches.
This phenomenon was part of a larger evangelical revival throughout New England, which increased conversions and church attendance significantly. Edwards' style was more intellectual compared to George Whitefield, but the content of his sermon was so vivid and terrifying that it moved his audience to an outpouring of emotion and a desperate cry for salvation.