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Priest of nature : the religious worlds of Isaac Newton / Robert Iliffe.

by Iliffe, Rob. author.

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2017]

xi, 522 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates ; 25 cm

Introduction: A rational Christian -- A divine web -- A spiritual ant -- Infinity and the imagination -- From liberty to heresy -- Abominable men -- Prisca Newtoniana -- Methodising the apocalypse -- Divine persecution -- The end of the world -- Private prosecutions -- Critical friends -- A particle of divinity.

Religion and faith dominated much of Newton's life and work. His papers, never made available to the public, were filled with biblical speculation and timelines along with passages that excoriated the early Church fathers. Indeed, his radical theological leanings rendered him a heretic, according to the doctrines of the Anglican Church.

"After Sir Isaac Newton revealed his discovery that white light was compounded of more basic colored rays, he was hailed as a genius and became an instant international celebrity. An interdisciplinary enthusiast and intellectual giant in a number of disciplines, Newton published revolutionary, field-defining works that reached across the scientific spectrum, including the Principia Mathematica and Opticks. His renown opened doors for him throughout his career, ushering him into prestigious positions at Cambridge, the Royal Mint, and the Royal Society. And yet, alongside his public success, Newton harbored religious beliefs that set him at odds with law and society, and, if revealed, threatened not just his livelihood but his life. Religion and faith dominated much of Newton's life and work. His papers, never made available to the public, were filled with biblical speculation and timelines along with passages that excoriated the early Church fathers. Indeed, his radical theological leanings rendered him a heretic, according to the doctrines of the Anglican Church. Newton believed that the central concept of the Trinity was a diabolical fraud and loathed the idolatry, cruelty, and persecution that had come to define religion in his time. Instead, he proposed a "simple Christianity"--a faith that would center on a few core beliefs and celebrate diversity in religious thinking and practice. An utterly original but obsessively private religious thinker, Newton composed several of the most daring works of any writer of the early modern period, works which he and his inheritors suppressed and which have been largely inaccessible for centuries. In Priest of Nature, historian Rob Iliffe introduces readers to Newton the religious animal, deepening our understanding of the relationship between faith and science at a formative moment in history and thought. Previous scholars and biographers have generally underestimated the range and complexity of Newton's religious writings, but Iliffe shows how wide-ranging his observations and interests were, spanning the entirety of Christian history from Creation to the Apocalypse. Iliffe's book allows readers to fully engage in the theological discussion that dominated Newton's age. A vibrant biography of one of history's towering scientific figures, Priest of Nature is the definitive work on the spiritual views of the man who fundamentally changed how we look at the universe." ---Publisher's description

For centuries, the exact nature of Isaac Newton's religious beliefs has been a matter of intense debate, in part because so very few of his theological works were accessible to public scrutiny. During his lifetime Newton carefully monitored what he published, and with good reason. His religious writings, which comprise a major part of the manuscripts-containing millions of words-that are now available for view reveal markedly unorthodox views, such as the denial of the Trinity, an admission that would have substantially damaged his public reputation and perhaps endangered his life. In Priest of Nature, historian Rob Iliffe examines all the evidence and offers the definitive work on the religious views of the man who fundamentally changed how we look at the universe. Tracing Newton's life from his birth through his years at Cambridge, his tenure as Warden and Master of the Mint, and his twenty-four years as president of the Royal Society, continuing to his death in 1727, Iliffe examines how Newton managed the complex boundaries between private and publicprofessions of belief. While previous scholars and biographers have attempted to find coherence in his intellectual pursuits, Iliffe shows how wide-ranging and Catholic Newton's views and interests in fact were, taking issue with those who have attempted to underestimate their range and complexity.Arguing that there is no simplistic coherence between Newton's philosophical and religious views, Priest of Nature delves into the religious writings Newton produced during his life, from his account of the sexually depraved lives of the early monks to his views about the creation of the world and the Apocalypse, showing that Newton's techniques for prosecuting those he saw as the corrupters of Christianity were identical to the ones he used against those who attacked his science. A portrait of the religious and spiritual life of Newton, Priest of Nature is at the same time a vibrant biography of one of history's towering scientific figures.

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