Newton 

Banned and Burned #10: Isaac Newton (1643-1727)
Today we know Isaac Newton as a key figure in the Scientific Revolution. He made advances in mathematics, astronomy and physics. But in his own time, he was also known for his study of the Bible. Newton was especially interested in the prophetic books of the Bible such as Daniel and Revelations. He tried to find hidden messages in Scripture, especially to understand how scientific knowledge might be encoded there. Newton’s religious beliefs were certainly not in harmony with the mainstream Church of England. Many researchers believe that he was influenced by Socinians, who do not believe in a Trinity. Newton may also have been influenced by Jacob Böhme. Letters from one of his correspondents mention Newton’s interest in Böhme. There is even a possibility that he was influenced in his thought about gravity, since Böhme writes about the “force of attraction between all things.” However, we will likely never know. In a case of self-censorship, Newton burned most of his own letters and journals before he died. His views on theology and alchemy could have cost him his career.
In the papers Newton left behind, about one million out of a total of ten million words concern alchemy. These papers are still being studied. In 2020 a set of papers containing his investigations about Egyptian pyramids were sold at auction. Newton thought that the pyramid was constructed according to the measure of the “cubit” and that if he could find out the size of a cubit, he could give precise measurements for the Temple of Solomon, which he believed would be reconstructed at the time of the “New Jerusalem.” He also wanted to use the cubit to calculate the size of the earth and prove his theory of gravity. These investigations show us just how linked science, religion and magical world views were in the Early Modern period.
Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John, London, 1733
Historische beschryving van de oudheden der Grieken, Egiptenaren, Assyriers, Babyloniers, Mederen en Persianen, Leiden, 1763
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