Robert Iliffe

A dense book. Only those intensely interested in Newton or religious controversies of the 1600s and 1700s will find this engaging. A good working background of Newton's life and British history is assumed and needed, as well as a knowledge of Christian theology and the history of that theology. A lot of information on Newton wrestling with the Trinity, he was anti-Trinitarian, and the history of Catholic Church councils, Arius, Athanasius, et cetera. Many will find it a bore, but the select few will find it interesting as all get out. Thus, printed by Oxford University Press, not a general outfit like Knopf or Random House. I would complain that the work basically ends before 1700, thus you don't get any of the remainder of Newton's life. Thus the appalling lack of references to Newton's one-time friend and confidant, his successor as Lucasian Chair, William Whiston, who is only mentioned once in the text and once in the notes. James Force called Whiston an "honest Newtonian," because he had the guts, or gumption, or idiocy, to publicly espouse his anti-Trinitarian views. He suffered immensely for it, and lost Newton's friendship. But it was exactly the fate Newton feared. Is Iliffe planning a second volume on Newton's religious beliefs? Iliffe's thesis, or point, would be that Newton's religious history/theological works "were just as much the products of his [Newton's] reason as were his mathematical work, or his investigations of the natural world" (p. 398). Iliffe continues: "Even if they were not identical, he used broadly similar investigative procedures in his religious studies to those he employed in his work on natural philosophy [i.e. science]" (p. 398).… (mehr)

A frustrating book. Well written, Illiffe does an excellent job of describing Isaac Newton’s religious upbringing and his changing views as he conducted insanely extensive research into topics such as the origin of the trinity (which he believed was part of a process of corruption through the Catholic church) and Biblical prophecy, especially that of Revelations and Daniel.

Newton turned the same attention to these topics as he did his to his exploration of mathematics, science, and his prosecution of household legal matters and, later, coiners when he was at the Mint. His fervor in uncovering the origins of the conspiracy to pervert the true Christian faith is impressive, but, at least from my point of view, an appalling waste of time and energy, based on the fundamental assumption that there was a “true Christianity” in the first place, and that “true Christianity” was in any way more valid than any other religion founded before or since.

There is good, nonreligious, information to be had here as well, in helping the reader to understand Newton’s mindset and how it affected his often fraught relationships with colleagues, challengers, clients, and criminals. It’s also interesting to see how his views changed (or didn’t) and how his enthusiasm for sharing those views fluctuated during the religious and political conflicts of the time—from the Restoration through the Glorious Revolution.

I’d recommend skimming through the chapters on his analysis of prophecy. It’s a bit like reading in-depth analysis of some popular media franchise and how different groups of fans favor one pairing over another—possibly amusing if you’re into that sort of thing, but amazing tedious if you’re not a big fan of the franchise yourself. The best I can do here, really, is to be impressed by the effort that Newton and others put into their debates, and appalled by the number of real people who were (and are being) killed and tortured over the details of a world I see as being so painfully similar to the arguments over, say, the merits of Spike versus Angel, Dean/Castiel, or any other modern fandom.… (mehr)