From: mece1e3@Jane.UH.EDU (Arindam Ghosh)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian
Subject: Newton and Theology
Date: 30 Dec 1992 05:42:30 GMT
Organization: University of Houston
Reply-To: mece1e3@Jane.UH.EDU
NNTP-Posting-Host: jane.uh.edu

Sorry, but talk.religion.indian was never created

I was reading Newton's biography titled Never at Rest and came across the
following information.
Start paraphrasing:

Very little is known of Newton's theological pursuits for which he remained
silent in its scientific pursuits for a long time. Only recently his theological
treatises are becoming known. Among these is a detailed commentary on St. JOhn's
revelation. Newton compares the revelation to a watch made of different parts
which needs to be assembled together. He went to work with a love for detail
and preciseness which marked his scientific career and established rules for
interpretation. He consulted many ancient Biblical as well as pagan ways of
interpretation of dreams. Some of the sailent features of the work are:

1. His identification of the victory of Athensius over Arias in the council
of Nice as the point where the corruptionn of the Christian doctrine started.
He describes the trinity at the same level as polyatheism and identifies the
Roman catholic church with the beast. Later he would have to refuse ordination
by the church as declaring belief in trinity will mark him among those with
"the beast's number on their head". He explained trinity with his favourite
model of forces in the following way:
Consider three blocks placed one over the other. The first block exerts a
force on the second block and the second block transmits the same force to
the third block and the third block to the ground. Thus the power of God
flows through the Holy Ghost and the Son but they are forever distinct from
God, the father and should not be put at par.

2.Identification of the trumpet blasts with different events in the Christian
era. He had no problem in deducing that the KIngdom of God will arrive after
1260 years. He also states that the arrival of the Kingdom does not signify
the end of the world but spreading of the Gospel all over the earth which
has to be intimately associated with the second-coming. His problem was where
to put the time origin for 1260 years. Reportedly He arrives at 1844 and 1867
(!) using two different appoaches [Amazing, since he does not consider Muhammad
at all, I think]

I have no idea if his treatise is available in English; but it is certainly
a subject worthy of a very detailed investigation considering the religious
debates going on.

Love
Arindam

Arindam Ghosh		(OFF) 713-743-4524
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Asato ma sadgamaya, Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya,
mrityorma amritam gamaya,Om santi ssanti ssantihi.
[Lead me  from unreal to real
Lead me  from darkness to light,
Lead me from death to immortality,
Peace be upon the world]
This is the Day in which God's most excellent favors have been
poured out unto men, the Day in which His most mighty grace hath
been infused into all created things. It is incumbent upon all
peoples of the world to reconcile their differences, and, with
perfect unity and peace, abide beneath the shadow of the Tree
of His care and loving-kindness...Soon will the present-day order
be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead. Verily, thy
Lord speaketh the truth, and is the Knower of things unseen.
					Bahaullah