Isaac Newton: Workman of God's Word
by David Bergey
"It is not enough to say that an article of faith may be deduced from scripture. It must be expressed in the very form of sound words in which it was delivered by the Apostles. Otherwise there can be no lasting fixity nor peace of the Church ... For men are apt to vary, dispute, and run into partings about deductions. All the old Heresies lay in deductions; the true faith was in the text."
Isaac Newton
Table of Contents:
Preface
Part One: Jesus Christ is not God
Salters' Hall Controversy
Isaac Newton: Workman of God's Word
Two Notable corruptions of Scripture
Twelve Statements
Church History: "Idolatria"
Why Division?
Part Two: Are the dead Alive Now?
Church History: Roots of Error
Notes
Preface:
Thank you for considering this historical research paper on certain remarkable biblical ideas of Sir Isaac Newton. In the fall of 1985 while working on my Masters Degree in History, I read about "the revival of the Arian heresy" by many English clergymen in the early 1700's. The old trinitarian dogmas were being publicly rejected in the midst of great controversy. As I pursued this topic, although relatively little was written about it, I found a rich history of non-trinitarian thought in Christianity which extended well beyond the fifth century. By far, the most interesting historical figure who had embraced non-trinitarian Christianity was Sir Isaac Newton. His journals reveal a fierce disgust for the traditional trinitarian view that Jesus Christ was God. Another scriptural issue which Newton addressed was whether the dead are alive. His findings in this field also reflected the traditional view.
The intent of this paper is to clearly document these sentiments of Isaac Newton from his own writings. For the most part Newton's keen interest in Scriptural topics has been submerged and completely omitted by historians. Only recently has the theological side of Newton begun to be explored by a few notable historians.
For the most part, the contents and conclusions of this project are from the private journals of Newton. This is important since traditional historical views of Newton have often differed from what I believe the evidence demonstrates. These primary, first-hand sources supersede and have more authority than secondary, secondhand sources.
I trust you will enjoy discovering these facts about Sir Isaac Newton as much as I did. I believe he was a workman of the Word of truth. He approached the Scriptures, not with skepticism and doubt, as did so many in his day, but to find the truth. David Bergey, May 1995
