Milner

Isaac Newton, Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended, The System of the World, Optical Lectures, and Universal Arithmetic (London, 1728). Formerly owned by Isaac Milner.

Whereas Newton’s Principia would be held up as the epitome of modern, objective, philosophical method (not least by Milner), the occult preoccupations underlying the Chronology show the great philosopher in a different light. Aided by astronomical data, Newton’s posthumously published Chronology set about rectifying biblical chronology as a means to answer key scientific questions. Newton felt that Biblical writings and architecture evinced long forgotten sacred wisdom in the form of mathematical code that would reveal the workings of nature. An entire chapter is dedicated to the Temple of Solomon, Newton’s primary source of information being the description of it given in the Old Testament (parts of which Newton himself translated from Hebrew). Newton perceived in the temple’s measurements (as given in the Bible) points of reference to the size of the Earth and man's place and proportion in relation to it.

In Milner’s mind the Chronology did nothing to shake his perception of Newton as ‘that great master of reason’. On the contrary, Milner applauded Newton’s excursion into classical and biblical learning, the latter being no less important to Newton than natural philosophy.