A manuscript notebook which illuminated Isaac Newton’s complex and unorthodox relationship with Christianity – thought lost for almost 450 years – has been added to the world’s largest and most important archive of Newton material, held at Cambridge University Library.
The notebook, originally thought lost, belonged to Newton’s long-time friend and collaborator, John Wickins, and was purchased at auction this year thanks to the generosity of Friends of the National Libraries, Friends of Cambridge University Library and other donors.
It was kept by Wickins while he was Newton’s roommate at Trinity College, and presents the earliest datable evidence of Newton’s theological writing. Containing 12,000 words in English and 5,000 in Latin, the notebook is the longest collection of Newtonian writing to be discovered in the last half a century.
"The notebook of John Wickins is a fine complement to these papers and adds significantly to our understanding of Newton and his writings, as well as casting new light on other manuscripts in the University Library"
Dr Jill Whitelock, Head of Special Collections at the University Library
The text was identified by Scott Mandelbrote, Fellow of Peterhouse College, Cambridge, and Editorial Director of The Newton Project, when the notebook came up for auction, with additional research by former Munby Fellow at the University Library, Anke Timmermann of Type & Forme, acting on behalf of the Library
The Latin text records a University ‘disputation’ in which Newton was required to discuss in public two theological topics. Although the text only contains Newton’s first disputation, concerning the compatibility of God’s perfect foreknowledge with human free will, it reflects how seriously he took the exercise.
Newton spoke in Latin for over an hour on a subject that was as difficult as it was sensitive. What, though, does the manuscript tell us about Newton’s religious beliefs?
