Peek into Isaac Newton's theology papers

Caroline Morley, online picture researcher

(Image: Sebastian Scheiner/AP/Press Association Images)

Sir Isaac Newton reshaped the course of science and our view of our place in the world. But he was a renaissance man - and not only because of when he lived.

Besides mathematics and physics, Newton's interests spread into alchemy and theology, and now a collection of around 7,500 of his original manuscripts, mainly on theology, have been digitised and launched online by the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem. The handwritten papers show his feverish dedication to this work, which includes investigations in Hebrew and Greek as he tried to unlock the secrets of ancient texts.

For those who find his scribbling writing illegible, there are also efforts going into the task of interpreting these and other Newtonian papers into electronic text by the collaborative Newton Project.

And, in case you want to mark the date in your diary, the new online papers also include Newton's own prediction of the apocalypse. From his in-depth study of biblical writings, Newton calculated that the world would end in 2060.

You may also be interested in a look at the original manuscript of William Stukeley's biography of Newton, written in 1752.

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/1cbbfb7b/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cshortsharpscience0C20A120C0A20Cpeek0Einto0Eisaac0Enewtons0Etheolo0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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