We have become quite used to proÂnounceÂments of doom, from sciÂenÂtists preÂdictÂing the sixth mass extincÂtion due to the meaÂsurÂable effects of cliÂmate change, and from reliÂgionÂists declarÂing the apocÂaÂlypse due to a surÂfeit of sin. It’s almost imposÂsiÂble to imagÂine these two groups of peoÂple agreeÂing on anyÂthing othÂer than the omiÂnous porÂtent of their respecÂtive mesÂsages. But in the earÂly days of the sciÂenÂtifÂic revolution—the days of ShakeÂspeare conÂtemÂpoÂrary FranÂcis Bacon, and latÂer 17th cenÂtuÂry Descartes—it was not at all unusuÂal to find both kinds of reaÂsonÂing, or unreaÂsonÂing, in the same perÂson, along with beliefs in magÂic, divÂinaÂtion, astrolÂoÂgy, etc.
Yet even in this maelÂstrom of hetÂeroÂdox thought and pracÂtices, Sir Isaac NewÂton stood out as a parÂticÂuÂlarÂly odd co-exisÂtence of esoÂteric bibÂliÂcal propheÂcy, occult beliefs, and a rigid, forÂmal mathÂeÂmatÂics that not only adhered to the inducÂtive sciÂenÂtifÂic method, but also expandÂed its potenÂtial by applyÂing genÂerÂal axioms to speÂcifÂic casÂes.
Yet many of Newton’s genÂerÂal prinÂciÂples would seem totalÂly inimÂiÂcal to the natÂuÂralÂism of most physiÂcists today. As he was forÂmuÂlatÂing the prinÂciÂples of gravÂiÂty and three laws of motion, for examÂple, NewÂton also sought the legÂendary Philosopher’s Stone and attemptÂed to turn metÂal to gold. MoreÂover, the devoutÂly reliÂgious NewÂton wrote theÂoÂlogÂiÂcal treaÂtisÂes interÂpretÂing BibÂliÂcal propheÂcies and preÂdictÂing the end of the world. The date he arrived at? 2060.
NewÂton seems, writes sciÂence blog AnothÂer Pale Blue Dot, “as conÂfiÂdent of his preÂdicÂtions in this realm as he was in the ratioÂnal world of sciÂence.” In a 1704 letÂter exhibÂitÂed at Jerusalem’s Hebrew UniÂverÂsiÂty, above, NewÂton describes his “recÂconing”:
So then the time times & half a time are 42 months or 1260 days or three years & an half, recÂconing twelve months to a yeare & 30 days to a month as was done in the CalÂenÂdar of the primÂiÂtive year. And the days of short lived Beasts being put for the years of lived [sic] kingÂdoms, the periÂod of 1260 days, if datÂed from the comÂplete conÂquest of the three kings A.C. 800, will end A.C. 2060. It may end latÂer, but I see no reaÂson for its endÂing soonÂer.
NewÂton furÂther demonÂstrates his conÂfiÂdence in the next senÂtence, writÂing that his intent, “though not to assert” an answer, should in any event “put a stop the rash conÂjecÂtures of fanÂciÂfull men who are freÂquentÂly preÂdictÂing the time of the end.” Indeed. So how did he arrive at this numÂber? NewÂton applied a rigÂorÂous method, that is to be sure.
If you have the patience for exhausÂtive descripÂtion of how he worked out his preÂdicÂtion using the Book of Daniel, you may read one here by hisÂtoÂriÂan of sciÂence Stephen SnoÂbeÂlen, who also points out how wideÂspread the interÂest in Newton’s odd beliefs has become, reachÂing across every conÂtiÂnent, though scholÂars have known about this side of the EnlightÂenÂment giant for a long time.
For a sense of the exactÂing, yet comÂpleteÂly bizarre flaÂvor of Newton’s prophetÂic calÂcuÂlaÂtions, see anothÂer NewÂton letÂter at the of the post, tranÂscribed below.
Prop. 1. The 2300 prophetÂick days did not comÂmence before the rise of the litÂtle horn of the He Goat.
2 Those day [sic] did not comÂmence a[f]ter the destrucÂtion of Jerusalem & ye TemÂple by the Romans A.[D.] 70.
3 The time times & half a time did not comÂmence before the year 800 in wch the Popes supremaÂcy comÂmenced
4 They did not comÂmence after the re[ig]ne of GreÂgoÂry the 7th. 1084
5 The 1290 days did not comÂmence b[e]fore the year 842.
6 They did not comÂmence after the reigne of Pope Greg. 7th. 1084
7 The difÂfÂence [sic] between the 1290 & 1335 days are a parts of the sevÂen weeks.
ThereÂfore the 2300 years do not end before ye year 2132 nor after 2370.
The time times & half time do n[o]t end before 2060 nor after [2344]
The 1290 days do not begin [this should read: end] before 2090 [NewÂton might mean: 2132] nor after 1374 [sic; NewÂton probÂaÂbly means 2374]
The ediÂtoÂrÂiÂal inserÂtions are ProÂfesÂsor Snobelen’s, who thinks the letÂter dates “from after 1705,” and that “the shaky handÂwritÂing sugÂgests a date of comÂpoÂsiÂtion late in Newton’s life.” WhatÂevÂer the exact date, we see him much less cerÂtain here; NewÂton pushÂes around some othÂer dates—2344, 2090 (or 2132), 2374. All of them seem arbiÂtrary, but “givÂen the nice roundÂness of the numÂber,” writes MothÂerÂboard, “and the fact that it appears in more than one letÂter,” 2060 has become his most memÂoÂrable datÂing for the apocÂaÂlypse.
It’s imporÂtant to note that NewÂton didn’t believe the world would “end” in the sense of cease to exist or burn up in holy flames. His end times phiÂlosÂoÂphy resemÂbles that of a surÂprisÂing numÂber of curÂrent day evanÂgelÂiÂcals: Christ would return and reign for a milÂlenÂniÂum, the JewÂish diasÂpoÂra would return to Israel and would, he wrote, set up “a flourÂishÂing and everÂlastÂing KingÂdom.” We hear such stateÂments often from telÂeÂvanÂgeÂlists, school boards, govÂerÂnors, and presÂiÂdenÂtial canÂdiÂdates.
As many peoÂple have argued, despite Newton’s conÂcepÂtion of his sciÂenÂtifÂic work as a bulÂwark against othÂer theÂoloÂgies, it ultiÂmateÂly became a founÂdaÂtion for Deism and NatÂuÂralÂism, and has allowed sciÂenÂtists to make accuÂrate preÂdicÂtions for hunÂdreds of years. 20th cenÂtuÂry physics may have shown us a much more radÂiÂcalÂly unstaÂble uniÂverse than NewÂton ever imagÂined, but his theÂoÂries are, as Isaac AsiÂmov would put it, “not so much wrong as incomÂplete,” and still essenÂtial to our underÂstandÂing of cerÂtain funÂdaÂmenÂtal pheÂnomÂeÂna. But as fasÂciÂnatÂing and curiÂous as Newton’s othÂer interÂests may be, there’s no more reaÂson to credÂit his prophetÂic calÂcuÂlaÂtions than those of the MilÂlerites, Harold CampÂing, or any othÂer apocÂaÂlypÂtic doomsÂday sect.
Note: An earÂliÂer verÂsion of this post appeared on our site in 2015.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
M.I.T. ComÂputÂer ProÂgram PreÂdicts in 1973 That CivÂiÂlizaÂtion Will End by 2040
Isaac NewÂton CreÂates a List of His 57 Sins (CirÂca 1662)
Isaac NewÂton ConÂceived of His Most GroundÂbreakÂing Ideas DurÂing the Great Plague of 1665
Josh Jones is a writer and musiÂcian based in Durham, NC. FolÂlow him at @jdmagness