Sir Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton did not make a prediction about 2012

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Sir Isaac Newton

Biographical Overview

Isaac Newton was born in Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. Newton was a premature baby who was not expected to live. His father had died three months previous to the birth. Newton's mother remarried three years later, leaving Newton in the care of his grandparents.

Newton is famous for his work in mathematics, gravity and optics, although his career and legend are marked by controversy and several high-profile feuds with contemporaries1. Newton also laid out four rules of scientific reasoning2 which form the basis of the scientific method.

Newton died on March 20, 1727, at the age of 84, and his vast influence upon science continued, later rivaled only by that of Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein.

Recent Discoveries

Newton is remembered today as a great scientist3. Recently4 Newton's extensive writings on other topics, especially alchemy and theology, have come to light.

Alchemy

Newton considered himself first and foremost an alchemist5. He wrote more than a million words on the subject in his manuscripts, and his experiments and discoveries in the fields of optics and gravitation were probably driven by his investigations into alchemy. Newton believed in the hermetic tradition, and in ancient, secret knowledge, and kept his experiments and investigations in alchemy secret. Today we recognize that alchemy is not valid science, but in Newton's day it was still being actively pursued. One of the so called "great works" of alchemy was the attempt to discover how to transmute lead into gold6. Newton's contemporary, collaborator, and fellow alchemist Robert Boyle is considered to be "the father of chemistry"7

Theology

Isaac Newton was a heretic. He outwardly conformed to the Anglican Church, but in his private writings denied their faith and practice. Specifically Newton believed in an early form of Unitarianism8, which was very similar to the views of the "Polish Bretheren" (Socinianism)9 and Arianism10.

Newton believed that primitive Christianity was simple, and derived solely from a correct reading of scripture. He believed that this "pure faith", had been corrupted by Greek philosophy, metaphysics and the credal tradition11. He rejected all unscriptual, post-credal12 and philosophical religious dogma.

Newton's theology can probably best be described as uniquely his13, but with a mixture of Arian and Socinian influences.

Prediction

Newton was deeply fascinated with Biblical prophecy, and did in fact make a prediction of an "end of the world"14 for a date not before 2060, and not in 2012. The context of his ‘prediction’ is interesting in that he was adamantly against ‘date setting’ with regard to biblical prophesy15

7.3g, folio 13 verso:

So then the time times & half a time are 42 months or 1260 days or three years & an half, recconing twelve months to a yeare & 30 days to a month as was done in the Calendar of the primitive year. And the days of short lived Beasts being put for the years of lived [sic] kingdoms, the period of 1260 days, if dated from the complete conquest of the three kings A.C. 800, will end A.C. 2060. It may end later, but I see no reason for its ending sooner. This I mention not to assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fancifull men who are frequently predicting the time of the end, & by doing so bring the sacred prophesies into discredit as often as their predictions fail. Christ comes as a thief in the night, & it is not for us to know the times & seasons wch God hath put into his own breast. [9][10]

Newton's prediction and calculations were inherently anti-catholic, as he considered the the beginning point of his year count to be 800 AD, as the starting date of "the Pope's supremacy". That is the year Charlemagne was crowned emperor of Rome in the west by Pope Leo III at St. Peter's in Rome. Newton considered that date to be the establishment of the "apostate church".

Flynn

2012 proponent David Flynn has published a book16 in which he claims that Isaac Newton searched for prisca sapientia (Pure Knowledge) that was known to the ancients but has been lost. Flynn claims that he has uncovered what Newton was looking for that historic events are somehow "connected in time and space to Jerusalem". Flynn further claims that Newton's 2060 date is wrong, and that the real date is (of course) 201217.

Conclusion

We have shown that Newton did not make a prediction regarding the year 2012. Any claims that he made such predictions are rationalizations made after the fact, and are trying to shoehorn Newton into supporting the 2012 hoax.

Bibliography
1. Cambridge University Library. 2002. Papers of Sir Isaac Newton Cambridge University. http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/MSS/Newton.html
3. Weisstein, Eric W. 2007. "Newton, Isaac" Wolfram Research. http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Newton.html
4. Wikipedia. 2009. Alchemy wikipedia.com. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemy
5. Wikipedia. 2009. Boyle wikipedia.com. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Boyle
6. Wikipedia. 2009. Socinianism wikipedia.com. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socinianism
7. Wikipedia. 2009. Arianism wikipedia.com. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianism
8. Orr, James. Undated "The Apostles’ Creed: The Oldest Creed" Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics. http://www.reformed.org/documents/apostles_creed_orr.html
9. Snobelen, Stephen D. 2003. Statement on the date 2060 isaac-newton.org http://www.isaac-newton.org/update.html
10. Yahuda MS 7.3 (Jewish National and University Library, Jerusalem)
11. Flynn, David. 2008. Temple At The Center Of Time: Newton's Bible Codex Finally Deciphered and the Year 2012 "Official Disclosure". ISBN: 978-0981495743

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