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Sir Isaac Newton (1632 - 1704)
by bro.Muhammad Ata ur-Rahim
Newton's illustrious life has been summed up by Pope, the famous English poet, in these words :
Nature and nature 's laws lay hid in night God said. "Let Newton be" - and all was light light.1
And yet Newton was another man who felt in unwise to profess his beliefs openly : In 1690, he sent John Locke a small packet containing his remarks on the corruption of the text of the New Testament with reference to John 5:7 and I Timothy 3:16. He hoped that Locke could help him have the manuscript translated into French and published in France, since he left it would be too dangerous to print it in England. It was called "An Historical Account of Two Notable Corruptions of the Scripture"- in 1692, an attempt was made to publish, a Latin translation of it anonymously. When he heard of this, Newton entreated Locke to take steps to prevent of this publication, since he felt the time was not ripe for it.
In his "Historical Account", Newton says, referring to John 5:7 :
In all the vehement universal and lasting controversy about the Trinity in Jerome's time and both before and long enough after it, this text of the "three in heaven" was never thought of. It was now in everybody's mouth and accounted the main text for the business and would assuredly have been so too with them, had it been in their books
He continues:
Let them make good sense of it who are able. For my part I can make none. If it be said that we are not to determine what is Scripture and what not by our private judgments , I confess it in places not controverted, but in disputed places I love to take up with what I can best understand. It is the 'temper of the hot and superstitious part of mankind in matters of religion ever to be fond of mysteries and for that reason to like best what they understand least. Such men may use the Apostle John as they please, but I have that humor for him as to believe that he wrote good sense and therefore take that to be his which is the best 2
According to Newton, this verse appeared for the first time in the third edition of Erasmus's New Testament. He believed that before the publication of this edition, the "spurious text" was not to be found in the New Testament : "When they got the Trinity into his edition they threw by their manuscript, if they had one, as an almanac out of date. And can such shuffling, dealing satisfy considering men ?". He continues, "It is rather a danger in religion that an advantage to make it now lean on a broken reed"
In referring to I Timothy 3 :16, Newton says : "In all the times of the hot and lasting Arian controversy it never came into play. . . . .they that read "God manifested in the flesh" thin it one of the most obvious and pertinent texts for the business" 3
Newton was opposed to the allegorical or double interpretation of the Old Testament. He did not regard all the books of the Scriptures as having the same authority. According to Whiston, Newton also wrote a dissertation upon two other texts which Athanasius had attempted to corrupt, but there is not trace of it today.
Finally, Newton also had this to say:
The word Deity imports exercise of dominion over subordinate beings and the word God most frequently signifies Lord. Every lord is not God. The exercise of dominion in a spiritual being constitutes a God. If that dominion the real that being is the real God; if it be fictitious, a false God; if it be supreme, a supreme God 4
Reference :
from the Book : Jesus - A prophet of Islam
Author : Muhammad Ata ur-Rahim
(ICRA)