Isaac Newton, English physicist and mathematician, has a deep interest in the occult. He writes of chronology, biblical interpretation and alchemy. Newton's scientific work goes into his quest to rediscover the wisdom of the ancients.
Historical research on Newton's occult studies in relation to his science have also been used to challenge the disenchantment narrative within critical theory. In the Early Modern Period of Newton's lifetime, the educated embraced a world view different from that of later centuries.
Distinctions between science, superstition, and pseudoscience are still in process of being formulated. A devoutly Christian biblical perspective permeates Western culture.
Newton's various surviving alchemical notebooks clearly show he makes no distinctions between alchemy and the science of the day. Optics experiments appear on the same pages as recipes from arcane sources.
Newton did not always record his chemical experiments in the most transparent way. Alchemists are notorious for veiling their writings in code such as word games and pictograms. Newton invents new symbols and systems adapted to the practice of alchemy.
Isaac Newton is greatly influenced by Rosicrucianism, a theoretical movement with significant impact on Europe's scholarly community in the early seventeenth century. By the time he matures the hype has died down but its influence is seen in his alchemical pursuits and ideas.
He studies copies of Themis Aurea and Symbola Aurea Mensae Duodecium by the alchemist Michael Maier (1568 - 1622), both important early works on the Rosicrucian movement. He makes extensive annotations and drawings to the texts.
During the Renaissance (c. 1350 - 1750 AD) a pervading doom whispers in the shadows of the mind. Sickness, war, radical changes, famine, drought and religious upheaval take their toll. Behind exuberant paintings of Raphael and the scientific breakthroughs is a steady burn.
In a text of 1704, Newton defines his attempts to glean scientific information from the Bible. He estimates the world will end no earlier than 2060. In predicting this, he says,
"This I mention not to assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fanciful men who are frequently predicting the time of the end, and by doing so bring the sacred prophecies into discredit as often as their predictions fail."
Newton brings the allure of Solomon's Temple back to academic circles. The biblical temple in Jerusalem, thought to exist between the 10th and 6th centuries BCE, is detailed in Hebrew Bible texts. It's destroyed in 587 BCE. No remains of the temple have ever been found.
According to Newton, King Solomon designs the temple guided by divine inspiration. To him, the temple's geometry was both a mathematical blueprint and chronological representation of Hebrew history.
Newton theorizes that, similar to the ancient writings of philosophers, scholars, and biblical figures, ancient architecture harbors hidden sacred knowledge. The creators encode their wisdom in a system of symbols and mathematics, which can reveal long-last laws of nature.
Much of his work is lost when his laboratory catches fire. At the time of his death, Isaac Newton owns 169 books on alchemy in his personal library. It's believed he has more during his time at Cambridge.
His library is one of the best alchemical collections of its time. Among his possessions, Newton leaves a heavily annotated personal copy of The Fame and Confession of the Fraternity R.C. by Thomas Vaughan, an English translation of The Rosicrucian Manifestos.
The three writings circulate widely in Germany 1614 - 16. They spark intense debate and cause the philosophical Rosicrucian movement. There are no members, no fraternity and no meeting places. Yet, it's a topic of heavy discussion.
A significant amount of Newton's writings on alchemy is destroyed in the laboratory fire, thus his contributions to this field may have been more extensive. Newton also has a nervous breakdown during his alchemical journey.
Based on Newton's writings, scholars suggest his aim in alchemy may is the search for the philosopher's stone and the Elixir of Life. Newton sees the phenomenon of a Diana's Tree, where a silver "growth" emerges from a solution, as proof metals possess a form of life.
The Tree of Diana (Arbor Diana), also called Tree of the Philosophers (Arbor Philosophorum), is thought to be an early version of the philosopher's stone. It resembles the structure of coral. The growing activity is crystallization of silver from mercury, in a solution of silver nitrate.
Alchemists call this tree "Diana" because silver is sacred to the Goddess. The branching pattern with fruit-like shapes on the branches, leads ancient and later chemical philosophers to speculate about the potential existence of life within the mineral kingdom.
Certain alchemical practices are outlawed in England during Newton's time. The 1404 decree against multiplication of precious metals is not overturned until 1688. Laws are aimed at frauds who make unrealistic promises to wealthy patrons in order to deceive them.
From Dante's Inferno (1308 - 1321):
"These sinners are punished with various illnesses. This is as it should be, for sin is a kind of illness or disease. The alchemists have leprosy (the alchemists tried to change lead into gold, and now their skin turns from healthy to diseased) ... "
At the time of Dante's writing, the Pope's infamous ban against falsification comes into effect, in 1317 AD. Pope John XXII is particularly peeved because his residence at the time is in Avignon, and France is the counterfeiting center of the known world.
A minor Rosicrucian resurgence in 1750, the Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross, is the first known establishment of the group. It's an offshoot of Freemasonry and fraternity members have to be Master Masons in good standing. It greatly appeals to the Crown Prince of Prussia.
A byproduct of the Rosicrucian movement, the concept of an invisible colleges forms as a group of academics and intelligentsia. One of these, in London, becomes a "visible college" in 1660 when Charles II forms the Royal Society, starting with twelve members.
In 1936, Sotheby's auctions a set of Isaac Newton's unreleased works and items like his death mask on behalf of Gerard Wallop, 9th Earl of Portsmouth. These works, known as the "Portsmouth Papers", include 329 lots of Newton's manuscripts.
More than a third relate to alchemy. Newton's estate deemed this material "unsuitable for publication" at the time of his death, leading to its obscurity until its somewhat dramatic reappearance in 1936.
Also in the auction is The Epitome of the treasure of health by Edwardus Generosus Anglicus, an unnamed author who lived in the year 1562. The twenty-eight-page document explores topics such as the philosopher's stone.
It's also referred to as the Animal or Angelicall Stone, the Prospective stone or magical stone of Moses; and the vegetable or the growing stone. It concludes with an alchemical poem.
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