“Beware that thou be not found wanting in this tryall”: An Introduction to Isaac Newton's Chronological and Prophetical Studies

přednášky C. J. Schilta

The posthumously published Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended (1728) and Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St John (1733) showed to the wider world that Isaac Newton devoted ample time to scholarship. The wealth of draft materials Newton left on these topics – more than half of his total manuscript nachlass – allow us to reconstruct the gestation of Newton’s studies of ancient history and chronology and the working methods he employed. Traditionally considered the results of two separate projects, in this lecture I will show how Newton’s chronological and prophetical studies were in fact deeply connected.