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A Concord of Alchemy with Theology: Isaac Newton’s Hermeneutics of the Symbolic Texts of Chymistry and Biblical Prophecy by Paul Timothy Greenham A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (IHPST) University of Toronto © Copyright by Paul Greenham 2015 A Concord of Alchemy with Theology: Isaac Newton’s Hermeneutics of the Symbolic Texts of Chymistry and Biblical Prophecy Paul Greenham Doctor of Philosophy Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology University of Toronto 2015 Abstract That early modern natural philosophers such as Isaac Newton were deeply preoccupied by religious concerns, which were entwined with their study of nature, has become—at last—a fairly uncontroversial commonplace. In the area of the relationship between Newton’s natural philosophy, alchemy, and theology, Dobbs’ Janus Faces of Genius has had an enduring impact. However, the new historiography of alchemy and insights gained from the application of book history to the history of science—particularly the bookishness of alchemy—require Newton’s alchemy and theology to be revisited. Accordingly, this dissertation makes two main arguments: 1) Specific connections between Newton’s alchemy, or, to use the more inclusive term, “chymistry”, and his theology can be found by considering Newton’s methods of interpreting symbolic texts—as opposed to searching for specific unity of subject matter. Analysis of Newton’s textual research methods reveals his cross-comparative organization of textual sources and his particular descriptive-translational approach to symbolic texts: figurative alchemical texts and the prophetic texts of the Bible. 2) General connections between Newton’s chymistry and theology can be seen as his overall trend to incorporate statements of God into his natural philosophy was specifically ii manifested in physico-theological and divine metaphysical arguments that he built from chymical phenomena in his optical writing, particularly the Queries to the Opticks. The dissertation develops these arguments through analysis of Newton’s reading practices, evidenced by his particular method of dog-earing the books he owned and his organizational lists of hermeneutical rules and figurative vocabulary. Additionally, it analyses Newton’s integration of chymical sources and experimentation into his published optical work and its accompanying natural-philosophical discourse of God. While the necessary connectedness of Newton’s thought, the “unified mind” thesis articulated by Dobbs, may no longer be a viable way of conceiving Newton’s various intellectual (and practical) pursuits, this does not mean that they were unrelated. On the contrary, a uniquely textual connection can be seen within Newton’s work with the symbolic texts of alchemy and prophecy: his descriptive-translational approach. Moreover, Newton’s well-documented integration of matter theory and concepts of God are revealed to have an essential foundation in alchemical experimentation and theory. iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my wonderful thesis committee for all of their efforts on my behalf throughout this process. I am especially grateful to Yiftach Fehige, my supervisor, for your encouragement and kindness. Your concern for my well-being, combined with firmness when needed, has given me exactly what I’ve needed in a supervisor. Thank you for the multiple times I know that you have advocated for me. Thank you also for pushing me intellectually, to wrestle with philosophical perspectives I was inclined to ignore, and for going out of your way to accommodate my particular interests in the field of science and religion. I am also deeply grateful to Steve Snobelen, for your personal investment in my life. Thank you for introducing me to the world of Newtonian scholarship. The connections I have made, the opportunities I’ve had to share my work, the doors that have opened for my research, these are all a result of your investment. Thank you for valuing my input into your own work and for treating me as a colleague from the beginning. I want to thank Liza Blake for your willingness to join my committee at the eleventh hour, for wading through my, at times, painful prose, for your very insightful comments, and for improving my writing. Thank you also to Bert Hall, for your encouragement and insight at the beginning of this process. I am most grateful to all of the organizations that have assisted me financially in this project: the University of Toronto (U of T), for a five-year fellowship and an extended Doctoral Completion Grant; the School of Graduate Studies at the U of T, for a Research Grant to go to Cambridge; for the multiple travel funds I’ve received from the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (IHPST); and the Huntington Library, for a short-term Dibner Fellowship in the History of Science. This assistance has iv made the research and writing of this dissertation possible. I wish to thank the various libraries that have allowed me to handle, photograph, and reference their precious manuscripts and books: the Cambridge University Library, the Wren Library at Trinity College, Cambridge, and the Huntington Library. Thank you to all of the support staff for making the research of historical documents so accessible. I specifically want to thank the people I met in Cambridge and who assisted me during my time there. First of all, thank you to Scott Mandelbrote, for meeting with me multiple times, thinking through my research project with me, and giving insightful archival advice. Thank you to the folks at St. Andrew’s St. Baptist Church for being a family away from home, and especially to Rob and Kate McCorquodale and your lovely children for extending the hospitality of your beautiful home to me during my stay. I am truly grateful for the support I’ve received from friends in the writing of this dissertation. Thank you to my community at Grace Toronto Church, the various small groups and discipleship groups, the Richmond St. “Council” guys, for your encouragement and prayer. Thank you to Henry Fung and Micah Smith for being a physical presence when I needed to focus on writing in the final months. I am also grateful for the support and friendship I’ve received from my fellow graduate students at the IHPST, particularly to Gwyndaf Garbutt and Greg Lusk, for your commisseration and sharing of the disseretation journey. I am full of gratitude for the support my family has shown me in this process. To my in-laws, for your understanding and encouragement when tight deadlines limited the already limited time we could spend together. To my father, for your wisdom and helpful advice on writing and editing a dissertation, and to both he and my mother, for your constant v affirmation, support, and prayer through this period. Finally, to my wonderful, incredible, creative, patient, self-sacrificing, and supportive wife, Char, for all that you have done for me during these years. It is a fact that this dissertation would not have been completed without you. This is as much your achievement as mine. Thank you for your perseverance in my failings, your love at all times, and your consistent desire to help me realize my full potential. You are God’s gift to me. I look back on the past years and see that where I am now is all of grace. There is nothing I have that I have not received, either directly or indirectly. Soli Deo gloria. vi Table of Contents Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................................................. IV LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................................................... IX INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................ 1 1. PERSPECTIVES OF NEWTON’S ALCHEMY AND THEOLOGY .............................................................................. 2 2. A NEW APPROACH TO NEWTON’S “CHYMISTRY” AND THEOLOGY ............................................................... 10 CHAPTER 1: NEWTON’S TEXTUAL CHYMISTRY ................................................................................. 18 1. TEXTUAL CHYMISTRY .................................................................................................................................. 18 1.1 The importance of textual scholarship to early modern chymistry ........................................................ 20 1.2 Continuity in Newton’s textual chymistry .............................................................................................. 24 2. ISAAC NEWTON, CHYMIST ............................................................................................................................ 29 2.1 The early years ...................................................................................................................................... 29 2.2 Chymical networks and acquaintances ................................................................................................. 32 2.3 The importance of knowing Boyle ......................................................................................................... 35 2.4 Mastery of the field ...............................................................................................................................
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