Sir Issac Newton on I John 5:7

Newton states that this verse appeared for the first time in the third edition of Erasmus's
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manuscript, if they had one, as an almanac out of date.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 dealings
satisfy considering men?....It is rather a danger in religion than an advantage to make it
now lean on a broken reed. 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 once thought of. It is 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. 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 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 art 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 honour for him as to believe that he wrote good sense and
therefore take that to be his which is the best." [1]
Here we see what Newton really thought. 1 John 5:7 in the King James’ Bible reads, “For
there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and
these three are one.” By comparing early manuscripts in many languages, he came to the
conclusion that the final phrase was a late addition. His writings were so controversial
that he dared not publish them during his lifetime, yet modern scholars concur, and the
Revised New Standard Version has been revised to end with, “these three agree.”
Newton also had a bone to pick with the doctrine exposed by Bishop Athenasius (293-
373) of Alexandria (Egypt) over the question of whether Christ was a different
‘substance’ from the Father. Athenasius proposed a Plato inspired Trinitarian creed, as
opposed to the doctrine that there's only one God in three offices. Here again, Newton
wrote a spirited critique — Paradoxical Questions Concerning the Morals and Actions of
Athanasius and his Followers in the 1690s — and once again, history has him on the
winning side. Athenasius’ creed is consigned to the archives of historical documents.
Today these issues of Christian theology seem arcane and tedious, but don’t think for a
moment that Newton’s hesitation to publish during his lifetime was whimsical. His views
in the 17th century were subject to prosecution, as it was an offense to deny any of the
persons of the trinity to be God, punishable with loss of office. Newton’s caution was
clearly warranted, as a friend lost his professorship at Cambridge for this very reason in
1711. By comparison, he got off lucky as a eighteen-year-old student, Thomas
Aikenhead, was hanged at Edinburgh, Scotland in 1697 for denying the Trinity.
Newton also wrote a discussion on two other texts that Athanasius had attempted to
corrupt. This work has not been preserved. He believed that not all the books of the
Scriptures have the same authority.
Sir Issac Newton was born in Lincolnshire in 1642 and educated at Cambridge. He was
elected to the Royal Society in 1672, and was a member of the Gentleman's Club of
Spalding. Newton became Warden of the Royal Mint in 1696, where he was instrumental
in fixing the gold standard. Newton was elected President of the Royal Society in 1703.
Sir Isaac Newton held Unitarian views and was a follower of Arius.
Reference
1. A. Wallace, "Anti-Trinitarian Biographies," Vol. III, pp. 428-439, 1850.
Below is a brief account of a famous physician and a scientist, before and after Newton,
who had strong religious opinion on the Trinity.
Michael Servetus (1511-1553), born in Spain, received a degree in Medicine from
Toulouse in 1534. He was one of the first European to write about the principle of the
circulation of the blood. Servetus wrote three important works: 'The Errors of Trinity'
(1531), 'Two Dialogues on Trinity' (1531), and 'The Restoration of Christianity.' Luther
publicly condemned him in 1539. Servetus followed the views held by the early apostles
who belonged to the Anti-Nicene school of Christianity, and he supervised the printing of
a Bible in 1540. Servetus corresponded with Calvin for more than twenty years. As a
result of bitter conflict, Calvin had him arrested in Milan, and after a quick trial Servetus
was burned to the stakes. Servetus is regarded by many as the founder of the modern
Oneness movement. He was baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.