Catalogue Entry: THEM00091

Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St. John

Author: Isaac Newton

Source: MS Add. 3989, Cambridge University Library, Cambridge, UK

[Normalized Text] [Diplomatic Text] [Manuscript Images]

Contents

A series of draft chapters at various stages of completion. Mostly holograph but with ff. 46-52 and several interleaved sheets in another hand. Most of the section and chapter numbers have also been altered in another hand so as to render them sequential (presumably in preparation for Horsley's publication): the listing below gives Newton's original headings. Several short sections have been completely deleted and are not listed here.

f. 1 'The Introduction.'

f. 7 'Chap 1./ Of the prophetic language'

f. 9 'Chap. II./ Of the vision of the Image composed of four metalls.'

f. 11 'Chap. III./ Of the vision of the four Beasts'

f. 13 'Chap. IV./ Of the kingdoms represented by the feet of the image commposed of iron & clay.'

f. 17 'Chap. V./ Of the ten kingdoms represented by the ten horns of the fourth Beast.'

f. 25 'Chap. VI./ Of the eleventh horn of Daniel's fourth Beast.'

f. 31 'Sect. IV./ Of the power of the eleventh horn of Daniel's fourth Beast to change times and laws.'

f. 40 'Sect. V./ Of the kingdoms represented in Daniel by the Ram & He-Goat.'

f. 46 'Chap. X./ Of the Prophesy of the seventy Weeks'

f. 53 'Chap. XI/ Of the Times of the Birth and Passion of Christ' (title added in another hand)

f. 68 'Sect. VI./ Of the Prophesy of the Scripture of truth.'

f. 77 'Sect. VII./ Of the King who did according to his will, and magnified himself above every God, and honoured Mahuzzims, and regarded not the desire of women'

f. 81 'Sect. VIII./Of the Mahuzzims, honoured by the King who doth according to his will.'

[After this section, an interleaved sheet in another hand announces the beginning of Part Two.]

f. 93 'Chap. I/ The Introduction concerning the time when the Apocalypse was writ' (title added in another hand)

f. 101 'Sect. IX./ Of the relation which the Prophesy of Iohn hath to the Book of the Law of Moses, and to the worship of God in the Temple.'

f. 109 'Sect. X./ Of the relation which the Prophesy of Iohn hath to those of Daniel; & of the Subject of the Prophesy.'

Published, in heavily edited form, in Horsley, 5: 292-491 as Observations upon the Prophecies of Holy Writ, particularly the Prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St. John. Cf. Yahuda Var. 1 Ms. 7.

[1] 2 Chron. 33.5, 6, 7.

[2] 2 Chron. 34.

[3] 2 Chron. 12.2, 3, 4, 8, 9. & 15.3, 5, 6.

[4] 2 Chron. 14.1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12.

[5] 2 Chron. 15.8, 13, 16, 18.

[6] 2 King. 17.27, 28, 32, 33.

[7] 2 King. 17.34, 4{1}.

[8] Gen. 36.31.

[9] C pm 9.

[10] D pma 17

[11] E pma 25

[12] {illeg}

[13] Ch. vii.4.

[14] Ch. vii.5.

[15] Qu vid. oth MS.

[16] Ch. vii.13.

[17] Ch. vii.11, 12.

[18] ×

[18] × Sec. before. {illeg} Lybia

[19] F pma 33.

[20] a Procop. l. 1 de Bello Vandalico.

[21] G pma 41

[22] ×

[22] ×

[22] Spread

[23] ×

[23] Triers

[24] ×

[24] waste

[25] ×

[25] Triers

[26] spread

[27] ✝ Galli Arborici: Whence the region was named Arboriebant, & contractly Brabant.

[28] The contents of this note are only visible in the diplomatic transcript because they were deleted on the original manuscript

[29] Triers

[30] Triers

[31] ×

[32] {illeg}

[33] H pma 49

[34] {quilil}

[35] Triers

[36] q If in should {nh.} be in

[37] o

[38] a Apud Bucherum, l. 14. c. 9 n. 8.

[39] The contents of this note are only visible in the diplomatic transcript because they were deleted on the original manuscript

[40] I pma 57

[41] τυράννους

[42] a Rolevinc's Antiqua Saxon. l. 1. c. 6.

[43] K pma 65

[44] ×

[44] vigour

[45] settled

[46] L pma 73

[47] Ch. vii.8.

[48] Ver. 20, 21.

[49] Ver. 24.

[50] Ver. 25.

[51] q

[52] In the margin here should be put the refer{ence} {in}{illeg} 23 {bini}{illeg}{cu} by altering the pages there

[53] Sigonius de Regno Italiæ ad ann. 726.

[54] Tuscany

[55] Sigonius ib. ad ann. 726, 752.

[56] Sigon. ib. Ann. 750.

[57] Sigon. ib. Ann. 753, 754, 755.

[58] Pavia

[59] Sigon. ib. Ann. 773.

[60] q

[61] Sigon. de Regno Stal. ad Ann. 796

[62] M pma 81

[63] Vide Anastasium

[64] ×

[65] Sigon. De Regn. Italiæ.

[66] Vide Actorum Erudit. Suppl. Tom 2. Sect. 1. pag. 37, 38. In the Historicall dissertation above mentioned upon Some coins of Charles the Great {&c} — It is p{illeg}{buil}y des{ribed} above

[67] a Confirmationem recitat Sigonius, lib. 4. de Regno Italiæ ad An. 817.

[68] Tuscany

[69] N pma 89

[70] See the Annals of Baronius Anno 381. sec. 6.

[71] ✝ populos Galliciæ.

[72] Hormisda Epist 24 & 26.

[73] Verba [sine auctoritate] deesse videntur.

[74] O pma 97

[75] a Vide Caroli a S.Paulo Geographiam sacram p. 72, 73.

[76] Greg. M. lib. 1 Iudic. 9 Epist. 16.

[77] Apud Gratia num de Mediolanensi & Aquileinsi Episcopis.

[78] a Greg. M. lib. 3 Epist. 26 & lib. 4 Epist. 1.

[79] b Greg. lib. 5. Epist. 4

[80] c Greg. lib. 9. Epist. 10 & 67.

[81] d Greg. lib. 11. Epist. 3, 4.

[82] Ambros. l. 3. de sacramentis, c. 1

[83] ✝ Signonius de Regnus Italiæ lib. 5.

[84] b See Baronius Anno 433. Sect. 24

[85] P pma 105

[86] c Greg. M. l. 3. Epist. 56, 57 & c. 5, Epist. 25, 26, 56.

[87] ×

[88] Epist. 25 apud Holstanium.

[89] Q pma 113

[90] Theysse

[91] × NB

[92] Dan. vii.20. Ver. 25

[93] Ver. 26.

[94] Ver. 27.

[95] Ch. {7. 3}

[96] Dan. viii.9.

[97] R pma 121

[98] Ch. viii.10.

[99] Ver. 11.

[100] Ver. 12.

[101] Ver. 13.

[102] Dan. xi.1, 2.

[103] Ver. 3.

[104] Dan. xi.31

[105] Ch. xi.33, &c.

[106] S pma 129

[107] pag 3

[108] a Cut upon. A phrase in Hebrew, taken from the practise of numbring by cutting notches.

[109] b. Heb. to seal, i.e. to finish or consummate: a metaphor taken from sealing what is finished. So the Iews compute, ad obsignatam Misna, ad obsignatum Talmud, that is, ad absolutum.

[110] c. Heb. the Prophet not the prophesy.

[111] d Heb. the Messiah that is, in Greek the Christ, in English the Anointed. I use the english word, that the relation of this clause to the former may appear.

[112] e Ierusalem.

[112] Let these marginal notes be put in a somewhat less character at the bottom of th{e} page

[113] e Ierusalem.

[114] a See Isa 23.13

[115] a Iren. l 5 Hær. c 25.

[116] b apud Hieron. in h. l.

[117] see the paper Ⓧ pag 2.

[118] as the copy Symbol (upright cross with all four arms crossed) in text pag 5.

[119] The contents of this note are only visible in the diplomatic transcript because they were deleted on the original manuscript

[120] d Ioseph.

[121] Symbol (caret) in text break|

[122] Symbol (caret) in text break|

[123] T pma 137

[124] a at the bottom of this page and if occasion be of the next insert by way of note in a somewhat less character, what follows * in the next {illeg} p. 9.

[124]

* The ancient solar years of the eastern nations consisted of 12 months, & every month of 30 days: & hence came the division of a circle into 360 degrees. This year seems to be used by Moses in his history of the flood, & by Iohn in the Apocalyps, where a time times & half a time, 42 months & 1260 days, are put equipollent. But in recconing by many of there years together, an account is to be kept of the odd days which were added to the end of these years. For the Egyptians added five days to the end of this year; & so did the Chaldeans long before the times of Daniel, as appears by the æra of Nabonassar: & the Persian Magi used the same year of 365 days, till the empire of the Arabians. The ancient Greeks also used the same solar year of 12 equal months, or 360 days; but every other year added an intercalary month, consisting of 10 & 11 days alternately.

The year of the Iews, even from their coming out of Egypt, was Lunisolar. It was solar, for the harvest always followed the Passover & the fruits of the land were always gathered before the feast of Tabernacles, . Levit 23. But the months were lunar, For the people were commanded by Moses in the beginning of every month to blow with Trumpets, & offer burnt offerings with their drink offerings, Num. 10.10. & 28.11, 14 & this solemnity was kept on the new moons Psal. 81.3, 4, 5. 1. Chron 23.31. These months were called by Moses the first, 2d, 3d 4th month &c. And the first month was also called Abib, the second Zif, the seventh Ethanim, the eighth Bull, Exod. 13.4. 1 King 6.37, 38 & 8.2. But in the Babylonian captivity the Iews used the names of the Chaldean months, & by those names understood the months of their own year; so that the Iewish months lost their old names, & are now called by chaldean names. The Iews began their civil year from the autumnal Equinox, & their sacred year from the vernal: & the first day of the first month was on the visible new moon, which was nearest the equinox.

Whether Daniel used the Chaldaick or Iewish year, is not much material; the difference being but six hours in a year, & 4 months in 480 years. But I take his months to be Iewish: first, because Daniel was a Iew, & the Iews even by the names of the Chaldean months understood the months of their own year: secondly, because his prophesy is grownded on Ierehmiah's concerning the 70 years captivity, & therefore must be understood of the same sort of years with the seventy: & those are Iewish, since that prophesy was given in Iudea before the capt{i}vity, Ier & lastly, becaus Daniel reccons by weeks of years, which is a way of recconing peculiar to the Iewish years. For as their days ran by sevens, & the last day of every seven was a sabbath; so their years <50v> ran by sevens, & the last year of every seven was a sabbatical year, & seven such weeks of years made a Iubile.

[125] see Symbol (obelus with small circles at the top and ends of the left and right arms) in text pag. 13.

[126] The contents of this note are only visible in the diplomatic transcript because they were deleted on the original manuscript

[127] q

[128] See the M.SS. at Symbol (five circles in a cross) in text pag 40

[129] Symbol (five circles in a cross) in text

[130] U pma 145

[131] return to the other M.S. pag 17.

[132] The contents of this note are only visible in the diplomatic transcript because they were deleted on the original manuscript

[133] a Inscribe {illeg} bottom by {illeg} of note as follows {illeg} mark Symbol (V and inverted V overlapping) in text in pag. {illeg}

[133] The multitudes that followed him from Ierusalem & Iudea, shew that he had lately been there at the Feast. The sermon in the was made when great multitudes came to him from all places, & followed him in the open feilds; which is an argument of the summer season: & in this sermon he pointed at the lilies of the fie{ld} then in the flower before the eyes of his auditors. Consider, saith he, the lilies of the field, ho{w} they grow; They toil not, neither do they spin, & yet Solomon in all his glory was not arayed like one of these. Wherefore if God s{o} clothe the grass of the field, which to day is & to morrow is cast into the oven, &c Matt. 6.28. So then the grass of the field was now in the flower, & by consequence the month of March with the Passover was past.

[134] {×}

[135] end of the note.

[136] pag. 20

[137] The contents of this note are only visible in the diplomatic transcript because they were deleted on the original manuscript

[138]

Symbol (V and inverted V overlapping) in text I observe, that Christ & his forerunner Iohn in their parabolical discourses were wont to allude to things present. The old Prophets, when they would describe things emphatically, did not only draw parables from things which offered themselves, (as from the rent of a garment, 1 Sam. 15. from the Sabbatick year, Isa 37. from the vessels of a Potter, Ier. 18, &c.) but also when such fit objects were wanting, they supplied them by their own actions, as by rending a garment, 1 King. 11.. by shooting, 2 King. 13. by making bare their body, Isa. 20. by imposing significant names to their sons, Isa. 8. Hos. 1. by hiding a girdle in the bank of Euphrates, Ier. 13. by breaking a Potter's vessel, Ier. 19. by putting on fetters & yokes, Ier 27. by binding a book to a stone, & casting them both into Euphrates, Ier. 51. by besieging a painted city, Ezek 4. by dividing hair into three parts, Ezek.5. by making a chain, Ezek. 7. by carrying out household stuff like a captive & trembling, Ezek. 12, &c. By such kind of types the Prophets loved to speake. And Christ being endued with a nobler Prophetick spirit than the rest, excelled also in this kind of speaking, yet so as not to speak by his own actions, (that was less <56r> grave & decent) but to turn into Parables such things as offered themselves. On occasion of the Harvest approaching, he admonishes his disciples once & again of the spiritual harvest, Iohn 4.35. Matt. 9.37. Seeing the Lillys of the field, he admonishes his disciples about gay clothing, Mat. 6.28. In allusion to the present season of fruits, he admonishes his disciples about knowing men by their fruits, Matt. 7.16. In the time of the Passover, when trees sent forth leaves, he bids [134]his disciples Learn a parable from the figg tree: when its branch is yet tender & putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh, &c Matt. 24.32. Luke 21..29. The same day, alluding both to the season of the year & to his passion which was to be two days after, he formed a Parable of the time of fruits approaching, & the murdering of the heir, Mat. 21.33. At the same time, alluding both to the money-changers whom he had newly driven out of the Temple, & to his passion at hand; he made a parable of a Noble-man going into a far country to receive a kingdom & return, & delivering his goods to his servants, & at his return condemning the slothfull servant because he put not his money to the exchangers, Mat. 25.14. Luc. 19.12. Being near the Temple where sheep were kept in folds to be sold for the sacrifices, he spake many things parabolically of sheep, of the shepherd, & of the door of the sheepfold; & discovers that he alluded to the sheepfolds which were to be hired in the market place, by speaking of such folds as a theif could not enter by the door, nor the shepherd himself opened, but a porter opened to the shepherd, Iohn 10.1, 3. Being in the mount of Olives, (Matt. 36.30. Iohn 14.31) a place so fertile that it could not want vines, he spake many things mystically of the Husbandmen, & of the vine & its branches Iohn 15. Meeting a blind man, he admonished of spiritual blindness, Iohn 9.39. At the sight of little children, he described once & again the innocence of the elect, Mat. 18.2 & 19.13. Knowing that Lazarus was dead & should be raised again, he discourses of the resurrection & life eternal, Iohn 11.25, 26. Hearing of the slaughter of some whome Pilat had slain, he admonished of eternal death, Luk. 13.1. To his fishermen he speaks of fishers of men, Mat 4.10 & composes another parable about fishes, Mat. 13.47. Being by the Temple, he spake of the Temple of his body, Iohn 2.19. At supper he spake a parable about the mystical supper to come in the kingdom of heaven, Luk 14. On occasion of temporal food, he admonished his disciples of spiritual food, & of eating his flesh & drinking his blood mystically, Iohn 6.27, 53. When his disciples wanted bread he bids them beware <57r> of the leven of the Pharisees, Matt. 16.6. Being desired to eat, he answered that he had other meat, Iohn 4.31. In the great day of the feast of Tabernacles, when the Iews, as their custome was, brought a great quantity of waters from the river Shiloah into the Temple, Christ stood & cried, saying, If any man thirst let him come to me & drink. He that believeth on me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water, Iohn 7.37. The next day, in allusion to the servants who by reason of the sabbatical year were newly set free, he said, If ye continue in my word, the truth shall make you free. Which the Iews understanding litterally with respect to the present manumission of servants, answered, We be Abraham's seed, & were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, ye shall be made free? Iohn. 8. They assert their freedom by a double argument: first, because they were the seed of Abraham, & therefore newly made free, had they been ever in bondage; & then, because they never were in bondage. In the last Passover, when Herod led his army thro' Iudæa against Aretas King of Arabia, because Aretas was aggressor & the stronger in military forces, as appeared by the event; Christ alluding to that state of things, composed the Parable of a weaker King leading his army against a stronger who made war upon him, Luke 14.31. And I doubt not but divers parables were formed upon other occasions the history of which we have not.[135]

[138] X pma 153

[139] q

[140] {}

[141] Y Pma 161

[142] a Ioseph. lib. 3, Orig. c. 10.

[143] I pm. 169.

[144] Ch. xi. 2, 3, 4.

[145] q

[146] q

[147] Ch. xi. 5.

[148] Ch. xi.6, 7, 8.

[149] Aa pma 177

[150] Ch. xi.10, &c

[151] Ch. xi.13–19.

[152] Ch. xi.20.

[153] Ch. xi.21, &c.

[154] ×

[155] Bb pma 185

[156] 2 Maccab. III.5, 8 & IV.4.

[157] Ch. XI.25, &c.

[158] Ch. xi.29, 36.

[159] Ch. xi.32, &c.

[160] Ch. xi.36, &c.

[161] Ch. xi.40, &c.

[162] Cc pma 193

[163] ✝ Lib. 4: c. 28, 29.

[164] In vita Constantini l. 4. c. 28.

[165] Epist. 10

[166] L. 32 de Episcopis.

[167] Dd pma 201

[168] Ch. xi.38, 39.

[169] Orat. de vita Greg. Thaumaturg. T. 3. p. 574.

[170] q

[170] dissolved

[171] F

[172] Cyril

[173] Ee pm̄a 209

[174] Vide et Hom. 47 in S. Iulian

[175] Epist. 27 ad Eustochium.

[176] Edit. Frontonis Ducæi, Tom. 1.

[177] Ff pm̄a 217

[178] stet

[179] a Ad an. 381, sect. 41.

[180] Gg pma 225

[181] for

[182] for

[183] a . Hist. Eccl l. 2. c. 23.

[184] b l. 4. c. 24.

[185] c . Hom. 66 ad populum circa finem. Vide et Hom. 8, 27 in Matth. Hom. 42, 43 in Gen Hom. 1 in 1 Thess &c

[186] d . Exposit in Psal. 114 sub finem.

[187] Hh pm̄a 233

[188] Let there be at the end of the first part on a leaf by itself this title

[189] Then in the next leaf.

[190] running title observations &c.

[191] a Dem. Evang. l. 3

[192] b Vid. Parnetium in notis ad Tertull. de Præscriptionibus. n. 215. & Hieron. l. 1. contra Iovinianum c. 14. Edit. Erasmi

[193] c Areth. c. 18. 19.

[194] With &c. Symbol (a cross with all four arms crossed) in text pag. 1.

[195] time/

[196] a Dem. Evang. l. 3

[197] b Vide Pamellium in notis ad Tertul. de Præscriptionibus n 215 et Hieron l. 1 cont. Iovinian c 14. Edit Erasmi

[198] c Areth. cap. 18, 19.

[199] Br.

[200] Hist. Eccl. l 3. c 23

[201] Chrysost. ad Theodorum lapsum.

[202] f Hieron. in Epist ad Gal. l. 3. c. 6.

[203] g Apud Euseb. Eccl Hist. l     c    

[204] h Epiphan. Hæres. 28.

[205] i Hieron. adv. Lucis

[206] a 1 Pet. 1.7, 13. See also 1 Pet 4.13 & 5.1

[207] b Apoc. 13.8.

[208] c Apoc 21.

[209] d Apoc. 1.6 & 5.10

[210] e Apoc 20.6.

[211] f Apoc. 20.4, 12

[212] g Apoc 17

[213] Peter

[214] a Apoc. 13.7, 12.

[215] × ἀσελγείας juxta codices plures et melioris notæ.

[216] b Apoc. 13.1, 5, 6.

[217] c Apoc. 18.12, 13.

[218] d Apoc. 19.20.

[219] e Apoc. 21.3, 4.

[220] f Apoc 9.21 & 17.2.

[221] g Apoc. 13.6

[222] h Apoc 18. 3, 7, 9

[223] ✝ μοιχαλίδος.

[224] i Apoc. 2. 1.

[225] a Apol. ad Antonia. Prium.

[226] b Hæres. l. 1. c. 20. Vide etiam Apol. c. 13.

[227] c Euseb Chron

[228] d Statin Catech. 6 Philastr. de hæres. cap. 30. Sulp. hist. l. 2. Prosper de promiss dimid. temp. cap.13. Maximus serm. 5. in natal. Apost. Hegesip. l. 2. c. 2.

[229] e

[230] f Hom. 70 in Matt. c. 22.

[231] t

[232] g apud Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 2. c. 25.

[233] a Chrys. Hom. 70 in Mat. c. 22.

[234] b Apud Euseb Eccl Hist l. 2. c. 25.

[235] l apud Euseb. Hist. l 2. c 25.

[236] The contents of this note are only visible in the diplomatic transcript because they were deleted on the original manuscript

[237] a Arethas in Proæm. comment in Apoc.

[238] b Euseb. Hist. l 4. cap. 26. Hieron

[239] c Euseb. Hist l 4 c. 24.

[240] d Hieron.

[241] Kk pma 249

[242] Dan. 10.21. & 12.4, 9.

[243] Dan. 12.4, 10.

[244] Apoc. 1.3.

[245] The contents of this note are only visible in the diplomatic transcript because they were deleted on the original manuscript

[246] {Old Copy –}

[247] ll pma 257

[248] representing upon

[249] (1) Apoc. v.

[250] Vid other copy {illeg}

[251] q

[252] Mm pma 265

[253] Apoc. vii.

[254] Buxtorf in Synagoga Iudaica c 18, 21.

[255] Nn pma 273

[256] Editorial Note: This Note Empty

[257] ×

[258] Oo pma 281

[259] Out

[260] turn over

[261] Apoc. ii.4, &c.

[262] Pp pma 289

[263] Apoc. ii.9, 10

[264] Ver. 14.

[265] Num. XXV.1, 2, 18 & XXXI.16.

[266] Apoc. iii.10, 12.

[267] Apoc. iii.16, 17.

[268] {illeg} Gratian

[269] q

[270] q

[271] Apoc. viii.10, 11.

[272] Qq pma 297

[273] Apoc. xvi.5, 6.

[274] Suevia

[274] q

[275] q

[276] Rr pma 305

[277] Apoc. ix.13, &c.

[278] V. pag. 263. ‖Symbol (manicule) in text

[279] Ss pma 313

[280] Tt pma 321

[Editorial Note 1] It may be that the text on this page was to be inserted elsewhere, but if so, its intended destination is unclear. In fact, a note at the bottom of the page suggests that it was to be omitted entirely.

[281] Vid. p. 45. l. 10 δευτερό

[282] I imagine all this page is to be out.

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