Knowing

Lore & Background

Newton's work built upon the textual work of Richard Simon and his own research. The account reviewed textual evidence on two disputed Bible passages: 1 John 5:7 and 1 Timothy 3:16. Newton argued that the words supporting the Trinity in 1 John 5:7 did not appear in the original Greek Scriptures, and that in 1 Timothy 3:16 the word 'God' was substituted for 'who' by a small alteration. He blamed 'the Roman church' for 'pious frauds' and noted that scholars like Luther, Erasmus, Bullinger, and Grotius would not dissemble their knowledge. Newton kept his discoveries private, likely due to the political climate; the Blasphemy Act 1697 made it an offence to deny one of the persons of the Trinity.

Reader's Guide

The dissertation is divided into two parts: the first and longer portion concerns 1 John 5:7, where Newton demonstrated that the words 'in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one' were a later interpolation. The second portion concerns 1 Timothy 3:16, where Newton argued that 'God' was substituted for 'who'. Newton concluded: 'If the ancient churches in debating and deciding the greatest mysteries of religion, knew nothing of these two texts, I understand not, why we should be so fond of them now the debates are over.'

Did You Know?

• Newton's letter to John Locke was sent on 14 November 1690.
• While living in France, Locke made a journal entry on 20 December 1679 about seeing old manuscripts of the New Testament at Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
• Newton argued that the disputed words in 1 John 5:7 first entered a Greek text in 1515 by Cardinal Ximenes.
• The dissertation was published in 1754, 27 years after Newton's death.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"The Master said, "Yu, shall I teach you what knowledge is? When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it; — this is knowledge." — Knowing "Variant translation: "Yu, shall I teach you about knowledge? What you know, you know, what you don't know, you don't know. This is true knowledge"." — Knowing "When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it; this is knowledge." — Knowing "Confucius, Analects, Book II, Chapter XVII. Cited in: Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 419-23." — Knowing