THE THEOLOGICAL WRITINGS OF ISAAC NEWTON AND THE INTERPRETATIONS FOR DANIEL'S PROPHECIES

Abstract

This is a literature-based study which aims to analyze the theological writings left by Isaac Newton, with emphasis on his studies on the account recorded in Daniel 2. The central part of the chapter is a dream, attributed to King Nebuchadnezzar, in which appears a statue of great stature built using four metals of different natures. From a Portuguese edition of his work Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St John (1733), the article critically discusses the set of this work, the historical context in which it was produced, the methodology used by the English scientist and his own conclusions about the four kingdoms represented in that statue. It relies on academic productions in the field of the history of science and the history of ideas; as well as in studies on methods of biblical interpretation of socio-historical bias and on the use of the literary genre known as court tales.