[NEWTON, SIR ISAAC (1642-1727)]. Observations Upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John. London: Printed for J. Darby and T. Browne in Bartholomew-Close, MDCCXXXIII. [1733].
FIRST EDITION. Two parts in one; leather-bound; hardcover; quarto (23.5 x 18 x 3.5 cm); pp. vi, [2], 323. English text. Handsomely bound in contemporary full sprinkled calf with double gilt fillet border; spine with gilt bands in compartments; initial and terminal blanks present; engraved head-piece; printed foot- and shoulder-notes. Condition: VERY GOOD. Collated complete. Binding secure with slight cracking to the upper joint, but all holding well. The covers a little scuffed in places, and lacking the spine label. Interior very well-preserved remaining largely fresh and clean. Without previous ownership markings.
Notes: "Especially interested in biblical prophecies, [Newton] studied everything he could on the topic, whether written in Greek, Aramaic, Latin, or Hebrew. He compiled long lists of various interpretations. The two primarily prophetic books of the Bible, namely Daniel and the Apocalypse (Revelation), especially interested him. Studying them he used the same analytical approach that he employed when examining nature. Developing a series of 15 'rules for interpreting the words and language in Scripture,' he regarded the prophecies in the two different books as a foretelling of world history. Many current interpretations of these biblical books still echo those of Newton's. Several years after his death his studies in this area were published as Observations Upon the Prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St. John" (Roth, Science Discovers God). [Babson 224; Wallis 328].
