... and paradox, inhabiting neither a black nor white but a grey area in history. `In recent years historians studying Newton have placed a greater emphasis on considering his personal religious beliefs. Newton was without doubt a pious Christian, identifying God not just as a Creator and Preserver of His universe but as an Observer. A God that saw him swim in a tub on the Sabbath, heard him lie about a louse to a fellow scholar at Cambridge and could even perceive his unclean thoughts.1 Newton's commitment to Biblical scripture was always a theme underpinning his scientific writings. Throughout Newton's work his scientific assertions are given support by Biblical references. Newton suggests, for example, that the 'days' of the Creation may have been longer than the twenty-four hour period people are accustomed to, because the world may have been rotating more slowly. Thus a part of scripture that came under attack ...

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