William Whiston
English mathematician and translator of Josephus (1737)
- Born
- 1667, Norton-juxta-Twycross, Leicestershire
- Died
- 1752, Lyndon, Rutland
- Known for
- Translation of the works of Josephus (1737)
- Position
- Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, Cambridge (1702–1710)
- Other work
- A New Theory of the Earth (1696): a comet caused Noah's Flood
Newton's successor at Cambridge who was expelled for his religious views, proposed that a comet caused the Flood, and translated Josephus.
What is William Whiston known for?
William Whiston was an English mathematician and clergyman. He was Isaac Newton's deputy and in 1702 succeeded him as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge. In 1710 he was removed from the post and expelled from the university because he openly rejected the doctrine of the Trinity, holding views close to the ancient Arian position.
In A New Theory of the Earth (1696) Whiston argued that the biblical Flood had been caused by a passing comet, an early attempt to explain scripture with Newtonian physics. Modern geology does not support a global flood, but the book shows how seriously scientists of his time took catastrophe as a cause of Earth history.
His best-known work today is The Genuine Works of Flavius Josephus (1737), a complete English translation of the first-century Jewish historian. It is now public domain and remains the most widely reprinted English Josephus, although scholars use newer translations for precise work.
The site quotes Whiston's translation of Josephus for the armies seen in the clouds over Judea before the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holeArmies in the clouds over Jerusalem (66 CE)
- ChapterOne History 10: The watch
Sources
- Project Gutenberg, Josephus, 'The Wars of the Jews', tr. William WhistonPrimary text
- Wikipedia, 'William Whiston'Reference
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