Isaac Newton and the Trinity: Heretic or Orthodox Christian?

The significance of Isaac Newton for the history of Christianity and science is undeniable: his professional work culminated the Scientific Revolution that saw the birth of modern science, while his private writings evidence a lifelong interest in the relationship between God and the world. In short, Newton's belief in God was integral to the birth of modern science. When pointing this fact out, many times atheists will retort that although Newton believed in God he was not an orthodox Christian but was a heretic because, they believe, he rejected the trinity. In fact, it is widely believed that Newton was a heretic Christian that did not believe in the trinity. As wikipedia itself states "Newton did indeed reject Trinitarianism". Yet in a recent video Stephen Meyer vigorously challenges that widespread belief. Starting at the 64 minute mark of a recent video titled "Isaac Newton: Laws of motion from the law of God", Stephen Meyer, who has a PhD in the philosophy of science from Cambridge, which is Isaac Newton's alma mater, goes over the controversy surrounding Newton's Christian beliefs. At the 69 minute mark of the video Meyer quotes Newton himself on the divinity of Christ. Newton stated “So there is Divinity in the Father, Divinity in the Son, and Divinity in the Holy Ghost. They are not Three Divinities but one Divinity. So by saying there is but One God, the father of all things, I am not depriving the Son and the Holy Ghost Divinity.” As Meyer remarked, that quote makes it clear that Newton believed in the divinity of Christ. Likewise Newton also stated "Who is a liar, saith John, but he that denyeth that Jesus is the Christ? He is Antichrist that denyeth the Father and the Son. And we are authorized also to call him God: for the name of God is in him. And we must believe also that by his incarnation of the Virgin he came in the flesh not in appearance only but really and truly, being in all things made like unto his brethren for which reason he is called also the son of man." In my personal opinion, you can hardly get more orthodox in your Christian beliefs than that quote. Yet, In the video Stephen Meyer relied heavily on the work of Thomas Pfizenmaier who is one of the leading historians on the life of Isaac Newton. In his paper titled "Was Isaac Newton an Arian?" Thomas Pfizenmaier makes a subtle distinction about Newton's trinitarian beliefs. He states, "Newton was neither “orthodox” (according to the Athanasian creed) nor an Arian. He believed that both of these groups had wandered into metaphysical speculation. He was convinced that his position was the truly biblical one, in which the Son was affirmed to be the express image of the Father, and that this position was best represented by those Bishops at Nicaea,". In short, according the Pfizenmaier, Newton had a fairly nuanced view of the trinity, and believed his trinitarian view "in which the Son was affirmed to be the express image of the Father" was a more correct conception of the trinity than was held by 'orthodox' Christians. In short, Newton, far from rejecting the trinity outright, as is widely believed today, was instead arguing for a more nuanced view of the trinity than had been traditionally held. And again, for me personally, and from the quotes I have cited from Newton himself, you can hardly get more 'orthodox' in your Christian beliefs than Newton was. In conclusion, I find the claim from atheists that Newton was a 'heretic Christian' to be far more of a polemical attack on Christianity than a reasoned discourse.