William Whiston, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

William Whiston

theologian, historian, mathematician

Date of Birth: 09-Dec-1667

Place of Birth: Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom

Date of Death: 22-Aug-1752

Profession: physicist, mathematician, historian, theologian, university teacher, philosopher

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

William Whiston (9 December 1667 – 22 August 1752) was an English theologian, historian, and mathematician, a leading figure in the popularisation of the ideas of Isaac Newton.
He is now probably best known for helping to instigate the Longitude Act in 1714 (and his attempts to win the rewards that it promised) and his important translations of the Antiquities of the Jews and other works by Josephus (which are still in print).
He was a prominent exponent of Arianism and wrote A New Theory of the Earth. Whiston succeeded his mentor Newton as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge.
In 1710 he lost the professorship and was expelled from the university as a result of his unorthodox religious views.
Because Whiston recognized the Bible as a book of spiritual truth, he rejected the notion of eternal torment in hellfire.
He viewed it as absurd and cruel, as well as an insult to God.
What especially pitted him against church authorities, was he viewed the Trinity as a lie after extensive research convinced him the origin of the Trinity teaching to be pagan.



Alternative names	George Virtue; Vertue; G. Vertue; Mr. Vertue; Virtue
Description	British painter, engraver and antiquarian
Date of birth/death	1684	24 July 1756
Location of birth/death	London	London
Work location	Greater London
Authority control	: Q930477 VIAF: 24699291 ISNI: 0000 0000 8365 3517 ULAN: 500013594 LCCN: n81142223 NLA: 35791538 WorldCat