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Milner saw no incompatibility between his scientific and religious beliefs.
The picture shows Isaac Milner seated, wearing his Cambridge doctoral robes (he was a Doctor of Divinity – the highest degree within the University). Underneath, are clothes that show he was also a member of the clergy.
In the background are several scientific books, including one with the name “Newton” on the spine. Isaac Newton (1643-1727) was a highly influential physicist, astronomer, mathematician who developed the law of universal gravitation.
Milner saw no incompatibility between his scientific and religious beliefs. He argued that understanding how the world worked would help show that there must be a divine creative presence behind it, thus combatting atheist ideas.
Milner was a leading British evangelical of the late Georgian period. He helped to convert William Wilberforce to a more vital form of Christianity. Wilberforce was the leading British figure in the campaigns to abolish the slave trade.
The picture was painted by George Henry Harlow (1787–1819). It shows Milner in later life, in celebration of his significant contributions to scientific and theological education in Cambridge and his role within the Church of England.
Are there links to current religious practices or a modern equivalent?
Milner was a significant figure in two fields and became the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in Cambridge, (the chair that has subsequently been held by Stephen Hawking, amongst others).
Milner was a devout Christian and became Dean of Carlisle. He was a leading British evangelical of the late Georgian period. It was through his influence and that of Charles Simeon, (1759-1836), that the Evangelical Revival was established in Cambridge. He helped to convert William Wilberforce, (1759-1833), to a more vital form of Christianity, with an emphasis on personal salvation. Historians have argued that this led directly to Wilberforce later becoming the leading British figure in the campaign to abolish the slave trade.
He was also a notable scientist and his achievements include serving on the Board of Longitude that helped improve the ability of ships to navigate accurately around the globe. He also gained a reputation as an innovative experimental chemist, and developed a way of making nitrous acid, a key ingredient in the production of gunpowder.
Milner saw no incompatibility between his scientific and religious beliefs. He argued that understanding how the world worked would help show that there must be a divine creative presence behind it, thus combatting atheist ideas, which were on the rise in that period.
Melvyn Bragg examines the spread of religious doubt over the last three centuries.
In an unusual edition of In Our Time, marking the 1807 Abolition of the Slave Trade, Melvyn Bragg leaves the studio to examine the life of William Wilberforce.