author
Isaac Barrow
1630–1677
A brilliant 17th-century scholar who moved easily between mathematics, theology, and classical learning, he is often remembered as an early pioneer of calculus and as Isaac Newton’s teacher. His life joined sharp scientific insight with a major career at Cambridge and a lasting reputation as an eloquent preacher.
1 Audiobook
Sermons on Evil-Speaking
by Isaac Barrow
About the author
Born in London in October 1630, Isaac Barrow became one of the most wide-ranging English thinkers of his century: a mathematician, theologian, classical scholar, and academic leader. He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, and built a reputation for both intellectual range and unusual energy, eventually returning there after years of travel in Europe.
Barrow is especially important in the history of mathematics. He held the Lucasian Professorship at Cambridge before Isaac Newton and is credited with important early work connecting differentiation and integration, helping lay foundations for calculus. He also wrote on geometry and optics, and his teaching helped shape the next generation of mathematical thought.
Later in life, Barrow turned more fully toward theology and university leadership. He became Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, and was widely admired for his sermons and religious writing as well as for his scholarship. He died in London on May 4, 1677, leaving behind a legacy that reaches across science, religion, and education.