Theologico-Political Treatise
Also known as Tractatus Theologico-Politicus
Spinoza's 1670 treatise on reading the Bible critically and on freedom of thought in a secular state.
At a glance
Key ideas
Philosophy apart from theology, The Bible as a human text, No miracles …
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Baruch Spinoza and Thomas Hobbes
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- Spinoza argues that theology and philosophy must be kept apart: theology aims at obedience, philosophy at rational truth.
- He reads the Bible as a compiled human text with many authors, and rejects Moses' authorship of the first five books.
- He holds that prophecy and miracles have only natural explanations.
- In politics he argues that the state exists to guarantee citizens' freedom, that clergy should stay out of government, and that democracy best keeps the peace.
- It was published anonymously in Latin to protect him from persecution.
Why it matters
- It has been called one of the most significant events in European intellectual history, laying groundwork for liberalism, secularism and democracy, and it began modern critical study of the Bible.
Key facts
- Author
- Baruch Spinoza1
- Published
- 1670, anonymously, in Latin, by Jan Rieuwertsz in Amsterdam; the title page named Hamburg and a dead publisher1
- Written
- Begun in 1665, interrupting work on the Ethics1
- Structure
- A preface and 20 chapters; most on religion, the last five on the state1
- Banned
- Condemned by the Synod of Dordrecht of the Dutch Reformed Church in 1673 and officially banned in 16741
- Dutch translation
- Prepared by Jan Hendriksz Glazemaker by 1671; Spinoza stopped it being printed1
- English translations
- Robert Willis (1862), R. H. M. Elwes (1883), Samuel Shirley (1982), Jonathan Israel and Michael Silverthorne (2007), Edwin Curley (2016)1
Key ideas
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Philosophy apart from theology1
Scripture does not teach philosophy; bending one to fit the other distorts both.
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The Bible as a human text1
It was compiled from many authors and sources, and should be read like any other historical document.
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No miracles1
God acts only by the laws of God's own nature, so prophecy and miracles have natural explanations.
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No chosen people1
All peoples are on a par; the Torah was the political constitution of a state that no longer exists.
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A free state1
The state's goal is its citizens' freedom; some democracy and freedom of speech and religion work best.
Connections
Written by
Related
- Thomas HobbesSpinoza agreed with Hobbes that life outside a state would be "nasty, brutish, and short"
Links
Sources
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