# List of Epistolae (Letters) of Spinoza

The following is a list of notable correspondence (Epistolae) of the Dutch philosopher Benedictus de Spinoza (1633-1677) with well-known learned men and with his admirers. These letters were published after Spinoza's death in the Opera Posthuma (Dutch translated edition: De nagelate schriften, 1677). Spinoza had preserved the incoming letters and drafts of the letters he sent. In total 88 letters, predominantly concerning philosophical subjects have been handed down: 50 by Spinoza and 38 by his correspondents, 52 written in Latin and 26 in Dutch. The letters discuss topics from Spinoza's own work including infinity and the attributes (properties) of "God", Spinoza's concept of the universe) but also touch on subjects such as ghosts and scientific discoveries, for example the vacuum.
* Title page of B.d.S.: Epistolae doctorum quorumdam virorum, 1677, in Latin and Dutch. Translated title: Letters of learned men with answers. Published posthumously.
* Letter of Benedictus de Spinoza (Gebhardt number 27) to Willem van Blijenbergh, written at Voorburg on 3 June 1665. In Dutch.
* Short letter (Gebhardt number 49) of Spinoza to the Utrecht professor Johannes Georgius Graevius of 14 December 1664. In Latin. .
* Short letter (Gebhardt number 46) of Spinoza to Leibniz of 9 November 1671. In Latin.

## Table of selected letters

The date of the letter is given with a correction for the Old/New Style dating system. A selection from the letters:
| Number | Gebhardt number | From Sender | To Addressee | Location Sender | Day | Month | Year | Subject | Language |
| 01 I | 01 I | Oldenburg, Henry | Spinoza, Benedictus de | London | 16/26 | 08 | 1661 | God, extension | Latin |
| 02 II | 02 II | Spinoza | Oldenburg | | | 09 | 1661 | Attributes (properties) of God, Ethica part 1 axioms, theorem 1–4, mistakes by Descartes and Francis Bacon (1561-1626). | Latin |
| 03 III | 03 III | Oldenburg | Spinoza | London | 27 | 09 | 1661 | Existence of God, Ethica part 1 axioms, promises to send a book by Robert Boyle. | Latin |
| 04 IV | 04 IV | Spinoza | Oldenburg | | | 10 | 1661 | Short answers to questions, Spinoza will visit Amsterdam. | Latin |
| 05 V | 05 V | Oldenburg | Spinoza | London | 11/21 | 10 | 1661 | Sends Robert Boyle's book: De Nitro, Fluiditate, & Firmitate. | Latin |
| 06 VI | 06 VI | Spinoza | Oldenburg | | | | 1661? | Thanks for and comments on Robert Boyle's book De Nitro, Fluiditate, & Firmitate, with sketches. | Latin |
| 07 VII | 07 VII | Oldenburg | Spinoza | | | | | Boyle thanks Spinoza through Oldenburg for his comments. B. lacked the time to answer Spinoza himself and had to defend himself against attacks on his books about the pressure and expansion of gases. The Royal Society has been founded. Oldenburg exhorts Spinoza to publish in his own free Dutch Republic (Republic of the Seven United Netherlands). | Latin |
| 08 VIII | 11 XI | Oldenburg | Spinoza | London | 03 | 04 | 1663 | Answer to letter 6? | Latin |
| 15 XV | 32 XXXII | Spinoza | Oldenburg | | | 11 | 1665 | Coherence of nature, Christiaan Huygens | Latin |
| 23 XXIII | 36 XXXVI | Spinoza | Blijenbergh | Voorburg | 13 | 03 | 1665 | "Mijnheer en Vrient", "U. E. V. E. D." | Dutch |
| 24 XXIV | 37 XXXVII | Blijenbergh | Spinoza | Dordrecht | 27 | 03 | 1665 | Answer to 23, "Mijn heer en vrient", "UEDWD" | Dutch |
| 26 XXVI | 08 VIII | Vries, Simon Joosten de | Spinoza | Amsterdam | 24 | 02 | 1664 | Discusses Spinoza's work with a group of people. Asks two questions about nature in the Ethica and the opinion of others. Mentions Casearius, Borelli, Tacquet and Clavius. Questions Ethica part 1 theorem 8 remark 3 and theorem 19 remark 2. | Latin |
| 27 XXVII | 09 IX | Spinoza | Vries, de | | | | 1663 | Spinoza sorts out various kinds of definitions and explains his opinions. | Latin |
| 28 XXVIII | 10 X | Spinoza | Vries, de | Rijnsburg | | | 1663? | Answer on proofs and eternity. | Latin |
| 29 XXIX | 12 XII | Spinoza | Meijer, Lodewijk | | 20 | 04 | 1663 | Infinity | Latin |
| 31 XXXI | 18 XVIII | Blijenbergh, Willem van | Spinoza | Dordrecht | 12 | 12 | 1664 | Opening: "Mijn Heer en onbekende Vrient..." | Dutch |
| 32 XXXII | 19 XIX | Spinoza | Blijenbergh | "Op de Lange bogart" | 05 | 01 | 1665 | | Dutch |
| 33 XXXIII | 20 XX | Blijenbergh | Spinoza | Dordrecht | 16 | 01 | 1665 | Opening: "Mijn Heer en waarde Vrient" | Dutch |
| 34 XXXIV | 21 XXI | Spinoza | Blijenbergh | - | - | - | 1665 | | Latin (no Dutch?) |
| 35 XXXV | 22 XXII | Blijenbergh | Spinoza | "Dordrecht by de groote kerck" | 19 | 02 | 1665 | | Dutch |
| 36 XXXVI | 23 XXIII | Spinoza | Blijenbergh | Voorburg | 13 | 03 | 1665 | | Dutch |
| 37 XXXVII | 24 XXIV | Blijenbergh | Spinoza | Dordrecht | 27 | 03 | 1665 | | Dutch |
| 38 XXXVIII | 27 XXVII | Spinoza | Blijenbergh | Voorburg | 03 | 06 | 1665 | | Dutch |
| 39 XXXIX | 34 XXXIV | Spinoza | Hudde, Johannes | Voorburg | 07 | 01 | 1666 | God | Latin |
| 40 XL | 35 XXXV | Spinoza | Hudde | Voorburg | 10 | 04 | 1666 | God | Latin |
| 41 XLI | 36 XXXVI | Spinoza | Hudde? | | | 05 | 1666 | God | Latin |
| 42 XLII | 37 XXXVII | Spinoza | Bouwmeester?, I. B. | | 10 | 06 | 1666 | The best method to acquire knowledge. | Latin |
| 45 XLV | 51 LI | Leibniz | Spinoza "à Amsterdam" | Frankfurt | 05 NS | 10 | 1671 | | Latin, "Illustris et Amplme Vir" |
| 46 XLVI | 52 LII | Spinoza | Leibniz | Den Haag | 09 | 11 | 1671 | Answer to letter Gebhardt number 45, in two versions, "Afgegaan den 8ste December 1671" | Latin, "Nobilissime Vir" |
| 49 XLIX | - | Spinoza | Graevius, Johannes Georgius at Utrecht | Den Haag | 16 | 12 | 1673 | "(Hagse nacht post.)" | Latin, "Vir Clarissime", "Omni affectu atque studio Tuus", "Benedictus despinoza" |
| 50 L | 50 L | Spinoza | Jelles, Jarig? | | 02 | 06 | 1674 | Difference between Thomas Hobbes and Spinoza on politics and God. | Latin |
| 51 LI | 45 XLV | Leibniz | Spinoza | Frankfurt | 05 styl | 10 | 1671 | | Latin |
| 52 LII | 46 XLVI | Spinoza | Leibniz | Den Haag/The Hague | 09 | 11 | 1671 | | Latin |
| 61 LXI | 57 LVII | Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus? | Spinoza | | 08 | 10 | 1674 | Difference between Descartes and Spinoza on free will. | Latin |
| 62 LXII | 58 LVIII | Spinoza | Schuller? | | | 10 | 1674 | Freedom | Latin |
| 63 LXIII | 59 LIX | Tschirnhaus | Spinoza | | 05 | 01 | 1675 | Calls on Spinoza to publish his books Tractatus de Intellectus Emendatione (Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect) and Ethica, the definition of motion and the difference between true and adequate ideas. | Latin |
| 64 LXIV | 60 LX | Spinoza | Tschirnhaus? | | | 01 | 1675 | Difference between true and adequate ideas. | Latin |
| 65 LXV | 63 LXIII | Schuller? | Spinoza | | 25 | 07 | 1675 | Four questions on the attributes (properties) of God. | Latin |
| 66 LXVI | 64 LXIV | Spinoza | Schuller? | | 29 | 07 | 1675 | Gives answers concerning the first three applauded books of the Ethica, that should be handed to a friend. | Latin |
| 67 LXVII | 65 LXV | Tschirnhaus? | Spinoza | | 12 | 08 | 1675 | Inquires whether there exist two or more attributes (properties) of God, except extension (mass) and thought. | Latin |
| 68 LXVIII | 66 LXVI | Spinoza | Tschirnhaus? | | 18 | 08 | 1675 | Refers to Ethica part 1 theorem 10 and Ethica part 2 theorem 7 Scholium [remark]. | Latin |
| 69 LXIX | 80 LXXX | Tschirnhaus? | Spinoza | | 02 | 05 | 1676 | Asks Spinoza to explain his letters on infinity (Letter 29). | Latin |
| 70 LXX | 81 LXXXI | Spinoza | Tschirnhaus? | | 05 | 05 | 1676 | Explains his position on infinity. | Latin |
| 71 LXXI | 82 LXXXII | Tschirnhaus? | Spinoza | | 23 | 06 | 1676 | Asks how Spinoza derives the existence of various bodies from extension. | Latin |
| 72 LXXII | 83 LXXXII | Spinoza | Tschirnhaus? | | 15 | 07 | 1676 | Replies that this is impossible, and that this is not his doctrine. | Latin |
| no number | 84 LXXXIV | Spinoza | A friend? | - | - | - | - | About Spinoza's Tractatus politicus. | Latin |