Spinoza and the Irrelevance of Biblical Authority
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: March 26, 2001
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 244
ISBN-13: 9780521800136
Subjects: Christian theology; Philosophy of religion; Western philosophy, c 1600 to c 1800; Spinoza, Benedictus de,; Criticism, interpretation, etc; Bible; Religion - Church History; Religion; History; Christianity - General; History & Surveys - Modern; Religion / Christianity; Spinoza, Benedictus de,--1632-1677--Contributions in Biblical interpretation; 17th century; Tractatus theologico-politicus; 1632-1677; 1632-1677; Criticism, interpretation, etc
First sentence: The fact that we are not governed by interpreters of divine law, nor intellectually answerable to alleged divine revelations, is major aspect of modern liberty.
Description: "Spinoza's Theological Political Treatise (1670) is a landmark both in democratic political theory and in the history of biblical interpretation. Spinoza championed liberty of thought, speech and writing by discrediting the Bible as the standard for truth and a source of public law. Applying a new historical criticism, he showed that biblical teaching and law were irrelevant for a modern pluralist state and its intellectual life."--Jacket.