Spinoza vol 1 ebook Part 1: Who Was Spinoza? My Analytic-Jewish Interpretation: Introduction

Part 1: Who Was Spinoza? My Analytic-Jewish Interpretation

Introduction

In Part 1, I would like to re-evaluate Spinoza’s philosophy in light of the claim that Spinoza submitted an Apology after his excommunication stating that he considered his outlook to be in line with Orthodox Judaism^[i]. Much as this Apology has since been lost, Scruton^[ii] maintains that Spinoza’s suspected opinions in his Apology were also expressed in his Theologico-Political Treatise (hereafter referred to as TTP). Hence, I would like to put forward the suggestion that, on reassessing Spinoza’s works, there is textual evidence to support my re-interpretation of Spinoza that, both in his TTP and throughout his works, he expresses philosophical views that are consistent with many beliefs found within Orthodox Judaism. This interpretation of mine is also inspired by some observations made by Nadler^[iii], although my methodology and conclusions, nevertheless, deviate from his overall approach in various ways, as I shall explain. I suggest that this take on Spinoza renders his works consistent and accounts for the fact that Orthodox Judaism was the only generic, official denominational branch that existed in the seventeenth century and included a variety of opinions within it. This means that many liberally-minded Jews, especially during Spinoza’s era, are still categorised as Orthodox Jews. In this way, Spinoza may well have been influenced by both of his two teachers, the traditionally-minded Orthodox Rabbi Saul Morteira and the so-called liberally-minded Orthodox Rabbi Manasseh ben Israel^[iv].

In Part 1, I shall focus on outlining my interpretation of Spinoza and then test my hypothesis that Spinoza’s philosophical views were and remained in accordance with Orthodox Judaism. I shall provide textual evidence to support my view. In Chapter 1, I expand on my methodological approach, especially the analytic aspect of it. In Chapter 2, I explore my interpretation of Spinoza and why I suggest Spinoza remained an Orthodox Jew throughout his life and how this particular aspect informs my Analytic Philosophy-Jewish approach. In Chapter 3, I will put my approach into practice to test it and show how it works when applied to Spinoza’s writings. I examine a particular passage in chapter 12 of Spinoza’s TTP which deals with idolatry and worship. I shall then conclude Part 1 in Chapter 4 by reflecting on my arguments presented here and put forward the suggestion that Spinoza was a non-heretical Orthodox Jew throughout his life.

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[i] Roger Scruton, Spinoza, 1st edition (1. Nov. 1986), Past Masters Series (Oxford Paperbacks, Oxford University Press, 1986), 9.

[ii] Scruton, 9.

[iii] Steven Nadler, Spinoza’s Heresy: Immortality and the Jewish Mind (New York, USA: Clarendon Press, Oxford University Press, 2001).;  Steven Nadler, “The Jewish Spinoza,” Journal of the History of Ideas 70, no. 3 (July 2009): 491–510.

[iv] Scruton, Spinoza, 6.