Theological-Political Treatise (Paperback)

Benedictus de Spinoza

ISBN 10: 0521530970 / ISBN 13: 9780521530972

Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2007

About this Item

Paperback. Spinoza's Theological-Political Treatise (1670) is one of the most important philosophical works of the early modern period. In it Spinoza discusses at length the historical circumstances of the composition and transmission of the Bible, demonstrating the fallibility of both its authors and its interpreters. He argues that free enquiry is not only consistent with the security and prosperity of a state but actually essential to them, and that such freedom flourishes best in a democratic and republican state in which individuals are left free while religious organizations are subordinated to the secular power. His Treatise has profoundly influenced the subsequent history of political thought, Enlightenment 'clandestine' or radical philosophy, Bible hermeneutics, and textual criticism more generally. It is presented here in a translation of great clarity and accuracy by Michael Silverthorne and Jonathan Israel, with a substantial historical and philosophical introduction by Jonathan Israel. Spinoza's Theological-Political Treatise (1670) is one of the most important philosophical works of the early modern period. In it Spinoza discusses at length the historical circumstances of the composition and transmission of the Bible, demonstrating the fallibility of both its authors and its interpreters. He argues that free enquiry is not only consistent with the security and prosperity of a state but actually essential to them, and that such freedom flourishes best in a democratic and republican state in which individuals are left free while religious organizations are subordinated to the secular power. His Treatise has profoundly influenced the subsequent history of political thought, Enlightenment 'clandestine' or radical philosophy, Bible hermeneutics, and textual criticism more generally. It is presented here in a new translation of great clarity and accuracy by Michael Silverthorne and Jonathan Israel, with a substantial historical and philosophical introduction by Jonathan Israel. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780521530972

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Theological-Political Treatise (Paperback)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
• Publication Date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521530970
• ISBN 13: 9780521530972
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

A translation of Spinoza's Theological-Political Treatise (1670), with a substantial historical and philosophical introduction of this important philosophical work.

About the Authors

Jonathan Israel is Professor of Modern European History at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. He is author of Radical Enlightenment: Philosophy and the Making of Modernity 1650–1750 (2001).

Michael Silverthorne is Honorary University Fellow, Department of Classics, University of Exeter. He is co-editor with Lisa Jardine of Francis Bacon: The New Organon (2000).