Spinoza: Theological-Political Treatise by Jonathan Israel

Spinoza: Theological-Political Treatise 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 translation of great clarity and accuracy by Michael Silverthorne and Jonathan Israel, with a substantial historical and philosophical introduction by Jonathan Israel.

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).

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780521530972
ISBN 10	0521530970
Title	Spinoza: Theological-Political Treatise
Author	Jonathan Israel
Series	Cambridge Texts In The History Of Philosophy
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Year published	2007-05-03
Number of pages	329
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.