Presented by Neil Philliber

When most people hear the name Spinoza, they mostly think of his

philosophical masterpiece the Ethics. But that was not published in

Spinoza’s lifetime for various reasons. However, the lessor known

major work, that was published in his lifetime, Theological-Political

Treatise (TTP), was published anonymously, with a false publisher’s

name, and in a city separate from where Spinoza was living. What

were the reasons that  Spinoza found it necessary to hide himself as

the author and the place of origin of this work and not publish the

Ethics at all? The conditions that existed in the Dutch republic in the

mid 17th century was called Dutch Golden Age reputed to be a time

of religious toleration. The German philosopher and theologian, Jacob

Thomasius, referred to this work (the TTP) as a “book forged in hell.”

What was in the Theological-Political Treatise that drew so much ire

and what was its purpose? Why did Spinoza write and publish this

work and could it provide any insight into the religious controversies

in the modern world?

Reading.