Theologico-Political Treatise 1862

TRACTATUS THEOLOGICO-POLITICUS:

A CRITICAL INQUIRY INTO THE HISTORY, PURPOSE, AND
AUTHENTICITY OF THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES;

WITH

THE RIGHT TO

FREE THOUGHT AND FREE DISCUSSION

ASSERTED,

AND SHOWN TO BE NOT ONLY CONSISTENT BUT NECESSARILY
BOUND UP WITH TRUE PIETY AND GOOD GOVERNMENT.

BY

BENEDICT DE SPINOZA,

FROM THE LATIN.

WITH AN INTRODUCTION AND NOTES BY THE EDITOR.

"Hereby know we that we dwell in God, and God in us, because he hath given us of his spirit."—I JOHN iv. 18.

LONDON:

TRÜBNER & CO., 60, PATERNOSTER ROW.

1862.

"It is not true that speculations upon these things have ever done harm or
become injurious to the body politic. You must reproach, not the
speculations, but the folly and tyranny of checking them."—Lessing.
Education of the Human Race, Translation. 12mo, London, 1858.

JOHN CHILDS AND SON, PRINTERS.

TO THE
EDUCATED PUBLIC,
THE PIOUS WITHOUT PRESCRIPTION,
THE UNFETTERED IN THOUGHT,
AND THE FEARLESS OF TRUTH,—
FOR WHOM ALONE
THE ORIGINAL WAS WRITTEN,
THIS REPRODUCTION
OF SPINOZA'S FAMOUS WORK
IS
INSCRIBED.

	TABLE OF CONTENTS.
	Introduction — The Editor to the Reader
	Scope and Purpose of this Work — Author's Preface
CHAP.
I.	Of Prophecy
II.	Of the Prophet
III.	Of the Election of the Hebrew nation. Was the gift of Prophecy peculiar to the Jews?
IV.	Of the Divine Law
V.	Of Religious Rites and Ceremonies, and Belief in Historical Narratives. Why Rites and Ceremonies are required
VI.	Of Miracles
VII.	Of the Interpretation of Scripture
VIII.	Of the Pentateuch, and the Books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, and Kings, and their Author or Authors. Of Ezra as their Compiler
IX.	Of the same Books of the Old Testament. Did Ezra put the finishing hand to his work? Are the Marginal Additions to the Hebrew Codices variorum readings of the text?
X.	Of the remaining Books of the Old Testament
XI.	Did the Apostles write in the character of Prophets, or merely as Teachers? Of the office of the Apostles
XII.	Of the True Covenant of the Divine Law. Of the reason why the Scriptures are called Sacred, and are spoken of as the Word of God. The Hebrew Scriptures in so far as the Word of God is concerned have come down to us uncorrupted
XIII.	Scripture teaches nothing that is not extremely simple, requires nothing but obedience from man, and imparts nothing of the Divine Nature, that men, by following a certain rule of life, may not imitate
XIV.	Of Faith, and the Distinction of Faith from Philosophy
XV.	Theology does not assist Reason, nor does Reason aid Theology. The grounds of our belief in the authority of the Sacred Scriptures
XVI.	The Foundations of a Commonwealth, or Policied State. Of the Natural and Civil Rights of Individuals, and of the Rights of Rulers
XVII.	No one can cede the whole of his rights to the ruling power of a State. Of the Jewish Republic, as it was during the Life of Moses and after his Death, before the election of Kings. Of the excellence of this Republic and the causes of its decline
XVIII.	Certain political Axioms derived from the Constitution of the Hebrew Republic and the History of the Jewish People
XIX.	All Authority in religious matters rests with the Civil Power. Religious Worship must be in harmony with the Institutions of the State, if Peace is to be preserved and God to be truly obeyed
XX.	In a Free State every one is at liberty to think as he pleases and to say what he thinks
	Appendix — Letter to Isaac Orobio, M.D.

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1930.

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