A Theological-Political Treatise [Part III]Spinoza, Benedictus de
PhilosophyPhilosophy
A Theological-Political Treatise [Part III]
Spinoza, Benedictus de
Free thought -- Early works to 1800; Philosophy and religion -- Early works to 1800; Political science -- Early works to 1800
(10) Furthermore, as obedience to God consists solely in love to our
neighbour - for whosoever loveth his neighbour, as a means of obeying God,
hath, as St. Paul says (Rom. xiii:8), fulfilled the law, - it follows that
no knowledge is commended in the Bible save that which is necessary
for enabling all men to obey God in the manner stated, and without which
they would become rebellious, or without the discipline of obedience.
(11) Other speculative questions, which have no direct bearing on this
object, or are concerned with the knowledge of natural events, do not affect
Scripture, and should be entirely separated from religion.
(12) Now, though everyone, as we have said, is now quite able to see this
truth for himself, I should nevertheless wish, considering that the whole of
Religion depends thereon, to explain the entire question more accurately and
clearly. (13) To this end I must first prove that the intellectual
or accurate knowledge of God is not a gift, bestowed upon all good men
like obedience; and, further, that the knowledge of God, required by Him
through His prophets from everyone without exception, as needful to be
known, is simply a knowledge of His Divine justice and charity. (14) Both
these points are easily proved from Scripture. (15) The first plainly
follows from Exodus vi:2, where God, in order to show the singular grace
bestowed upon Moses, says to him: "And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac,
and unto Jacob by the name of El Sadai (A. V. God Almighty); but by my name
Jehovah was I not known to them" - for the better understanding of which
passage I may remark that El Sadai, in Hebrew, signifies the God who
suffices, in that He gives to every man that which suffices for him; and,
although Sadai is often used by itself, to signify God, we cannot doubt that
the word El (God, {power, might}) is everywhere understood. (16)
Furthermore, we must note that Jehovah is the only word found in Scripture
with the meaning of the absolute essence of God, without reference to
created things. (17) The Jews maintain, for this reason, that this is,
strictly speaking, the only name of God; that the rest of the words used are
merely titles; and, in truth, the other names of God, whether they be
substantives or adjectives, are merely attributive, and belong to Him, in
so far as He is conceived of in relation to created things, or manifested
through them. (18) Thus El, or Eloah, signifies powerful, as is well known,
and only applies to God in respect to His supremacy, as when we call Paul an
apostle; the faculties of his power are set forth in an accompanying
adjective, as El, great, awful, just, merciful, &c., or else all are
understood at once by the use of El in the plural number, with a singular
signification, an expression frequently adopted in Scripture.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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