The God of Spinoza A Philosophical Study [Paperback]

Brings together Spinoza's philosophical thinking and his conclusions about God and religion.This book is the fullest study in English to bring together Spinoza's fundamental philosophical thinking with his conclusions about God and religion. Spinoza was born a Jew but chose to live outside any religious community. He was deeply engaged both in traditional Hebrew learning and in contemporary physical science. He emerges not as a rationalist precursor of the Enlightenment but as a thinker of the highest importance in his own right, both in philosophy and in religion.This book is the fullest study in English to bring together Spinoza's fundamental philosophical thinking with his conclusions about God and religion. Spinoza was born a Jew but chose to live outside any religious community. He was deeply engaged both in traditional Hebrew learning and in contemporary physical science. He emerges not as a rationalist precursor of the Enlightenment but as a thinker of the highest importance in his own right, both in philosophy and in religion.This book brings together Spinoza's fundamental philosophical thinking with his conclusions about God and religion. Spinoza was born a Jew but chose to live outside any religious community. He was deeply engaged both in traditional Hebrew learning and in contemporary physical science. He emerges not as a rationalist precursor of the Enlightenment but as a thinker of the highest importance in his own right, both in philosophy and in religion.Part I. The God of the Philosophers: 1. How God exists; 2. How God acts; 3. God and doubt; Part II. The God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob: 4. Final causes; 5. Hope and fear; 6. The meaning of revelation; 7. History; Part III. The God of Spinoza: 8. Choosing a religion; 9. The figure of Christ; 10. Understanding eternity; 11. Why Spinoza?'& a fine contribution to our understanding of those aspects of Spinoza's thought.' Steven Nadler, British Journal for the History of Philosophy' & an important lÃ9