A Critical Review of The Scripture Used by Spinoza

Abstract

According to Edwin Curley, there are nearly 600 verses of Old Testament, New Testament, Apocrypha, and Talmud cited in Theological-Political Treatise. Old Testament is the main source, covering more than 500 places. Curley pointed out that Spinoza used Johannes Buxtorf’s version of Old Testament; Immanuel Tremellius’ version of New Testament as the most important; Theodore Beza’s edition of New Testament as complementary. According to the first-hand information of Jetze Toube, the Apocrypha used by Spinoza should be the version of Franciscus Junius’, and he read Babylonian Talmud according to the 15^th-century guide Clavis Talmudica translated by Constantine L’Empereur. Based on these researches in English, not only a solid foundation could be established, but also we may learn the target and philosophy of Spinoza’s Biblical Criticism.