From Biblical Truth to the Truth About the Bible: Spinoza and the End of Scriptural Philosophy

This article examines Spinoza’s confrontation with the religious traditions of scriptural philosophy and his effort to disentangle philosophy from biblical exegesis, and vice versa. By reading the Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect alongside the Theological-Political Treatise, it argues that Spinoza’s path to philosophy arises primarily from a reflection on the “true good” through the recognition of the futility of certain aspects and conventional “goods” of ordinary life. At the same time, it is shaped by his original and critical engagement with biblical and Pharisaic-rabbinic themes. The study highlights his critique of Pharisaic-rabbinic exclusivism and its interpretation of the biblical doctrine of chosenness, his rejection of philosophical-allegorical exegesis, and his polemic against theologians who subordinate Scripture to Neoplatonic and Aristotelian speculation. Against these traditions, Spinoza advances what may be called a dual liberation. On one side, philosophy (freed from theological tutelage) claims geometric certainty in uncovering the necessary order of nature and in guiding human beings toward genuine happiness and blessedness. On the other, Scripture (released from speculative distortions) regains its divine character and usefulness, preserving its dignity and authority through the universal moral precepts of justice and charity. Ultimately, the article argues that Spinoza brings scriptural philosophy to an end by exposing the contradictions inherent in all attempts to reconcile revelation with philosophy, and by inaugurating a new philosophical project (an ethics grounded in ontology) together with a hermeneutic science founded on historical-critical exegesis. This dual liberation stands out as one of Spinoza’s most enduring contributions within the framework of modern thought.