[1/2] Spinoza, the man who killed God

2024-01-22T04:16:09.162Z

Highlights: On the occasion of the release of José Rodrigues Dos Santos' latest novel, “Spinoza, the man who killed God” published by Hervé Chopin, Virginie Girod tells you about the destiny of this thinker with revolutionary doctrine. At 24, Spinoza is already an outcast. His positions deeply divide the Yeshiva and the rabbis ask him to fall into line. Juan de Prado is a deist and frees himself from dogmas; he thus refutes the idea of ​​any salvation in paradise.

If Spinoza's work is well known, his life is much less so. However, the personal history of the philosopher allows us to understand his thinking. On the occasion of the release of José Rodrigues Dos Santos' latest novel, “Spinoza, the man who killed God” published by Hervé Chopin, Virginie Girod tells you about the destiny of this thinker with revolutionary doctrine. Baruch Spinoza was born in Amsterdam in 1632. His family, Jews from Portugal, found refuge there to escape forced conversions. The United Provinces, ancestors of the Netherlands, are a Republic without a state religion which prospers thanks to the development of trade. Spinoza's father was himself a wealthy merchant, who provided his sons with an excellent education. The young Spinoza would have attended the Jewish school, before turning to the lessons of a former Jesuit, Franciscus Affinius Van den Enden, who was excommunicated because of his too free thinking. It is even said that Van den Enden is an atheist, a scandal in the 17th century! On the death of his father, Baruch Spinoza took over the family business but study and philosophy retained an essential place in his life through the Yeshivah Keter Torah, a higher Hebrew school where sacred texts were studied. There he meets Doctor Juan de Prado, a meeting that will change his life. Juan de Prado is a deist and frees himself from dogmas; he thus refutes the idea of ​​any salvation in paradise. His positions deeply divide the Yeshiva and the rabbis ask him to fall into line. Juan de Prado complies, but Spinoza continues to defend his ideas. Offended, the Jewish community of Amsterdam asked him to make amends but Spinoza preferred to remain faithful to his freedom of thought. Faced with his obstinacy, the council of Elders pronounces his Herem, his excommunication. At 24, Spinoza is already an outcast. Topics covered: philosophy, Spinoza, Jewish religion, theology