Publicação
Can a myth save? Christ in Spinoza
| Resumo: | The present text is a half-hearted vindication of the Straussian approach to Spinoza’s Theological-political treatise [TTP]. The tension between the concept of salvation as described in the Ethics and the dogma of salvation through obedience, a dogma of which Spinoza says that he is “morally certain”, is analysed. The discussion on the foundations of that certainty turns naturally into a discussion on the prophetic phenomenon. What Spinoza writes regarding prophecy does not give the reader reasons to believe in the truth of the message of the prophets. Christ appears as an exception in the history of Revelation: it seems possible to believe him, he to whom God spoke “from mind to mind”. Some of the difficulties associated with the figure of Christ in Spinoza are taken up, namely to what extent the nature of the revelation he received is coherent with the epistemology outlined in part ii of the Ethics. In order to make sense of the dogma of the “salvation of the ignorant”, I turn to A. Matheron, who studied exhaustively all the possible ways of coupling the dogma with the Spinozistic system. The conclusion is disappointing: the solution put forward by the author is unsatisfying and the most reasonable one among the others that he ponders cannot survive the objections advanced by Matheron himself against it. Thus, one is forced to consider the Straussian hypothesis according to which the TTP is written in two registers, an exoteric and an esoteric one. Spinoza’s confession of faith in salvation through obedience would belong to the exoteric level of the TTP. |
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| Autores principais: | Loureiro, João Diogo R. P. G. |
| Assunto: | Tratado teológico-político Strauss Matheron Profecia Cristo “Salvação dos ignorantes” Theological-political treatise Strauss Matheron Prophecy Christ “Salvation of the ignorant” |
| Ano: | 2019 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | artigo |
| Instituição associada: | Departamento de Línguas e Culturas da Universidade de Aveiro |
| Idioma: | português |
| Origem: | Forma Breve |
| Resumo: | The present text is a half-hearted vindication of the Straussian approach to Spinoza’s Theological-political treatise [TTP]. The tension between the concept of salvation as described in the Ethics and the dogma of salvation through obedience, a dogma of which Spinoza says that he is “morally certain”, is analysed. The discussion on the foundations of that certainty turns naturally into a discussion on the prophetic phenomenon. What Spinoza writes regarding prophecy does not give the reader reasons to believe in the truth of the message of the prophets. Christ appears as an exception in the history of Revelation: it seems possible to believe him, he to whom God spoke “from mind to mind”. Some of the difficulties associated with the figure of Christ in Spinoza are taken up, namely to what extent the nature of the revelation he received is coherent with the epistemology outlined in part ii of the Ethics. In order to make sense of the dogma of the “salvation of the ignorant”, I turn to A. Matheron, who studied exhaustively all the possible ways of coupling the dogma with the Spinozistic system. The conclusion is disappointing: the solution put forward by the author is unsatisfying and the most reasonable one among the others that he ponders cannot survive the objections advanced by Matheron himself against it. Thus, one is forced to consider the Straussian hypothesis according to which the TTP is written in two registers, an exoteric and an esoteric one. Spinoza’s confession of faith in salvation through obedience would belong to the exoteric level of the TTP. |
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