Stahlberg_cpi_cb_AUS dd.qxd 9/1/2015 12:02 PM Page 1 S A M E R I C A N U N I V E R S I T Y S T U D I E S t While Spinoza is often interpreted as an early secular or liberal thinker, this a h book argues that such interpretations neglect the senses of order and author- l b e ity that are at the heart of Spinoza’s idea of God. For Spinoza, God is an orga- r g nized and directed totality of all that exists. God is entirely immanent to this totality, to such an extent that all things are fundamentally of God. Appre- ciating the full extent to which God permeates and orders every aspect of S reality, allows the full sense of Spinoza’s theories of tolerance and the social p i contract to come into view. Rather than assuming that human beings n o involved in political relationships are independent, autonomous individu- z a als, for Spinoza they are parts of a larger whole subject to distinct natural ’ s laws. Spinoza maintains that such laws manifest themselves equally and iden- P h tically in the seemingly distinct realms of religion and politics. In this i l o respect, Spinoza’s theories of religion and biblical interpretation are not prop- s o erly secular in character but rather blur the standard boundary between the p religious and the political as they try to recognize and codify the inviolable h y laws of nature—or God. o f D i v i n e O r BEN STAHLBERGreceived his Ph.D. from Syracuse University in New York. d e He is currently Senior Lecturer of Religion at Colgate University in Hamilton, r New York. Spinoza’s Philosophy v i i • 3 of Divine Order 5 3 P E T E R L A M E R I C A N AN G U N I V E R S I T Y www.peterlang.com S T U D I E S BEN STAHLBERG Stahlberg_cpi_cb_AUS dd.qxd 9/1/2015 12:02 PM Page 1 S A M E R I C A N U N I V E R S I T Y S T U D I E S t While Spinoza is often interpreted as an early secular or liberal thinker, this a h book argues that such interpretations neglect the senses of order and author- l b e ity that are at the heart of Spinoza’s idea of God. For Spinoza, God is an orga- r g nized and directed totality of all that exists. God is entirely immanent to this totality, to such an extent that all things are fundamentally of God. Appre- ciating the full extent to which God permeates and orders every aspect of S reality, allows the full sense of Spinoza’s theories of tolerance and the social p i contract to come into view. Rather than assuming that human beings n o involved in political relationships are independent, autonomous individu- z a als, for Spinoza they are parts of a larger whole subject to distinct natural ’ s laws. Spinoza maintains that such laws manifest themselves equally and iden- P h tically in the seemingly distinct realms of religion and politics. In this i l o respect, Spinoza’s theories of religion and biblical interpretation are not prop- s o erly secular in character but rather blur the standard boundary between the p religious and the political as they try to recognize and codify the inviolable h y laws of nature—or God. o f D i v i n e O r BEN STAHLBERGreceived his Ph.D. from Syracuse University in New York. d e He is currently Senior Lecturer of Religion at Colgate University in Hamilton, r New York. Spinoza’s Philosophy v i i • 3 of Divine Order 5 3 P E T E R L A M E R I C A N AN G U N I V E R S I T Y S T U D I E S BEN STAHLBERG Spinoza’s Philosophy of Divine Order SERIES VII THEOLOGY AND RELIGION VOL. 353 This book is a volume in a Peter Lang monograph series. Every volume is peer reviewed and meets the highest quality standards for content and production. PETER LANG New York  Bern  Frankfurt  Berlin Brussels  Vienna  Oxford  Warsaw BEN STAHLBERG Spinoza’s Philosophy of Divine Order PETER LANG New York  Bern  Frankfurt  Berlin Brussels  Vienna  Oxford  Warsaw Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Stahlberg, Ben. Spinoza’s philosophy of divine order / Ben Stahlberg. pages cm. — (American University studies VII. Theology and religion; Vol. 353) Includes bibliographical references. 1.Spinoza, Benedictus de, 1632–1677. I. Title. 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T able of Contents Notations and Abbreviations vii Introduction 1 General Overview 1 Outline 5 The Problem of Agency 9 Chapter One: “The Face of the Whole Universe”: Spinoza’s Idea of God 15 Introduction: God’s Self-Causal Nature 15 Substance 16 Natura Naturans—Natura Naturata 21 The Conditions of Pantheism 23 The Problem of “Finite Modes” 34 Real Distinctions 40 Chapter Two: “A Kingdom Within a Kingdom”: Spinoza on the Individual and the Idea of the Will 51 Introduction: The Problem of the Individual 51 Mind and Body 52 The Order of Desire 62 Common Notions 69 The “Idea” of the Will 74 vi | spinoza’s philosophy of divine order Chapter Three: “Nothing More Useful than Man…”: Spinoza on Politics 83 Introduction 83 Nature’s Laws 84 Reasons for the Political Body 92 The Freedom of Obedience 98 The Conditions of Toleration 110 Chapter Four: “The Supreme Reward of the Divine Law”: Law and Religion in Spinoza 117 Introduction 117 Spinoza’s Theocracy 119 The Love of God 128 Spinoza’s Idea of Hebrew 142 The Politics of Biblical Interpretation 147 Conclusion: “Man Is God to Man” 155 Strauss 157 Levinas 161 Scripture, Servitude, and Sovereignty 168 Notes 177 Bibliography 197 Notations and Abbreviations All parenthetical quotations of Spinoza are taken from Samuel Shirley’s Complete Works of Spinoza. As all “Propositions” from the Ethics are italicized in the text they are left so when quoted. To clarify which of Spinoza’s texts these quotations are drawn from I refer to the specific text within the parentheses by the following abbreviations: TI—Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect ST—Short Treatise on God, Man, and Well-Being PCP—Principles of Cartesian Philosophy E—Ethics TTP—Theological-Political Treatise TP—Political Treatise HG—Hebrew Grammar L—The Letters All Latin quotations from Spinoza are taken from Bendicti de Spinoza opera philo- sophica omina. Edited by August Firedrich Gfroeer. Stuttgart: J.B. Mezleri, 1830. All biblical quotations are, unless otherwise noted, taken from The Jewish Study Bible (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004).