"The (respective) position of Judaism toward Spinoza coincides with the (respective) position of Europe toward him. However, it does not completely coincide with it. Spinoza played a special role in the Judaism of the past century. When what mattered was the justification of the breakup of the Jewish tradition and the entry of the Jews into modern Europe, perhaps no better, but certainly no more convenient, reference offered itself than the appeal to Spinoza. Who was more suitable for undertaking the justification of modern Judaism before the tribunal of the Jewish tradition, on the one hand, and before the tribunal of modern Europe, on the other, than Spinoza, who, as was almost universally recognized, was a classical exponent of this Europe and who, as one did not grow weary of at least asserting, had thought his thoughts in the spirit of Judaism and by means of Judaism? It is clear that, at a time when modern Europe has been shaken to its foundations, one can no longer justify oneself before this Europe for the sake of Judaism, nor before Judaism for the sake of this Europe, supposing one still wants to do so."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Leo Strauss, Das Testament Spinozas (1932) [original in German]
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Baruch_Spinoza
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Baruch Spinoza
philosopher, Bible translator, grinder of lenses
1632 – 1677 · Dutch Republic
Benedictus de Spinoza (24 November 1632 – 21 February 1677) was a social and metaphysical philosopher known for the elaborate development of his monist philosophy, which has become known as Spinozism. Controversy regarding his ideas led to his excommunication from the Jewish community of his native Amsterdam. He was named Baruch ("blessed" in Hebrew) Spinoza by his synagogue elders and known as Bento de Spinoza or Bento d'Espiñoza, but afterwards used the name Benedictus ("blessed" in Latin) de
517 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Baruch Spinoza →
Related Quotes
"Perhaps then we shall take note that the eternity of substance is not, as Spinoza himself reflected, directly assimil…"
"Spinozism dominated the eighteenth century both in its later French variety, which made matter into substance, and in…"
"Hegel's History of Philosophy presents French materialism as the realization of Spinozistic Substance, which in any c…"
"Even in the case of philosophers who give systematic form to their work, Spinoza for instance, the true inner structu…"
"...But no matter how enamoured one may be with Postmodernist instability of meanings and signification slippage, abso…"
"An important part of Deleuze's oeuvre is devoted to the reading of philosophers: the Stoics, Leibniz, Hume, Kant, Nie…"
"[Spinoza] — A God-intoxicated man. [Original in German: Ein Gottbetrunkener Mensch.]"
"In Hegel there are three elements, Spinoza's Substance, Fichte's Self-Consciousness and Hegel's necessarily antagonis…"
"Herr Bauer picked out French materialism as a school of Spinoza from Hegel's History of Philosophy. But when he found…"
"And what this Lange has to say about the Hegelian method and my application of the same is simply childish. First, he…"