Spinoza and the Jewish Question

Abstract

The central topic developed in this essay is Spinoza’s relationship with Judaism in light of the political implications that religion –in general– contains and the particularities of the religious spirit of the “people of the book”. From Hegel to Levinas, Judaism, both old and new, has provided philosophy with a debate as rich in arguments as it is in misunderstandings. This article problematizes the consequences of constructing social identity through a book born of revelation and prophecy, and its participation in maintaining the cohesion of a community that has lived in a diaspora since time immemorial. If, as Spinoza writes in his Theological-Political Treatise, every religion is an invitation to obedience, the practice of excommunication is integral to the rules that maintain the unity of the flock in foreign lands. We also propose to explain the debate around Spinoza in the context of the emergence of fascism and the looming irruption of the holocaust.