Download or read book Spinoza and the Irrelevance of Biblical Authority written by J. Samuel Preus and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2009-01-11 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Spinoza's Theological-Political Treatise (1670) is a landmark both in democratic political theory and in the history of biblical interpretation. J. Samuel Preus highlights Spinoza's achievement by reading the Treatise in the context of a literary conflict among his contemporaries about biblical interpretation. Preus' exposition of neglected primary sources surrounding Spinoza's work offers new evidence regarding his rhetorical strategy and intent in the Treatise. The book provides not only a valuable contribution to Spinoza scholarship but an important account of the origins of modern methods of biblical interpretation.