Skip to content
The ConsciousLibrary
Theological-Political Treatise — Baruch Spinoza

Reading room

Theological-Political Treatise

Baruch Spinoza

A defence of the freedom to philosophise in twenty chapters. The first fifteen subject the Bible to historical and philological examination: prophecy as imagination, the election of the Hebrews as political prosperity, miracles as ignorance of causes, the authorship of the Pentateuch and the historical books, the method of interpreting Scripture by Scripture itself. The last five ground the state in natural right, identified with power, analyse the Hebrew theocracy and conclude that the end of the state is freedom and that everyone must be able to think what he wishes and say what he thinks. It is one of the founding works of modern biblical criticism and of liberal and democratic political thought.

Start readingAbout the book

English

Translated by Robert Willis · 23 chapters · 9 h reading

  1. 1Introduction25′
  2. 2Preface18′
  3. 3Chapter 131′
  4. 4Chapter 232′
  5. 5Chapter 328′
  6. 6Chapter 423′
  7. 7Chapter 525′
  8. 8Chapter 634′
  9. 9Chapter 742′
  10. 10Chapter 826′
  11. 11Chapter 926′
  12. 12Chapter 1021′
  13. 13Chapter 1115′
  14. 14Chapter 1218′
  15. 15Chapter 1312′
  16. 16Chapter 1416′
  17. 17Chapter 1517′
  18. 18Chapter 1626′
  19. 19Chapter 1746′
  20. 20Chapter 1815′
  21. 21Chapter 1923′
  22. 22Chapter 2018′
  23. 23Appendix10′

French

Translated by Émile Saisset · 22 chapters · 8 h reading

  1. 1Préface17′
  2. 2Chapitre 128′
  3. 3Chapitre 230′
  4. 4Chapitre 326′
  5. 5Chapitre 424′
  6. 6Chapitre 523′
  7. 7Chapitre 632′
  8. 8Chapitre 741′
  9. 9Chapitre 824′
  10. 10Chapitre 924′
  11. 11Chapitre 1021′
  12. 12Chapitre 1115′
  13. 13Chapitre 1217′
  14. 14Chapitre 1311′
  15. 15Chapitre 1415′
  16. 16Chapitre 1517′
  17. 17Chapitre 1625′
  18. 18Chapitre 1742′
  19. 19Chapitre 1814′
  20. 20Chapitre 1922′
  21. 21Chapitre 2018′
  22. 22Notes marginales de Spinoza23′

Latin

· 21 chapters · 6 h reading

  1. 1Praefatio11′
  2. 2Caput I20′
  3. 3Caput II21′
  4. 4Caput III18′
  5. 5Caput IV16′
  6. 6Caput V16′
  7. 7Caput VI22′
  8. 8Caput VII28′
  9. 9Caput VIII16′
  10. 10Caput IX16′
  11. 11Caput X14′
  12. 12Caput XI10′
  13. 13Caput XII12′
  14. 14Caput XIII8′
  15. 15Caput XIV10′
  16. 16Caput XV12′
  17. 17Caput XVI17′
  18. 18Caput XVII29′
  19. 19Caput XVIII9′
  20. 20Caput XIX15′
  21. 21Caput XX12′
Theological-Political Treatise by Baruch Spinoza — full text · The Conscious Library