JWST 354 - Seminar: Spinoza: Heresy and Modern Judaism

3 HU, WR
Second Semester. The great modern philosopher and bible critic Baruch Spinoza (1632-77) was excommunicated by the Jewish community of Amsterdam and is often described as the first modern or secular Jew. This seminar will examine Spinoza’s writings, especially the Tractatus Theologico-Politicus, and writings about Spinoza. It will focus not only on Spinoza’s life and thought but the way in which he anticipated some of the central issues of Jewish modernity, such as the authority of religious tradition and the question of Jewish identity in the modern state. This course is cross-referenced with RELG 354.

Prerequisites & Notes
Next offered 2006-2007
Consent of instructor required.
Enrollment Limit: 15.
Mr. Socher

Credits: 3 hours