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A Book Forged in Hell: Spinoza’s Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular Age Audiobook
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The story of one of the most important—and incendiary—books in Western history
When it appeared in 1670, Baruch Spinoza’s Theological-Political Treatise was denounced as the most dangerous book ever published—“godless,” “full of abominations,” “a book forged in hell … by the devil himself.” Religious and secular authorities saw it as a threat to faith, social and political harmony, and everyday morality, and its author was almost universally regarded as a religious subversive and political radical who sought to spread atheism throughout Europe. Yet Spinoza’s book has contributed as much as the Declaration of Independence or Thomas Paine’s Common Sense to modern liberal, secular, and democratic thinking.
In A Book Forged in Hell, Steven Nadler tells the fascinating story of this extraordinary book: its radical claims and their background in the philosophical, religious, and political tensions of the Dutch Golden Age, as well as the vitriolic reaction these ideas inspired.
It is not hard to see why Spinoza’s Treatise was so important or so controversial or why the uproar it caused is one of the most significant events in European intellectual history. In the book, Spinoza became the first to argue that the Bible is not literally the word of God but rather a work of human literature; that true religion has nothing to do with theology, liturgical ceremonies, or sectarian dogma; and that religious authorities should have no role in governing a modern state. He also denied the reality of miracles and divine providence, reinterpreted the nature of prophecy, and made an eloquent plea for toleration and democracy.
A vivid story of incendiary ideas and vicious backlash, A Book Forged in Hell will interest anyone who is curious about the origin of some of our most cherished modern beliefs.
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“Spinoza’s…deconstruction of the Bible remains a towering achievement, a triumph of reason over ecclesiastical obfuscation. Nadler is to be applauded for making this achievement so accessible. God knows, the world still needs such enlightenment.”
— Jewish Chronicle
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“Without comparison the best among the available books on Spinoza in this category.”
— British Journal for the History of Philosophy -
“A thoroughly engaging study of a book which, not only controversial in its day, may be said to have moved Biblical studies into a modern terminology and thrust. It will be a welcome addition to seminary and university libraries.”
— Association of Jewish Library Reviews -
“A groundbreaking analysis of an incendiary text.”
— Booklist -
“[Nadler] has definitely succeeded in writing an extremely rewarding and engaging book.”
— Library Journal -
“The wide context that Nadler provides makes for a reading of Spinoza’s treatise which is unfailingly rich, nuanced, and illuminating.”
— Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of Betraying Spinoza
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About Steven Nadler
Steven Nadler is an American author and philosopher specializing in early modern philosophy. His books include Rembrandt’s Jews, which was a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction, and Spinoza: A Life, which won the Koret Jewish Book Award. He is the William H. Hay II Professor of Philosophy and Evjue-Bascom Professor in Humanities, and from 2004 to 2009, he was the Max and Frieda Weinstein-Bascom Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
About the Narrators
John Lescault, a native of Massachusetts, is a graduate of the Catholic University of America. He lives in Washington, DC, where he works in theater.
John Lescault, a native of Massachusetts, is a graduate of the Catholic University of America. He lives in Washington, DC, where he works in theater.