Theological-Political Treatise

This book by Baruch [a.k.a. Benedict de] Spinoza is a fascinatingly ahead-of-its-time text, also being a landmark work in the history of biblical criticism. It was widely banned by Catholic & Protestant churches alike during his lifetime, but still went on to have massive widespread impact nonetheless - both in terms of modern approaches to scripture, and the political philosophy it expounds in direct relation to this. While nowhere near as systematic & holistic as Spinoza's more famous work Ethics, the Tractatus Theologio-Politicus [as it was originally titled in Latin] remains a compelling (and surprisingly readable) work of thorough & coherent thought.

   That's the book introduced - what does it actually go through?

• The first three chapters deal with prophecy - its nature as speaking on behalf of God, the individual vocation of the prophet as one with a strong sense of morality & clarity of imagination, and finally a consideration of whether this spiritual phenomenon can be said to be unique to the Hebrews.
• Chapters three & four explore the nature of divine law, as well as the function that religious ceremonies play in rooting communities to the historical narratives that underpin their religious self-understanding.
• Chapter six questions the reality and (more interestingly) necessity [or not] of miracles - Spinoza met C.S. Lewis in my brain & they had a very interesting conversation as I read this one.
• Chapter seven digs into the complicated subjective-trying-to-be-objective process by which scripture is interpreted.
• The next three chapters argue that most of the historical narrative books of the Old Testament almost certainly weren't written by the people they are traditionally attributed to, and makes tentative suggestions as to when & by whom they were most likely to have actually been written.
• Chapter eleven turns to the New Testament to ask whether the epistles of the apostles were written from prophetic insight or mere contextually-appropriate teaching.
• Chapters twelve through fifteen explore the ontological & epistemological questions raised by the concept of Holy Scripture, how it can be known as such; the purpose of scripture as moral law in its transcendent simplicity; the distinction between faith & philosophy, and finally that theology & reason should never be subordinated to one another but work best employed hand-in-hand as we approach Holy Scripture.
• The final five chapters are where we get the meat of the political conclusions of Spinoza's arguments - we start with defining the state in relation to power & individuals, then explore how these concepts manifested [for good or ill] in the biblical history of the Hebrew nation-state, before making the case for a secular liberal democracy* in which everyone is free to think what they think & say it without repercussion from the state.

   So yeh - this book covers a lot of ground, and makes its arguments as carefully as it does convincingly. Anyone interested in political philosophy as it relates to religion in particular would find this an essential read: I certainly feel as though my approach to engaging with scripture has been sharpened & deepened even as it has become in some aspects looser & hazier - Spinoza here isn't trying to win converts to any given body of doctrine, merely encourage critical thinking, in both the religious & political spheres, and if he is making any polemic at all it is toward rulers of states to enact & uphold civil liberties in matters of individual faith.

* Take that, John Stuart Mill - old Baruch beat you to your core thesis almost two centuries earlier!

the Abolition of Man

This book is a trio of lectures by C.S. Lewis on the proper relationship between Nature & Truth, and as such the threats of subjectivism & scientism. I've read it for this blog before (see previous post) and I don't think I have all too much to add - I still think Lewis is far stronger as a rational apologist than as a full-weight philosopher of any ilk, but I do think on my previous reading I was a bit harsh on him.* This is far from the best text out there dealing with its themes, but as a series of essays introducing the topic to a lay audience, I think it paints a coherent and valuable picture. The uneasy contrast posited between tradition & progressivism especially upon this reading struck me as rather salient, even bespeaking some possible influence from Owen Barfield's Lucifer-Ahriman dynamic, which seemed to be lurking behind some of Lewis's points. I think Lewis in his polemic here is a little dramatic, seeing in modernism particularly (one shudders to think what he would have actually made of postmodernism had he lived to see it bear its fruits) the basic erasure of everything that roots us to our humanity, but nonetheless taken with a pinch of salt this is a very thought-provoking & interesting sketch.

* I think having read That Hideous Strength last year softened me substantially, as there Lewis develops the ideas of these essays to a fictional conclusion that I found to be very convincingly satisfactory indeed.

When the Trees Say Nothing

This book, edited & introduced by Kathleen Deignan,* is a curation of extracts from 20th-century mystic monk Thomas Merton's voluminous writings - specifically those that ruminate on the spiritual life we have in & with the natural world. These extracts are split into eight chapters: firstly, general reflections on what it means to know living things; then the seasons [autumn, winter, spring, summer]; the elements [earth, air, fire, water]; the firmament [sky & clouds, sun & moon, planets & stars]; creatures [butterflies & birds, rams & lambs, rodents & rabbits, horses & cattle, snakes & frogs, deer & dogs, bees & bugs]; festivals [rain, flowers, trees]; then finally the presence of mountains & the sanctuary of forests. I really enjoyed this book - it's a doxology of experience rather than any kind of systematized argument or collection of points. If you're a Christian who doesn't take creation with the seriousness, reverence & joy it deserves, this book will nudge you in a healthier direction - and vice versa if you're a non-Christian nature-lover who doesn't take the God who is present in all creation with the seriousness, reverence & joy He deserves! Overall a very pleasant & spiritually-edifying read, and it's made me hungry to seek out some of Merton's other works.

* And illustrated by John Giuliani - though I have to say, while the pictures are nice, there isn't many of them, and the prose is already so beautifully descriptive & thus immersive that they don't really serve to add much.

A Bit Lost

This book by Chris Haughton is a lift-the-flap illustrated adventure. I read it to my friend Dave's 2-1/4 year old son, who, when I visited Dave earlier today for a long overdue catchup, no sooner than I had been presented with a cup of tea & settled myself upon the sofa, demanded (very nicely, mind you) that I read it to him. And I have to say, for a book to read with/to children under the age of four or so, it's not bad at all!

   In it, our protagonist Little Owl falls out of his* tree. He panics, but soon meets a squirrel, who determines to help him re-find his mother. Due to the limitations of linguistic description, Squirrel leads Little Owl, one-by-one, into contact with a Bear, a Rabbit, and a Frog - obviously none of whom are Mummy Owl. Then finally, with Frog's input, Squirrel guesses correctly, and Little & Mummy Owls are reunited. The story closes with Squirrel & Frog being invited back to the Owls' nest for biscuits (it is unclear why Bear & Rabbit aren't invited, but I guess they weren't as immediately helpful as Frog was). Simple story, well-phrased for children learning their way around books, and the illustration style (which is by the author, I gather) is delightful. A great book for very young children.

* Little Owl is simply referred to throughout as Little Owl, with no pronouns being used, so I assume it's fair to say he could just as easily be she, but I was reading it to a young boy so that's where the character placement found itself in my head.