A Book Forged in Hell

Spinoza’s Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular Age

By: Steven Nadler

Narrated by: John Lescault

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.

©2010 Princeton University Press (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing

A great study

The narration is a but dry, but the content of analyzed more then makes up for it.

I need to read the source text now.

What I want in a book about Philosophy

The author isolates some key elements of the Philosopher's thought and deftly describes them in clear language as part of a narrative of Spinoza's life and struggles in publishing one work in particular. It is telling that the author humbly qualifies his work as incomplete and overly committed to vernacular, even as he delivers a really clear description of at least some of Spinoza's thought. Personally I find most Western philosophy obtuse to the point of tedium. I don't need either the polysyllabic, latinate original or the tangled and overly qualified text book style mediation. I need the easy reading "need to know" summary by a competent intermediary. Here it is with bells on.

A book forged in hell.

Very interesting book. Much thought and information clearly presented by an excellent narrator. Well worth the time if you have an interest in Spinoza or just wanted to know more about him.

Outstanding

One of the greatest books about human behavior and the true price of religious authority I’ve ever read.
Spinoza was an evolutionary psychologist and natural philosopher way ahead of his time. Clear minded;
Great work of scholarship.
Narrator was well suited to the subject.
A real keeper in my library!

I really liked it

I was not familiar with Spinozas work and this was a superb audio book to get me up to speed.
I'm giving it 5 stars because the author does a great job of explaining Spinozas publication. One may like or dislike Spinozas writings, but the author and narrator of this book do an extremely good job of presenting that material in a factual light, not pressing any biases.
You certainly learn how Spinoza has influenced our age for better or worse. Great book.