Acknowledgments; Preface; 1. Settlement; 2. Abraham and Michael; 3. Bento/Baruch; 4. Talmud Torah; 5. A merchant of Amsterdam; 6. Cherem; 7. Benedictus; 8. A philosopher in Rijnsberg; 9. 'The Jew of Voorburg'; 10. Homo Politicus; 11. Calm and turmoil in the Hague; 12. 'A free man thinks least of all of death'; A note on sources; End notes; Bibliography.
Complete biography of Spinoza based on detailed archival research.
'Few philosophers have elicited so much controversy as Spinoza. His
life has been obscured by legends on account of the polemics
surrounding his philosophical tenets and the relative paucity of
established facts. Steven Nadler's elegant new biography is an
important step forward; it carefully assesses all the information
available, takes into account the most recent scholarly work, and
integrates the biographical material, Spinoza's philosophy and the
historical background into a fascinating story.' Piet Steenbakkers,
University of Utrecht
'Nadler's biography is superb, the best I know … He puts the
extraordinary man with surprisingly naturalistic ideas against the
historical background and in discussion with contemporaries as well
as with the reader.' Wim Klever, University of Rotterdam
'A rich and illuminating biography of one of philosophy's most
intriguing thinkers. Nadler deftly weaves together the details of
Spinoza's life and thought, tracing his passage from the Sephardic
community of his youth to the works of his maturity. The result is
an exceptional book - eminently readable and based on the best
recent scholarship.' Donald Rutherford, Emory University
'Nadler paints the historical milieu in vivid colours, while
ferreting out the tiniest details of a philosopher's day.' The
Guardian
'Whether we wish to learn about the Sephardic community in
Amsterdam in the seventeenth century, or discover the background to
Spinoza's thought, this is the book to read.' Expository Times
'… splendidly researched … eminently readable and accessible even
to those who have never read anything of philosophy, this book
offers both an excellent summation of Spinoza's ideas and an
equally fine description of life in the Jewish and Christian
communities of seventeenth-century Amsterdam and other parts of the
Netherlands in a Golden Age that was also a period of political
religious, and social strife.' The Jerusalem Post
'… the picture Nadler paints of the intellectual life of
seventeenth-century Amsterdam (and in particular of its Jewish
community) is vivid, and his outlines of Spinoza's works are
helpful and clear.' Practical Philosophy
'Periodically one embarks upon the reading of a book for a
particular reason only to discover that the treasures awaiting
discovery in the book far exceed expectations. Such is the reading
to Steven Nadler's biography of Burach Spinoza. … perceptive
insights into the life of Spinoza. … a remarkable foray into the
middle-seventeenth-century life of Amsterdam … as the reader
peruses its pages, he is almost able to feel the pressures that
Spinoza felt and to see the life of the Dutch countryside and even
to inhale its scents. For someone looking for a vivid picture of
post-Reformation Europe as well as a fabulous biography of a lonely
thinker whose influence is now increasing in our own era, I commend
without reservation Steven Nadler's Spinoza: A Life.' Paige
Patterson, Faith and Mission
'This is the first full-length biography of Spinoza to appear in
English, and as such it must be welcomed. It contains admirably
lucid analyses of Spinoza's writings and thought, so one could
hardly wish for a better introduction.' Heythrop Journal
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