BENEDICT DE SPINOZA: Theological-Political Treatise

chapter 8
In which it is shown that the Pentateuch and the books
of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel and Kings were not
written by the persons after whom they are named. 1
The question is then asked whether they were
written by several authors or by one,
and who they were
[1] In the previous chapter we dealt with the foundations and principles
of knowledge of Scripture, and proved that these amount to nothing more
than assembling an accurate history of it.We also showed that the ancients
neglected this form of enquiry, essential though it is, or if they did write
anything about it and handed it down, it has perished through the injury of
time, and thus most of the foundations and principles of this knowledge
118 have disappeared. Now we could live with this if later writers had kept
within proper limits and faithfully passed on to their successors what little
they had received or discovered and not contrived novelties out of their
own heads. For this is how it has come about that the history of the Bible
has remained not only incomplete but also rather unreliable, that is, the
existing basis of our knowledge of the Scriptures is not just too sparse for
us to construct an adequate history, it also teems with errors.
[2] My aim is to correct this situation and remove our prevailing theological
prejudices. But my attempt, I am afraid, may be too late. For the
situation has now almost reached the point that men will not allow themselves
to be corrected on these questions but rather obstinately defend
1 Autographa.
118