Epistolae (Spinoza)

The Epistolae (Spinoza) are the correspondence of the Dutch philosopher Benedictus de Spinoza (1633-1677) with a number of well-known learned men and with Spinoza's admirers. 88 letters about mostly philosophical subjects have been preserved: 50 by Spinoza and 38 by his correspondents, 52 written in Latin and 26 in Dutch.

Letter 27 (number on Gebhardt's list) of Benedictus de Spinoza to Willem van Blijenbergh, written in Voorburg on 3 June 1665. In Dutch. Nationaal Archief, the Hague.
Part of a letter by Benedictus de Spinoza to Henry Oldenburg with a discussion of a mechanical experiment by Descartes, Letter 6 (in both numberings, end of 1661. In Latin.

Spinoza's followers in Amsterdam published the Epistolae after his decease in the Opera Posthuma (Dutch translated edition: De nagelate schriften, 1677)[1] On the title page the author is indicated simply as "B.d.S", with Hamburg instead of Amsterdam as the publisher's location to avoid persecution. The letters concern subjects from the works by Spinoza (for instance infinity and the attributes (properties) of "God", Spinoza's concept of the universe) but also about ghosts and scientific discoveries as the vacuum.

Spinoza preserved the letters he received as well as the rough drafts of the letters he sent. The Dutch project Spinozas Web announced in 2017 that at least 36 further letters of Spinoza had been found.[2]

  • Brief message by Benedictus de Spinoza to the Utrecht professor Johann Georg Graevius, 14 December 1664. In Latin. Gebhardt letter number 49.
  • Letter by Benedictus de Spinoza to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, 9 November 1671. In Latin. Gebhardt letter number 46.
  • B.d.S.: Epistolae doctorum quorumdam virorum, 1677 (Letters of learned men with answers). Published after Benedictus de Spinoza's death.

Quote on friendship

(Benedictus de Spinoza's text in Dutch:) Want voor my van al die dingen, die buyten myn maght syn, geen grooter aght als de eer te moogen hebben, van met luyde, die de waarhyt opreghtlyk beminnen, in verbont van vrientschap te treede, om dat ik geloof, dat wy niets ter werelt, dat buyten onse maght is, gerustigh konnen beminnen, dan sodanige menschen...
(Benedictus de Spinoza, Letter to Willem van Blijenbergh, 5 January 1665, Op de lange bogart, Schiedam)

(Translation) Because to me of all the things that are beyond my power, none is greater than to have the honour to enter into an alliance of friendship with people who love truth sincerely because I believe that we can love nothing beyond our power in the world more safely than such people...

Correspondents

Benedictus de Spinoza's correspondents include,[3] with the years of their letters:

A Dordrecht grain merchant, regent and writer , who corresponded with Spinoza on free will and after Spinoza's death published books opposing his Tractatus Theologico-Politicus and Ethica. Letters WvB to Spinoza (Gebhardt letter number 18: 12-12-1664, 20: 16-01-1665, 22: 19-02-1665, 24: 27-03-1665) and Spinoza to WvB (Gebhardt letter number 19: 05-01-1665, 21, 23: 13-03-1665, 27: 03-06-1665).
  • Albert Burgh (franciscan), 1675
The franciscan Albert Burgh (1650-1708) wrote to Spinoza from Rome to challenge his rationalistic errors and disbelief in Christ. Spinoza's answer is famous: it is ridiculous that the Roman-Catholic Church damns people who are misled by the devil for eternity, while the devil himself is not punished.
In 1676 Leibniz visited Spinoza to discuss metempsychosis/reincarnation as in Pythagoras's work.[5]
Petrus Serrarius (Pieter Serrurier) introduced Oldenburg, secretary of the Royal Society in London, to Spinoza and served as a courier for the letters between Oldenburg and Spinoza.
Spinoza took the initiative for a correspondence with German physicist and mathematician Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, who had studied in Leiden. According to Jonathan Israel Spinoza was inspired and stimulated in his later years by discussions with von Tschirnhaus about free will, human motivation and the mechanical laws of motion of Descartes. Von Tschirnhaus visited Spinoza and through Spinoza came into contact with Henry Oldenburg, secretary of the Royal Society in London.
  • Lambert van Velthuysen, 1671, 1675
The Utrecht physician Lambert van Velthuysen (1622-1685) had criticised Spinoza's concept of God. He accused Spinoza of a blind surrender to Fate: fatalism.[6] The God defined by Spinoza possessed no divine will, so according to Van Velthuysen this God could not be any longer the touchstone for 'good' and 'evil'. Morals and virtue were endangered this way, leading to insecurity. Furthermore, the authority of the Bible was undermined, for when God was not able to procure a moral judgment, the Bible was nothing more than rhetoric. Spinoza was not impressed and sent Van Velthuysen a strongly worded refutation.[7]
Nonetheless Spinoza and Van Velthuysen remained in contact: starting with 1673 they visited regularly and assisted each other with publications. In the conflict of Descartes with the Utrecht theologian Gisbertus Voetius both sided with Descartes.[8]
  • Simon Joosten de Vries, 1663

Table of selected letters

The date of the letter is given with a correction for the Old/New Style dating system. A selection from the letters:[9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

Number[9][11] Gebhardt
number[14]		 From
Sender		 To
Addressee		 Location
Sender		 Day Month Year Subject Language
01 I[9]01 IOldenburg, HenrySpinoza, Benedictus deLondon16/26081661God, extensionLatin
02 II[9]02 IISpinozaOldenburg091661Attributes (properties) of God, Ethica part 1 axioms, theorem 1-4, mistakes by Descartes and Francis Bacon (1561-1626).Latin
03 III[9]03 IIIOldenburgSpinozaLondon27091661Existence of God, Ethica part 1 axioms, promises to send a book by Robert Boyle.Latin
04 IV[9]04 IVSpinozaOldenburg101661Short answers to questions, Spinoza will visit Amsterdam.Latin
05 V[12]05 VOldenburgSpinozaLondon11/21101661Sends Robert Boyle's book: De Nitro, Fluiditate, & Firmitate.Latin
06 VI[12]06 VISpinozaOldenburg1661?Thanks for and comments on Robert Boyle's book De Nitro, Fluiditate, & Firmitate, with sketches.Latin
07 VII[12]07 VIIOldenburgSpinozaBoyle thanks Spinoza through Oldenburg for his comments. B. lacked the time to answer Spinoza himself and had to defend himself against attacks on his books about the pressure and expansion of gases. The Royal Society has been founded. Oldenburg exhorts Spinoza to publish in his own free Dutch Republic (Republic of the Seven United Netherlands).Latin
08 VIII[9]11 XIOldenburgSpinozaLondon03041663Answer to letter 6?Latin
15 XV[9]32 XXXIISpinozaOldenburg111665Coherence of nature, Christiaan HuygensLatin
- [10]-Balling, PieterSpinoza26061664
61 LXI17[10] XVIISpinozaBalling, Pieter20071664
26 XXVI[9]08 VIIIVries, Simon Joosten deSpinozaAmsterdam24021664Discusses Spinoza's work with a group of people.[15] Asks two questions about nature in the Ethica and the opinion of others. Mentions Casearius, Borelli, Tacquet and Clavius. Questions Ethica part 1 theorem 8 remark 3 and theorem 19 remark 2.Latin
27 XXVII[9]09 IXSpinozaVries, de1663Spinoza sorts out various kinds of definitions and explains his opinions.Latin
28 XXVIII[9]10 XSpinozaVries, deRijnsburg1663?Answer on proofs and eternity.Latin
29 XXIX[9]12 XIISpinozaMeijer, Lodewijk20041663InfinityLatin
31 XXXI18 XVIIIBlijenbergh, Willem vanSpinozaDordrecht12121664Opening: "Mijn Heer en onbekende Vrient..."Dutch
32 XXXII19 XIXSpinozaBlijenbergh"Op de Lange bogart"05011665Dutch
33 XXXIII20 XXBlijenberghSpinozaDordrecht16011665Opening: "Mijn Heer en waarde Vrient"Dutch
34 XXXIV21 XXISpinozaBlijenbergh---1665Latin (no Dutch?)
35 XXXV22 XXIIBlijenberghSpinoza"Dordrecht by de groote kerck"19021665Dutch
36 XXXVI23 XXIIISpinozaBlijenberghVoorburg13031665Dutch
37 XXXVII24 XXIVBlijenberghSpinozaDordrecht27031665Dutch
38 XXXVIII27 XXVIISpinozaBlijenberghVoorburg03061665Dutch
39 XXXIX[9]34 XXXIVSpinozaHudde, JohannesVoorburg07011666GodLatin
40 XL[9]35 XXXVSpinozaHuddeVoorburg10041666GodLatin
41 XLI[9]36 XXXVISpinozaHudde?051666GodLatin
42 XLII[9]37 XXXVIISpinozaBouwmeester?, I. B.10061666The best method to acquire knowledge.Latin
50 L[9]50 LSpinozaJelles, Jarig?02061674Difference between Thomas Hobbes and Spinoza on politics and God.Latin
51 LI45 XLVLeibnizSpinozaFrankfurt05 styl101671Latin
52 LII46 XLVISpinozaLeibnizDen Haag/The Hague09111671Latin
61 LXI[9]57 LVIITschirnhaus?Spinoza08101674Difference between Descartes and Spinoza on free will.Latin
62 LXII[9]58 LVIIISpinozaSchuller?101674FreedomLatin
63 LXIII[9]59 LIXTschirnhausSpinoza05011675Calls on Spinoza to publish his books Tractatus de Intellectus Emendatione (Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect) and Ethica, the definition of motion and the difference between true and adequate ideas.Latin
64 LXIV[9]60 LXSpinozaTschirnhaus?011675Difference between true and adequate ideas.Latin
65 LXV[9]63 LXIIISchuller?Spinoza25071675Four questions on the attributes (properties) of God.Latin
66 LXVI[9]64 LXIVSpinozaSchuller?29071675Gives answers concerning the first three applauded books of the Ethica, that should be handed to a friend.Latin
67 LXVII[9]65 LXVTschirnhaus?Spinoza12081675Inquires whether there exist two or more attributes (properties) of God, except extension (mass) and thought.Latin
68 LXVIII[9]66 LXVISpinozaTschirnhaus?18081675Refers to Ethica part 1 theorem 10 and Ethica part 2 theorem 7 Scholium [remark].Latin
69 LXIX[9]80 LXXXTschirnhaus?Spinoza02051676Asks Spinoza to explain his letters on infinity (Letter 29).Latin
70 LXX[9]81 LXXXISpinozaTschirnhaus?05051676Explains his position on infinity.Latin
71 LXXI[9]82 LXXXIITschirnhaus?Spinoza23061676Asks how Spinoza can derive the variety of objects from the extension.Latin
72 LXXII[9]83 LXXXIISpinozaTschirnhaus?15071676Spinoza explains this.Latin
no number84 LXXXIVSpinozaA friend?----About Spinoza's Tractatus politicus.Latin
  • wikisource Epistolae (Benedictus de Spinoza) Epistolae 1-4, 8, other answer op 6, 15, 26-29, 39-42, 50, 61-71, 72? ("LXII" (62) error, should be LXXII (72)?)
  • users.telenet.be/rwmeijer "Index Epistolarum". Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  • spinoza.tk "Epistolae Doctorum Quorundam Virorum Ad B.D.S. Et Auctoris Responsiones Ad aliorum ejus Operum elucidationem non parùm facientes" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2021. PDF of the Latin text.
  • home.kpn.nl/rudolf.meijer "Explanation". Retrieved 7 November 2021. Latin text of an anthology of the letters (Epistolae). Furthermore three works by Benedictus de Spinoza: Ethica ordine geometrico demonstrata, Tractatus de Intellectus Emendatione and Tractatus Politicus.
  • www.spinozaetnous.org "Bienvenue sur l'espace de documentation de Spinoza et Nous". Retrieved 7 November 2021.. Latin text with a French translation, incomplete.

References
  1. Publications by, for example, the Italian publishing house Quodlibet: quodlibet.it Opera posthuma F. Mignini ed., Amsterdam 1677. Photografic reproduction.
  2. "As compared with other philosophers of the period, Spinoza wrote relatively few letters. In the 1677 Opera posthuma, 75 letters were included, both from and to Spinoza, with the explicit intention to clarify his philosophy. Subsequently, several other letters have been discovered, bringing the total number to 88. Preliminary research has now established that at least 36 more letters can be postulated, and many of them dated exactly. This investigation will also correct the chronology. All this is essential for a future critical edition of Spinoza’s correspondence, as planned by the ‘Groupe de recherches spinozistes’." Spinoza’s Web An Outline of the Research Project at its Launch, as from February 2017
  3. spinozaweb.org/letters "Letters". Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  4. Coppens, Gunther (2004) Spinoza et Boxel: Revue de métaphysique et de morale (No. 41), p. 59-72.
  5. Leibniz kept his visit secret. In 1714 he published a moderate vision that reconciled religion and science.
  6. Kuypers, Etienne L.G.E. (1993): Sporen van Spinoza, p. 138 Google Boeken
  7. Coppens, Gunther; Theo Verbeek, Han van Ruler and others (2004) books.google.nl Spinoza en het Dutch cartesianisme (Gunther Coppens, Ed.), Acco, Leuven, p. 61
  8. Krop, Henri: Spinoza en het calvinistisch cartesianisme van Lambertus Van Velthuysen (1622-1685), in: Coppens, Gunther; Theo Verbeek, Han van Ruler e.a. (2004), p. 61-78
  9. wikisource Epistolae (Benedictus de Spinoza)
  10. spinozaweb.org/letters "Letters - Spinoza web". Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  11. users.telenet.be/rwmeijer "Index Epistolarum". Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  12. spinoza.tk "Epistolae Doctorum Quorundam Virorum Ad B. D. S. Et Auctoris Responsiones Ad aliorum ejus Operum elucidationem non parùm facientes. BARUCH DE SPINOZA OPERA Hrsg. von Carl Gebhardt, Heidelberg: Carl Winters, 1925. 4 Bände" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  13. archief.amsterdam "169 Inventaris van het Archief van het Weeshuis der Doopsgezinde Collegianten de Oranjeappel. Brieven van en aan B. de Spinoza, 1663-1676". Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  14. "Epistolarum numeri". On the last two pages is a concordance: "Epistolae Doctorum Quorundam Virorum Ad B. D. S. Et Auctoris Responsiones Ad aliorum ejus Operum elucidationem non parùm facientes. BARUCH DE SPINOZA OPERA Hrsg. von Carl Gebhardt, Heidelberg: Carl Winters, 1925. 4 Bände" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  15. www.spinozaetnous.org Lettre 8. French translation.
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