Baruch Spinoza Quotes
If any man was compelled by poverty to sell his farm or his pasture, he received it back again intact at the year of the Jubilee.
See {638095} for a brief explanation of the Jubilee. Spinoza was one of the most feared intellectuals in human history—feared that is by the established power structures. He is the only known person who was excommunicated by the Catholics, the Jews and the Muslims—all were forbidden to read his works. He was the enemy of authority and advocated personal reason as the guide for men.
Benedict Spinoza, 1632-1677, Dutch Philosopher, Referring to the Hebrew Republic of the Ancient Jews, Tractatus Politicus, 1677
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
“Slaves” in this passage referred to indentured servants. This concept is referred to as the “Jubilee” where once every 50 years all the land reverted to the original owner or heirs even if it had been rented or sold. Land therefore, was very cheap as the Jubilee year approached, as it would have to be given up. And this command of God made sure that no one could be in servitude forever.
Rev Fobes saw the Jubilee as an instrument that would protect liberty by not allowing people a certain amount of economic freedom. See {638120} for an example of how the Jubilee functioned.
The possession in perpetuity was the result of the Biblical Jubilee. See {638120} for an example of how the Jubilee functioned. Hebrew citizen could NEVER lose his land permanently even if he could not pay his debts. Spinoza was one of the most feared intellectuals in human history—feared that is by the established power structures. He is the only known person who was excommunicated by the Catholics, the Jews and the Muslims—all were forbidden to read his works. He was the enemy of authority and advocated personal reason as the guide for men.
Baruch (de) Spinoza was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese Sephardi origin. One of the early thinkers of the Enlightenment and modern biblical criticism, including modern conceptions of the self and the universe, he came to be considered one of the great rationalists of 17th-century philosophy. Inspired by the groundbreaking ideas of René Descartes, Spinoza became a leading philosophical figure of the Dutch Golden Age. Spinoza's given name, which means "Blessed", varies among different languages. In the Netherlands he used the Portuguese name Bento. In his Latin and Dutch works, he used Latin: Benedictus de Spinoza.
