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9.
SPINOZA’S BIBLICAL HERMENEUTICS
AND EPISTEMOLOGY
While our approach to both thinkers is motivated heuristical-
ly, right from the beginning it needs to be acknowledged that in
Vico studies, as well as other early modern studies, as a rule ra-
ther than as an exception, Vico is understood as being heavily
indebted to Spinoza in this particular area of reflection
409
. Rather
than engaging directly and immediately with this assessment, we
will defer any conclusions until after reading and examining cer-
tain aspects of
TTP
as well as of Vico’s “Discovery of the True
Homer”. The so-called “Homeric question”, that is, whether Vi-
co believed in the existence of Homer as an actual historical in-
dividual, and author of the
Iliad
and
Odyssey
, will be considered
only after Vico’s approach to historical material has been suffi-
ciently characterized.
Procedurally, the basis for studying Spinoza’s biblical herme-
neutics used here is principally Chapter 7 (
On the Interpretation of
Scripture
) of
TTP
410
, although the entire
Treatise
411
is devoted to
the subject, thus necessitating some references to other chapters
as well. Since it appears that Spinoza in this chapter presented his
hermeneutical methodology in a certain structured manner, and
carefully thought-out order, we will respect the actual composi-
tional arrangement of the material, and proceed section by sec-
tion
412
.
The first section
413
sets the stage for Spinoza’s entire exposi-
tion with the programmatic statement: «I hold that the method
of interpreting Scripture is no different from the method of in-
terpreting Nature, and is in fact in complete accord with it»
(
TTP
,
p. 87). Spinoza thus stakes a claim to following scientific
principles and procedures in his treatment of the Bible (while al-