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Vico’s Ring
209
needs to be read. Spinoza himself then identifies this «most uni-
versal» teaching, or the true «meaning», of Scripture as the fol-
lowing: «[…] that God exists one alone and omnipotent, who
alone should be worshipped, who cares for all, who loves above
all others those who worship him and love their neighbors as
themselves. These and similar doctrines […], so […] that no one
has ever been in any doubt as to the meaning on these points».
By anyone’s reckoning, this seems to constitute a modicum of
significance given the synchronic and diachronic scope of Scrip-
ture
462
. However, this mere extract of «meaning» is no accident, it
necessarily follows from Spinoza’s three-tiered epistemic system,
firstly, as the maximum value that can be derived or deduced
from the available Scriptural data that forms the first kind of
knowledge, and secondly, and far more importantly, as
knowledge that is constitutionally, and functionally, subordinat-
ed, and inferior to the third kind of knowledge, «scientia intui-
tiva». His hermeneutical movement or process is governed by
the insights that intuitive knowledge gave into ultimate reality,
and, if it does not completely determine it, it constrains the na-
ture and content of the second kind of knowledge
463
. The imme-
diately following sentence in
TTP
makes explicit the distinction
between «meaning» and «truth» that he alluded to earlier: «But
what God is, in what way he sees and provides for all things and
similar matters, Scripture does not teach formally, and as eternal
doctrine»
464
. Scripture, at best, and in a elementary manner, gets
it right in matters of basic human conduct and standards of be-
havior
465
, but provides no insight into the essence and true caus-
es of reality, «what “God” is», a quest that is accomplished only
in his own philosophical inquiry in
Ethics
, beginning necessarily
«[
c
]
oncerning God»
, (Part I)
466
. As though relegating the residual
«meaning» in Scripture to a subordinate role were not enough, in
the remaining part of this section, Spinoza highlights that estab-
lishment itself of the «meaning» in Scripture is highly problemat-
ic to begin with. His first argument concerns «prophets/