"A Jew and an Atheist"
Baruch Spinoza, born Benedito de Espinosa, 24 November 1632 – 21 February 1677, was a Dutch philosopher of Sephardi/Portuguese origin.
Spinoza's given name varies among different languages: Hebrew: ברוך שפינוזה Baruch Spinoza, Portuguese: Benedito or Bento de Espinosa and Latin: Benedictus de Spinoza; in all these languages, the given name or its etymology means "Blessed". Spinoza was raised in the Portuguese Jewish community in Amsterdam. He developed highly controversial ideas regarding the authenticity of the Hebrew Bible and the nature of the Divine.
On 27 July 1656, the Talmud Torah congregation of Amsterdam issued a writ of cherem (Hebrew: חרם) a kind of ban, curse, ostracism, expulsion, or excommunication from Jewish society against the 23-year-old Spinoza. His books were also later put on the Catholic Church's Index of Forbidden Books.
Spinoza lived an outwardly simple life as a lens grinder, turning down rewards and honours throughout his life, including prestigious teaching positions. He died at the age of 44 allegedly of a lung illness, perhaps tuberculosis or silicosis exacerbated by fine glass dust inhaled while grinding optical lenses. He is buried in the churchyard of the Christian Nieuwe Kerk in The Hague.
Here the original text in Portugues of the Cherem, the Curse :
Nota do Herem que se publicou da Theba em 6 de Ab, contra Baruch Espinoza.
OS SSres do Mahamad fazem saber a vm´s: como ha diaz que tendo noticia das ma's opinioins e obras de Baruch de Espinoza procurarão per differentes caminhos e promessas, Retiralo de seus ma'os caminhos, e não Podendo remedialo, antes pello contrario, tendo cada dia mayores noticias das horrendas heregias que praticaua & ensinaua, e ynormes obras que obraua, tendo disto muitas testemunhas fidedignas que depugerão e testemunharão tude em Prezensa de ditto Espinoza deque ficou conuensido, o qual tudo examinado em prezensa dos ssres Hahamim, deliberarão, com seu paraçer que ditto espinoza seja enhermado e apartado da naçao de Jsrael como actualmente o poin em herem, com o Herem seguinte, Com sentença dos Anjos com ditto dos santos nos Emhermanos apartamos e maldisoamos e praguejamos a Baruch de espinoza con consemtimto del D:B: e consentimto de todo este K:K: diante dos santos sepharim estes, com os seis centos e treze preceitos que estão escrittos nelles, com o herem que enheremou Jehosuah a Yeriho, com a maldissão que maldixe Elisah a os mossos, e com todas as maldisois que estão escrittas na Ley, malditto seja de dia e malditto seja de noute, malditto seja em seu deytar, e malditto seja em seu leuantar, malditto elle em seu sayr, e malditto elle em seu entrar, não querara A: perdoar a elle que entonces fumeara o furor de A: e seu zelo neste homen, e yazera nelle todas as maldisois as escrittas no libro desta Ley; E arrematara A: a seu nome debaixo dos ceos, E apartaloa A: para mal de todos os tribus de Ysrael, com todas as maldisois do firmamento as escritas no Libro da Ley esta, E vos os apegados com A: voso Ds viuos todos vos oje.
Advirtindo que ningem Ihe pode fallar Bocalmte nem por escritto nem dar Ihe nenhum favor, nem debaixo de tecto estar com elle, nem junto de quatro couadas, nem leer Papel algum feito ou escritto per elle.
English translation :
The Senhores of the Ma’amad having long known of the evil opinions and acts of Baruch de Spinoza, they have endeavored by various means and promises, to turn him from his evil ways. But having failed to make him mend his wicked ways, and, on the contrary, daily receiving more and more serious information about the abominable heresies which he practiced and taught and about his monstrous deeds, and having for this numerous trustworthy witnesses who have deposed and borne witness to this effect in the presence of the said Espinoza, they became convinced of the truth of this matter; and after all of this has been investigated in the presence of the honorable chachamim they have decided, with their consent, that the said Espinoza should be excommunicated and expelled from the people of Israel.
By decree of the angels and by the command of the holy men, we excommunicate, expel, curse and damn Baruch de Espinoza, with the consent of God, Blessed be He, and with the consent of the entire holy congregation, and in front of these holy scrolls with the 613 precepts which are written therein; cursing him with the excommunication with which Joshua banned Jericho and with the curse which Elisha cursed the boys and with all the castigations which are written in the Book of the Law. Cursed be he by day and cursed be he by night; cursed be he when he lies down and cursed be he when he rises up. Cursed be he when he goes out and cursed be he when he comes in. The Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven. And the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law. But you that cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day.
Be warned, no one should communicate with him, neither in writing, nor accord him any favor nor stay with him under the same roof nor [come] within four cubits in his vicinity; nor shall he read any treatise composed or written by him.
"A Jew and an Atheist"
Baruch Spinoza, born Benedito de Espinosa, 24 November 1632 – 21 February 1677, was a Dutch philosopher of Sephardi/Portuguese origin.
Spinoza's given name varies among different languages: Hebrew: ברוך שפינוזה Baruch Spinoza, Portuguese: Benedito or Bento de Espinosa and Latin: Benedictus de Spinoza; in all these languages, the given name or its etymology means "Blessed". Spinoza was raised in the Portuguese Jewish community in Amsterdam. He developed highly controversial ideas regarding the authenticity of the Hebrew Bible and the nature of the Divine.
On 27 July 1656, the Talmud Torah congregation of Amsterdam issued a writ of cherem (Hebrew: חרם) a kind of ban, curse, ostracism, expulsion, or excommunication from Jewish society against the 23-year-old Spinoza. His books were also later put on the Catholic Church's Index of Forbidden Books.
Spinoza lived an outwardly simple life as a lens grinder, turning down rewards and honours throughout his life, including prestigious teaching positions. He died at the age of 44 allegedly of a lung illness, perhaps tuberculosis or silicosis exacerbated by fine glass dust inhaled while grinding optical lenses. He is buried in the churchyard of the Christian Nieuwe Kerk in The Hague.
Here the original text in Portugues of the Cherem, the Curse :
Nota do Herem que se publicou da Theba em 6 de Ab, contra Baruch Espinoza.
OS SSres do Mahamad fazem saber a vm´s: como ha diaz que tendo noticia das ma's opinioins e obras de Baruch de Espinoza procurarão per differentes caminhos e promessas, Retiralo de seus ma'os caminhos, e não Podendo remedialo, antes pello contrario, tendo cada dia mayores noticias das horrendas heregias que praticaua & ensinaua, e ynormes obras que obraua, tendo disto muitas testemunhas fidedignas que depugerão e testemunharão tude em Prezensa de ditto Espinoza deque ficou conuensido, o qual tudo examinado em prezensa dos ssres Hahamim, deliberarão, com seu paraçer que ditto espinoza seja enhermado e apartado da naçao de Jsrael como actualmente o poin em herem, com o Herem seguinte, Com sentença dos Anjos com ditto dos santos nos Emhermanos apartamos e maldisoamos e praguejamos a Baruch de espinoza con consemtimto del D:B: e consentimto de todo este K:K: diante dos santos sepharim estes, com os seis centos e treze preceitos que estão escrittos nelles, com o herem que enheremou Jehosuah a Yeriho, com a maldissão que maldixe Elisah a os mossos, e com todas as maldisois que estão escrittas na Ley, malditto seja de dia e malditto seja de noute, malditto seja em seu deytar, e malditto seja em seu leuantar, malditto elle em seu sayr, e malditto elle em seu entrar, não querara A: perdoar a elle que entonces fumeara o furor de A: e seu zelo neste homen, e yazera nelle todas as maldisois as escrittas no libro desta Ley; E arrematara A: a seu nome debaixo dos ceos, E apartaloa A: para mal de todos os tribus de Ysrael, com todas as maldisois do firmamento as escritas no Libro da Ley esta, E vos os apegados com A: voso Ds viuos todos vos oje.
Advirtindo que ningem Ihe pode fallar Bocalmte nem por escritto nem dar Ihe nenhum favor, nem debaixo de tecto estar com elle, nem junto de quatro couadas, nem leer Papel algum feito ou escritto per elle.
English translation :
The Senhores of the Ma’amad having long known of the evil opinions and acts of Baruch de Spinoza, they have endeavored by various means and promises, to turn him from his evil ways. But having failed to make him mend his wicked ways, and, on the contrary, daily receiving more and more serious information about the abominable heresies which he practiced and taught and about his monstrous deeds, and having for this numerous trustworthy witnesses who have deposed and borne witness to this effect in the presence of the said Espinoza, they became convinced of the truth of this matter; and after all of this has been investigated in the presence of the honorable chachamim they have decided, with their consent, that the said Espinoza should be excommunicated and expelled from the people of Israel.
By decree of the angels and by the command of the holy men, we excommunicate, expel, curse and damn Baruch de Espinoza, with the consent of God, Blessed be He, and with the consent of the entire holy congregation, and in front of these holy scrolls with the 613 precepts which are written therein; cursing him with the excommunication with which Joshua banned Jericho and with the curse which Elisha cursed the boys and with all the castigations which are written in the Book of the Law. Cursed be he by day and cursed be he by night; cursed be he when he lies down and cursed be he when he rises up. Cursed be he when he goes out and cursed be he when he comes in. The Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven. And the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law. But you that cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day.
Be warned, no one should communicate with him, neither in writing, nor accord him any favor nor stay with him under the same roof nor [come] within four cubits in his vicinity; nor shall he read any treatise composed or written by him.