This study investigates the biblical criticism of Spinoza from the perspective of the Dutch Reformed society in which the philosopher lived and worked. It focuses on philological investigation of the Bible: its words, language, and the historical context in which it originated.

In Renaissance Italy, stones growing inside the kidneys, bladders and gallbladders of people with a reputation of holiness could evoke veneration. Not only did these stones test the saints’ endurance, they were also natural phenomena approaching the miraculous. Yet they never figured as juridically recognized miracles in the canonization proceedings of early modern saints. A medical historical perspective shows why internal stones fascinated contemporaries, but did not constitute formally recognized markers of sanctity. For natural philosophers internal stones were enigmatic in (...) themselves, eliciting awe, but precluding a definitive decision as to whether God intervened directly into the order of nature. (shrink)

This volume widens the scope of research into the relation between religion and Enlightenment. The contributions demonstrate the impact of changing worldviews in a variety of intellectual disciplines and cultural milieus.