Yirmiyahu Yovel (1935–2018) was professor emeritus of philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Called by Yovel the first important philosopher of immanence, Spinoza considered God and nature to be identical, a new doctrine that broke radically with Judaism and Christianity. Yovel finds the origin of Spinoza's heterodoxy in the Marranos, from whom he was descended. The Marranos were Spanish Jews who converted to Christianity under compulsion but secretly continued to practice Judaism. The conflicting pressures of following two religions sometimes led to a total collapse of faith, and Yovel describes in a masterly way a tradition of Marrano skepticism. He also illuminates Spinoza's influence on later thinkers. He does not completely clarify the meaning of ``immanence'' and also assumes without much argument that the immanentist position is correct. Nevertheless, this is clearly a work of major significance.-- David Gordon, Bowling Green State Univ. , Ohio
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