Spinoza, Atheist is a 2023 book by Steven Nadler in which he argues that Spinoza was an atheist; that his philosophy was a form of pantheism; that God does not exist; that what we call God is nothing more than nature; and that Spinoza was a symbol of free thought and secular modernity.

He was convinced that Spinoza rejected what many think is the biblical conception of the deity: God intervenes in history, performs miracles, rewards, punishes, and listens to prayers. In its place, Spinoza proposed that God does not exist and that the universe is governed entirely by unthinking nature. He thinks that the many modern ideas concerning religious tolerance, freedom of thought, secular government, and scientific rationalism owe a debt to Spinoza’s daring philosophy. According to Nadler, Spinoza is a hero of the Enlightenment.

He is likely correct that Spinoza was convinced that God does not intervene in history, perform miracles, reward, punish, or listen to prayers – other Jewish thinkers said the same thing while never denying God’s existence. But he is clearly wrong to suppose that when Spinoza said we can see God in nature, he meant God does not exist.

There is substantial evidence that, despite being intelligent, Professor Nadler was mistaken in his understanding of the ambiguous statement. He failed to realize that Spinoza was reflecting a long-held Jewish understanding.

In Exodus 33:18-23, Moses pleads with God, “Please show me Your glory.” God responds that Moses cannot see His face, “for no man can see Me and live.” Instead, God places Moses in a cleft of a rock, covers him with His hand as His glory passes by, and then removes His hand so that Moses can see His “back” (Hebrew: achoray), while His face remains hidden.

Jewish tradition strictly avoids anthropomorphism (ascribing physical traits to God) and interprets this story through philosophical and allegorical lenses.........

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