The “Hairy War” (1640-50): Historicizing the bible in the Dutch republic on the Eve of spinoza

Dirk Van Miert*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

This article argues that the textual criticism and historicization of the Bible was not the prerogative of radical thinkers, but was developed within the boundaries of orthodox Calvinism and widely disseminated in the 1640s in the Dutch Republic . Since this biblical philology was of a high standard, it makes little sense to label the time before Spinoza as a “precritical” period . This appears from an analysis of the arguments employed by scholars of different backgrounds during the so-called “Hairy War .” This pamphlet war evolved around the question what the apostle Paul meant when he condemned long hair on men . The article is based on neglected sources, in particular two by the polymath Claudius Salmasius . The controversy made a general public aware of the historicizing methods that scholars employed in the assessment of the biblical text . Twenty-five years later, Spinoza used these same methods for a much more radical agenda.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)415-436
Number of pages22
JournalSixteenth Century Journal
Volume49
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2018

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This article offers a revised version of chapter 6 of The Emancipation of Biblical Philology in the Dutch Republic, 1590-1670 (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 170-92. It was written in the context of the research project Biblical Criticism and Secularization in the Seventeenth Century, financed by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO project no. 3600-25-090).

Publisher Copyright:
© Sixteenth Century Journal Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

Funding

This article offers a revised version of chapter 6 of The Emancipation of Biblical Philology in the Dutch Republic, 1590-1670 (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 170-92. It was written in the context of the research project Biblical Criticism and Secularization in the Seventeenth Century, financed by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO project no. 3600-25-090).

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