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"Library of Leiden University" Historical print illustrating the Leiden University library in 1575, depicting large bookshelves arranged by subject (Theologia, Philosophia, Mathematica) and scholars discussing ideas, demonstrating the centers of Dutch intellectualism.
"Mass baptism in Granada in 1500" Historical painting depicting the forced conversions of Muslims (Moriscos) to Christianity, showing infants and mothers crying as a Catholic priest administers baptism in Granada, illustrating the rise of the Inquisitions.
"Ontological Arguments" Slide Presentation slide featuring a vibrant painting of a burning bush and text summarizing René Descartes' ontological argument that since existence is a perfection, a supremely perfect being (God) must necessarily exist.
"Spinoza's excommunication" and Name Crossed Off Composite image displaying a historical list of Talmud Torah students where Spinoza's name is heavily crossed out with ink lines, paired with a painting depicting Spinoza walking pensively past members of the synagogue.
"The meaning of Transubstantiation..." Photograph showing a priest holding up the consecrated host and chalice during Mass, used to illustrate the theological concept of "substance" vs. physical material.
"The Theology of Spinoza" Title Slide Title graphic showing a large portrait of Baruch Spinoza next to the logo for Centreplace and the presenter's video feed.
"Uriel da Costa speaking in a synagogue" Nineteenth-century painting showing Uriel da Costa standing on a platform, pleading his case or speaking to members of the synagogue congregation who look on skeptically.
1050 CE Hermann of Reichenau describes measuring Earth's spherical circumference with an astrolabe.
1246 CE Composition of L'Image du Monde illustrating antipodal round-earth travel.
1492 CE Christopher Columbus sails westward across the Atlantic under a small-earth miscalculation.
1828 CE Washington Irving publishes his biography of Columbus, creating the flat-earth myth.
1849 / 1865 CE Samuel Rowbotham publishes The Inconsistency of Modern Astronomy and Zetetic Astronomy.
1890 CE John Alexander Dowie arrives in Chicago, holding faith-healing crusades at the 1893 World's Fair.
1893 CE Founding of the Universal Zetetic Society in England following Rowbotham's death.
1900 CE Dowie acquires 6,600 acres north of Chicago and founds the theocratic community of Zion City, IL.
1901 CE Dowie consecrates himself First Apostle and "Elijah the Restorer".
1903 CE Dowie sends Daniel Bryant and P. L. Le Roux to South Africa, initiating African Zionism.
1905–1906 CE Dowie suffers strokes; Voliva exposes financial debts and executes a leadership coup.
1915–1942 CE Voliva mandates flat-earth dogma in Zion's churches and schools and offers the $5,000 prize.
1925 CE Scopes Monkey Trial; Voliva travels to Dayton, TN, offering to testify against evolution.
1937 CE Shiloh Tabernacle in Zion City destroyed by arson; church industries enter bankruptcy.
1956 CE Samuel Shenton establishes the International Flat Earth Research Society in the UK.
240 BCE Eratosthenes calculates Earth’s circumference via solstice solar angles at Alexandria and Syene.
400 CE Macrobius writes his Commentary on the Dream of Scipio defining spherical climate zones.
6th–8th Century BCE Production of the Babylonian Imago Mundi clay tablet representing a flat world disc.
748 CE Pope Zachary rejects the doctrine of human Antipodes on theological/soteriological grounds.
A History of the Afterlife Traces the development of modern ideas about the afterlife, heaven, and hell from pagan origins to the present.
A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus 1828 historical fiction by Washington Irving inventing the Columbus flat-earth myth.
Abrahamic religions Religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) that trace their origin back to the patriarch Abraham and traditionally worship a transcendent, creator God.
Achilles and the Tortoise Paradox Diagram Infographic illustrating Zeno's paradox of motion, demonstrating sequential stages where Achilles pursues but mathematically never passes a tortoise.
Achilles Hero of Greek mythology, featured in Zeno's paradox of motion racing against a tortoise.
African Zionism (amaZioni)
Alberta A province in western Canada, mentioned as a destination where Andrew is going bike riding in Banff.
Amsterdam A major city in the Dutch Republic (modern-day Netherlands) that served as a refuge for dissenting thinkers and religious refugees, and the birthplace of Baruch Spinoza in 1632.
Anselm of Bec Medieval theologian and philosopher who formulated an ontological argument for God's existence.
Azimuthal Equidistant Polar Projection
Babylonian Imago Mundi Diagram
Banff A town and mountain national park located in Alberta, Canada, noted in the lecture as an awe-inspiring natural wonder.
Baruch Blessed (the Hebrew first name of Spinoza)
Baruch Spinoza (Spinoza) Dutch philosopher (1632–1677) known for his monist metaphysics, theology, and his magnum opus Ethics.
Beatus of Liébana Map (Saint-Sever)
Beit Yaakov House of Jacob (the name of the synagogue in Amsterdam)
Belgium A modern European nation, historically corresponding to Flanders, Brabant, Hainaut, and Luxembourg—the Spanish Netherlands reoccupied by Spain during the Eighty Years' War.
Biodiversity The variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat, a high level of which is usually considered to be important and desirable. In the lecture, the speaker notes the rich diversity of life on Earth, specifically mentioning how beavers create incredible amounts of biodiversity when reintroduced to desolate habitats.
Calvinism A major branch of Protestant theology that spread in the Low Countries during the 16th century, leading to iconoclasm and conflict with the Catholic Habsburg rulers.
causa sui Cause of itself / self-causing
Causa sui Latin for "self-causing." A philosophical term indicating something that contains its own cause or reason for being, originating entirely from itself and not dependent on any external cause.
Charles V Habsburg Holy Roman Emperor who inherited a vast empire and fought Protestantism.
cogito, ergo sum I think, therefore I am
Commentary on the Dream of Scipio Late antique astronomical commentary by Macrobius formalizing five latitudinal climate zones.
Compatibilism A philosophical framework proposing that free will and determinism are mutually compatible and can coexist within the same system.
Consubstantiation A theological concept utilizing the philosophical definition of "substance" to describe how different divine entities or persons of the Trinity share the same fundamental substance.
Consubstantiation A theological doctrine regarding the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, where the substance of the bread and wine coexists with the substance of Christ's body and blood.
Conversos Converts (Jews or Muslims who converted to Christianity under duress/incentives in Iberia)
Crypto-Judaism The secret adherence to Judaism while publicly professing another faith. The Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions actively hunted down Conversos suspected of this practice.
De Deo On God (the title of the first part of Spinoza's Ethics)
Determinism The philosophical view that all occurrences, including human actions and choices, are completely determined by previously existing causes or natural laws, rendering the traditional concept of human free will an illusion.
Deus sive Natura God or Nature
Dualism A metaphysical framework, such as Plato's or Descartes' philosophy, which posits that reality consists of two distinct, independent substances (e.g., a transcendent God and a separate creation, or mind and body).
Dutch Republic A confederacy of northern Netherlands provinces (including Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Friesland) that declared independence from Spain and became a haven of religious tolerance and free thought.
Ecclesiastes 1:5
Ecclesiastes 1:5 "The sun rises and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises."
Edwin Curley Philosophy professor at the University of Michigan who specializes in Spinoza.
Empiricism The early modern philosophical tradition, represented by thinkers like John Locke, which asserts that knowledge is not innate but is best acquired through sensory observation and experience of the material world.
Euclid Ancient Greek mathematician writing around 300 BC whose geometric proofs served as a template for Spinoza's Ethics.
Ferdinand King of Aragon who, with Isabella, conquered Granada in 1492 and forced religious conversions or expulsion.
Franciscus van den Enden Former Jesuit and Latin tutor of Spinoza who introduced him to Descartes and proposed a New World radical democratic utopia.
Gall-Peters Projection Map
Genesis 1:6–8
Genesis 1:6–8 Creation of the firmament (raqia) dividing upper and lower cosmic waters on Day Two.
Genesis 1:9–10
Genesis 1:9–10 Gathering of waters under heaven to let dry land appear on Day Three.
Genesis 7:11
Genesis 7:11 Deluge narrative: fountains of the deep burst and windows of heaven open.
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (Leibniz) German rationalist philosopher and mathematician (1646–1716) who argued this is the best of all possible worlds.
Granada The last Muslim state on the Iberian Peninsula, which fell to Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492, prompting the expulsion or forced conversion of Jews and Muslims.
Hamburg A prominent German port city where Uriel da Costa migrated in 1614, openly converted to Judaism, and was eventually excommunicated by Jewish leaders.
Heraclitus Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher who argued everything is in constant flux.
Hildegard of Bingen Cosmic Wheel
Iberian Peninsula A region in southwestern Europe (comprising Spain and Portugal) that was historically divided into Christian and Muslim kingdoms before being unified under Christian rule.
Iconoclast A person who destroys religious images or opposes their veneration. The lecture mentions Calvinist iconoclasts destroying religious statues in Holland.
Imperial Globus Cruciger
Inquisition An ecclesiastical tribunal established by the Catholic Church (specifically the Spanish and Portuguese inquisitions in the lecture) to hunt down and punish heresy and crypto-Judaism.
Isabella Queen of Castile who, with Ferdinand, ordered the expulsion or conversion of Jews and Muslims in 1492.
Isaiah 48:13
Isaiah 48:13 "My hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens."
Job 38:4
Job 38:4 God questions Job: "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?"
John Locke (Locke) Early modern English empiricist philosopher who argued knowledge is gained through observation of the sensible world.
Joshua 10:12–13
Joshua 10:12–13 Joshua commands the sun and moon to stand still in the sky over Gibeon and Aijalon.
L'Image du Monde (Mirror of the World) 1246 encyclopedic text demonstrating that two people circling the globe meet on the other side.
L'Image du Monde Round Earth Miniatures
Leaves of Healing Official weekly periodical of Dowie and Voliva promoting faith healing and flat-earth dogma.
Lisbon The capital city of Portugal, which suffered a devastating earthquake in the generation after Spinoza, famously prompting thinkers to challenge Leibniz's optimism.
Literal reading A method of interpreting a text based on the direct, primary meaning of words, without relying on allegorical, mystical, or subsequent rabbinic interpretations.
Logarithmic Relating to a logarithmic scale or progression; mathematical divisions that decrease or increase exponentially. The speaker references a "logarithmic thing" occurring in Zeno's paradox (Achilles and the Tortoise), where Achilles continuously covers fractional increments of distance but mathematically never catches the tortoise.
Luke 13:10–13
Luke 13:10–13 Healing of the infirm woman on the Sabbath; commemorated in Toronto Centre Place stained glass.
Macrobius Zonal Climate Map
Maimonides Medieval Jewish philosopher whose philosophical definitions of God differ from literal anthropomorphic views.
Malachi 4:5
Malachi 4:5 Prophecy of Elijah's return, claimed by Dowie in his 1901 declaration as "Elijah the Restorer".
Map of Iberia in 1150 and 1300 Dual map showing the shifting political boundaries of the Iberian Peninsula, tracking the Christian kingdoms (León, Castile, Aragon, Portugal) expanding and the Muslim realms shrinking until only Granada remained.
Map of the Dutch Republic and Spanish Netherlands Geographic map detailing the territory of the independent northern United Provinces of the Dutch Republic versus the southern Spanish Netherlands held by the crown of Spain during the Eighty Years' War.
Marranos Swine / Pigs (a pejorative term used for Jewish converts to Christianity)
Martin Luther Protestant Reformer mentioned in comparison to Uriel da Costa for nailing up theses challenging church traditions.
Mercator Projection Map
Metaphysics The branch of philosophy concerned with the fundamental nature of reality, existence, and the underlying principles of the universe, including concepts like substance, cause, and being.
Michael de Spinoza Baruch Spinoza's father, a wealthy Amsterdam merchant and synagogue officer.
Mode In Spinoza's metaphysics, the "affections" or finite and infinite expressions of the single substance. Modes are dependent on the substance (God or Nature) for their existence and conception.
Modern Mechanics / Popular Mechanics 1920s popular science magazines in which Voliva placed advertisements for his $5,000 challenge.
Monism (Radical Monism) The metaphysical position asserting that all of reality is ultimately composed of a single, unified substance, rejecting any fundamental division or separation between God and the universe.
Monotheism The belief in a single, supreme, transcendent personal God who created the universe, contrasted in the lecture with Spinoza's radical monism.
Moriscos Little Moors (a pejorative term used for Muslim converts to Christianity)
Moses Biblical figure traditionally credited with writing the Torah.
Natura naturans Latin for "nature naturing." Spinoza's term for the active, self-causing, dynamic aspect of the single substance (God or Nature) as the active principle from which all things flow.
natura naturans Nature naturing (the active principle or self-generating aspect of God/Nature)
Natura naturata Latin for "nature natured." Spinoza's term for the passive aspect of the substance, consisting of the finite and infinite modes (effects, individual things) that flow from the active principle.
natura naturata Nature natured (the passive, created effects/modes flowing from God/Nature)
Naturalis Historia (Natural History) Encyclopedic work by Pliny the Elder recording peripheral monstrous races.
Niagara Falls A massive group of waterfalls on the border of Canada and the United States, referenced as an awe-inspiring natural wonder visited by the speaker's family.
Ontology (Ontological Argument) The study of existence and being. An ontological argument (such as those by Anselm, Descartes, or Spinoza) attempts to prove the necessary existence of God strictly through logical reasoning about the definition of being or perfection.
ousia Substance, essence, or fundamental independent reality
Parmenides of Elea (Parmenides) Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher (6th and 5th centuries BC) who argued that all reality is one and unchanging.
Pejorative A word or phrase used to express contempt, disapproval, or a low opinion of someone or something, such as the historical term "Marranos" used for converted Jews.
Philip II of Spain Habsburg monarch who ruled Spain and the Netherlands, whose reign sparked the Dutch Revolt.
Physical cosmology The branch of physics and astrophysics that deals with the study of the physical origins, evolution, and large-scale structure of the universe. The speaker mentions that incredible advances in physical cosmology in their lifetime have revealed a universe so vast and ancient as to be inconceivable, which naturally resonates with Spinoza's proposition of an infinite universe.
Plato Ancient Greek philosopher who advocated dualism and the theory of eternal forms.
Portrait of Baruch Spinoza (1666) Oil painting showing a young, dark-haired Baruch Spinoza sitting at a writing desk in a black cloak and classical white collar.
Portrait of Franciscus van den Enden (1602-1674) Close-up portrait of the ex-Jesuit Dutch philosopher, radical democrat, and Latin tutor of Spinoza.
Portrait of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) Painting of the German rationalist philosopher and mathematician wearing an elaborate, dark, curly, full-bottomed wig and formal European attire.
Portrait of Parmenides of Elea Marble bust sculpture of the pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, depicting him with curly hair and a classical philosopher's beard.
Portrait of René Descartes (1596-1650) Oil painting showing the French rationalist philosopher with shoulder-length dark hair, a mustache, and a prominent white collar.
Portrait of Uriel da Costa (1585-1640) Renaissance/Baroque portrait painting of the Portuguese Jewish philosopher who challenged Rabbinic tradition and was excommunicated.
Portugal A nation on the Iberian Peninsula, original home of Spinoza's ancestors who converted under duress to become "New Christians" while secretly practicing crypto-Judaism.
Principle of Sufficient Reason The rationalist philosophical principle asserting that every contingent fact, event, or state of affairs must have a sufficient reason, cause, or ground explaining why it is so and not otherwise.
Propositas Contro Tradicao Propositions Against the Tradition
Protestant Reformation The 16th-century religious, intellectual, and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, initiating new branches of Christianity like Calvinism.
Proving God's Existence: The Ontological Argument Explores the history and formulations of the ontological argument, focusing primarily on Anselm of Bec.
Psalm 102:25
Psalm 102:25 "Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are your work."
Psalm 104:5
Psalm 104:5 God set the earth on its foundations so that it should never be moved.
Rabbinic Judaism Mainstream Judaism based on both the written Torah and rabbinic commentaries, whose legalistic and ritualistic focus was challenged by Uriel da Costa.
Rationalism The philosophical doctrine, championed by Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz, which regards human reason as the chief source, test, and validator of knowledge.
René Descartes (Descartes) French rationalist philosopher (1596–1650) famous for "I think, therefore I am" and his ontological argument for God's existence.
Scivias / Liber Divinorum Operum Mystical works by Hildegard of Bingen illustrating concentric cosmic spheres and a spherical Earth.
Second Temple Judaism The historical phase of Judaism (c. 515 BCE to 70 CE) during which theological ideas like the afterlife and the immortality of the soul first developed.
Shiloh Tabernacle Interior Photograph
Shiloh Tabernacle Site & Zion Cupola
Shiloh Tabernacle Site & Zion Cupola Site of the 8,000-seat tabernacle burned in 1937 and the preserved Zion Hotel cupola in Zion, IL.
Socrates Ancient Greek philosopher who examined the nature of knowledge, ethics, and reason.
Spain A major European power that fought the Eighty Years' War to keep the Netherlands under Habsburg rule, and whose monarchs enforced religious conformity through the Inquisition.
Speed of light A fundamental physical constant representing the maximum speed at which all conventional matter, energy, and information in the universe can travel. The speaker cites the speed of light and gravity as examples of "infinite modes"—ongoing, absolute physical laws that dictate how Spinoza's dynamic universe functions.
Substance Traditionally defined by Aristotle as the fundamental independent reality underlying all things. Spinoza redefines it as that which exists in itself and is conceived through itself, being completely independent, infinite, and singular.
sui generis Of its own kind / unique / self-generating
Synonym A word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language, as Spinoza treats the words "God" and "nature."
Talmud Torah Study of the Law / Study of the Torah (the name of the school attached to the synagogue)
The History of Free Will Traces the debate between free will and determinism from antiquity to the Middle Ages.
The Inconsistency of Modern Astronomy 1849 treatise by Samuel Rowbotham ("Parallax") arguing astronomy contradicts scripture.
Theology The systematic study of the nature of the divine, religious doctrines, and beliefs. The lecture specifically focuses on Spinoza's theology.
Thomas Aquinas Medieval Catholic theologian and philosopher whose definitions of God contrast with anthropomorphic portrayals.
Title Page of Spinoza's Ethica Cover page of the posthumously printed 1677 book Ethica Ordine Geometrico demonstrata, outlining its geometric method and its parts.
Torah Law, teaching, or instruction (specifically referring to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible)
Transcendent God A theological concept of God as being entirely separate from and existing outside of the physical cosmos, a view held by orthodox Abrahamic traditions and rejected by Spinoza.
Transubstantiation The Catholic theological doctrine explaining the Eucharist, which asserts that the underlying substance of the bread and wine changes into the body and blood of Christ, while their physical, material properties remain the same.
Transubstantiation The Catholic theological doctrine that the bread and wine offered in the Eucharist are completely changed in substance into the actual body and blood of Christ.
Uriel da Costa (Gabriel Fuesta da Costa) Relative of Spinoza and Jewish philosopher (1585–1640) who challenged Rabbinic tradition and eventually committed suicide.
Uriel da Costa's Examination of Pharisaic Traditions Book Cover Modern publication cover page showing the title of Uriel da Costa's controversial book which questioned the immortality of the soul and led to his persecution.
Venetian Republic A historic maritime republic in northern Italy whose Jewish leaders joined those of Hamburg in excommunicating Uriel da Costa for his challenges to rabbinic tradition.
William of Orange Leader of the Dutch Revolt who established Leiden University in 1575.
Zeno Ancient Greek philosopher and disciple of Parmenides who proposed mathematical paradoxes to defend monism.
Zetetic Astronomy: Earth Not a Globe 1865/1881 foundational textbook of modern flat-eartherism by Samuel Rowbotham.
Zion City Municipal Boundary Billboards

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