Walter Hilliger

On Divine Providence or Universal Nature or Naturing Nature Walter Hilliger

Spinoza was famously excommunicated after referring to an "eternal or infinite entity that we call God or Nature" (i.e. "Deus sive Natura"- Ethics, IV, Preface, 1677), whereas David Nieto was acquitted of saying: "God, and Nature, Nature, and God, is all one." Why was Spinoza condemned, and Nieto praised in the most important exoneration in history? This is answered in the conversation between Reuben and Simon, by examining the incident along with the corpus of Hebrew Scriptures, and counting the number of times the word Nature appears in it: Not once, not even during the Early Middle Ages. For that reason, Rabbi Nieto published "De La Divina Providencia o Naturaleza Universal" to make known that the vulgar term Nature replaced the classic word Providence since its adoption during modern times to connote nature in general: "With the passing of time, this name gained daily credit and began to take form in the ideas of men as a simulacrum or idol causing serious damage to the understanding and consciousness." David Nieto (Venice, 1654 - London, 1728) was the Hakham of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish Community in London. He was one of the most accomplished Jews of his time and was equally distinguished as philosopher, physician, poet, mathematician, astronomer, and theologian. Rabbi Nieto published in 1704, On Divine Providence or Universal Nature; The Triumphs of Poverty in 1709; Matteh Dan in 1714; The Fire of Knowledge in 1715; Recondite Notice of the Inquisition of Spain and Portugal in 1728. He died in London and is buried in the Old Jewish Cemetery in Mile End Road. An inscription on his grave reads: Sublime theologian, profound sage, a distinguished physician, a sweet poet, a famous astronomer, elegant preacher, subtle logician, ingenious physician, fluent rhetorician, pleasant author, an expert in languages, learned in history.