196. - Wittich, Christoph (1625–1687)

Summary

Christoph Wittich, or Wittichius, was a strong critic of Spinoza, who attacked both his TTP and his Ethics. He dedicated an entire work to refuting the latter: Anti-Spinoza sive examen Ethices Benedicti de Spinoza, et commentaries de Deo et ejus attributis (Wittich 1690).

Wittich was a professor of theology, mathematics, and Hebrew at the universities of Herborn (1651–53), Duisburg (1653–55), Nijmegen (1655–71), and Leiden (1671–87). He was an explicit proponent of Descartes’s philosophy. His appointment at Herborn prompted the Count of Nassau to raise questions about the acceptability of teaching Cartesianism in the universities. This led to a controversy that was only resolved by an edict issued by the States of Holland in 1656.