ABSTRACT
Morteira’s writings reveal his involvement in contemporary philosophical dialogues as explained in Chapter 5, which explores parallels and contrasts between the ideas of Morteira and those of Grotius and Cunaeus concerning the Hebrew Republic. Special attention is paid to Morteira’s depiction of the Hebrew Republic in Arguments against the Christian Religion in Amsterdam, which he wrote around 1650 in Spanish. In this fictional polemical dialogue between two conversos, Morteira advocates for a revival of the Hebrew Republic in democratic terms, that is, as a polity that can be achieved through the individual choice by conversos to undergo rejudaization and become practicing Jews. Also considered in depth is Morteira’s attitude toward the Hebrew Republic in Tratado da verdade da lei de Moisés (Treatise on the Truth of the Law of Moses), which he completed in Portuguese shortly before his death in 1660, and which was posthumously translated into Spanish as Providencia de Dios con Israel (The Providence of God with Israel).
