  In the rest of the letters we see Mendelssohn trying to play down the seriousness of Lessing’s alleged admission to being a Spinozist. Since Mendelssohn thought at first that Jacobi was himself a Spinozist, we see him also attacking the basic doctrines of Spinozism as he understood them, while at the same time suggesting how they could be reformulated in an internally more consistent form to have them rejoin the accepted teachings of school metaphysics. Jacobi, for his part, was intent on displaying his scholarly (and indeed more accurate) knowledge of Spinoza’s philosophy. In response to Mendelssohn’s criticisms of Spinoza, he argued that Spinozism represented, on the contrary, a perfectly self-consistent position. It was school metaphysics that would logically lead to Spinozism, if its implications were just fully understood, not the other way around. Jacobi also gave an explanation for his sudden decision to publish the letters. Since Mendelssohn had announced the impending publication of his  Morgenstunden,[5]  a book in which, as Mendelssohn said, he would take up the issue of Spinozism, Jacobi thought that his opponent was unfairly trying to make a public head start on him in a controversy that was agreed would have to remain private before being brought to public attention by mutual consent. Jacobi then concluded the book with rambling extensive quotations from sundry theologians, and ‘sealed’ it (his expression) with an excerpt from Lavater.