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The Three Impostors: Two Apocryphal Versions: "De Imposturis Religionum" and "The Spirit of Spinoza"

The Three Impostors: Two Apocryphal Versions: "De Imposturis Religionum" and "The Spirit of Spinoza"

Kirk Watson
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The bad conscience of the early modern period, the specter of atheism that haunted Europe, was rumored to have taken physical form as a book on "The Three Impostors": i.e., Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. Although it may never have existed, it was widely sought after, and collectors paid large sums for anything with this title: two texts were given this title and then circulated widely in Europe through the 1700s.

Aside from the false title, two books in themselves fascinating and worthy of study, both for their critique of religion and their promotion of alternative opinions. "De Imposturis Religionum" criticizes the Abrahamic religions from a comparative perspective: "in this examination of the sects, we must weigh them all fairly": e.g., if we reject the mythology of pagan faith, we should reject similar tales in the Bible too; if we find the violence of Muhammad abhorrent, we must reject that of Moses too.

"The Spirit of Spinoza" is a virulent critique of the lives and teachings of Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad: how they gained followers and power, and, more broadly, the kind of ideas they spread about the soul and God, which it calls "pure illusions", "chimeras", and "the greatest impostures to see the light of day". The book concludes with a timeless plea for honest and rational anti-impostors to persist through all persecution, to debunk and decry "the absurdities of their age."
Pages
86
Format
Kindle Edition

The Three Impostors: Two Apocryphal Versions: "De Imposturis Religionum" and "The Spirit of Spinoza"

Kirk Watson
0/5 ( ratings)
Read Download
The bad conscience of the early modern period, the specter of atheism that haunted Europe, was rumored to have taken physical form as a book on "The Three Impostors": i.e., Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. Although it may never have existed, it was widely sought after, and collectors paid large sums for anything with this title: two texts were given this title and then circulated widely in Europe through the 1700s.

Aside from the false title, two books in themselves fascinating and worthy of study, both for their critique of religion and their promotion of alternative opinions. "De Imposturis Religionum" criticizes the Abrahamic religions from a comparative perspective: "in this examination of the sects, we must weigh them all fairly": e.g., if we reject the mythology of pagan faith, we should reject similar tales in the Bible too; if we find the violence of Muhammad abhorrent, we must reject that of Moses too.

"The Spirit of Spinoza" is a virulent critique of the lives and teachings of Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad: how they gained followers and power, and, more broadly, the kind of ideas they spread about the soul and God, which it calls "pure illusions", "chimeras", and "the greatest impostures to see the light of day". The book concludes with a timeless plea for honest and rational anti-impostors to persist through all persecution, to debunk and decry "the absurdities of their age."
Pages
86
Format
Kindle Edition

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