Voltaire's Revolution : Writings From His Campaign to Free Laws From Religion

Cover; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication Page; Contents; Acknowledgments; Introduction; Grateful Thanks to a Charitable Man (1750); Extract from a Decree by...the Inquisition (1750); In Defense of Milord Bolingbroke (1752); Dialogue between a Brahmin and a Jesuit (1756); Dialogues between Lucretius and Posidonius (1756); Reflections for Fools (1760); Letter from Charles Gouju to His Brothers (1761); The Sermon of Rabbi Akib (1761); Extract from the London Gazette (1762); Prayer to God (from Treatise on Tolerance) (1763); Catechism of the Honest Man (1763);"Voltaire, the pen name of François-Marie Arouet (1694-1778), was one of the most influential leaders of the French Enlightenment. His defense of individual freedom of conscience and his criticisms of religious fanaticism and oppressive orthodoxy had a telling effect on Western history, inspiring several leading founders of America's new laws. This is the first English translation of many of his key texts from his famous pamphlet war for tolerance, written from 1750 to 1768, originally published under pseudonyms to avoid imprisonment and to educate the average citizen. Included are "The Sermon of Rabbi Akib" (a searing attack on anti-Semitism), "Prayer to God" (from the famous Treatise on Tolerance), the hugely popular "Catechism of the Honest Man," "The Dinner at Count Boulainvillier's," and other witty, sometimes acerbic pieces that point out the errors in the Bible, the corruption of the clergy, and the religiously-inspired persecutions, both of his day and across the ages. Many of these pamphlets were burned in a losing battle by the authorities. With a lengthy introduction and copious notes by the editor and translator, plus an appendix including first-hand accounts of the battle by noted mathematician and French revolutionary Condorcet, Frederick the Great, Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith, and others, this excellent compilation will be a welcome addition to the libraries of anyone with an interest in human rights and freedom of thought"-- Cover Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Page Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Grateful Thanks to a Charitable Man (1750) Extract from a Decree by...the Inquisition (1750) In Defense of Milord Bolingbroke (1752) Dialogue between a Brahmin and a Jesuit (1756) Dialogues between Lucretius and Posidonius (1756) Reflections for Fools (1760) Letter from Charles Gouju to His Brothers (1761) The Sermon of Rabbi Akib (1761) Extract from the London Gazette (1762) Prayer to God (from Treatise on Tolerance) (1763) Catechism of the Honest Man (1763) Omer de Fleury, Having Entered, Have Said (1763)Letter from Mr. Clocpicre to Mr. Eratou (1764) Adapt to the Times (1764) Wives, Submit to Your Husbands (1765) Republican Ideas by a Member of a Corps (1765) Dialogue between a Doubter and a Venerator (1766) Letters to His Highness, the Prince of **** on Rabelais (1767) Letter I: On François Rabelais Letter II: On the Predecessors of Rabelais, etc. Letter III: On Vanini Letter IV: On the English Authors Letter V: On Swift Letter VI: On the Germans Letter VII: On the French Letter VIII: On the Encyclopedia Letter IX: On the Jews Letter X: On SpinozaDinner at Count de Boulainvilliers' (1767) The Emperor of China and Friar Chuckles (1768) APPENDIX An Anonymous Character Sketch of Voltaire (1734 or 1735) Oliver Goldsmith on Voltaire Condorcet's Account of Voltaire's Battle Madame Suard's Visit to Ferney in 1775 The Count de Ségur on Voltaire's Return to Paris in 1778 La Correspondance Littéraire, Philosophique, et Critique on Voltaire's Death (June 1778) Frederick the Great's Eulogy of Voltaire Edgar Quinet on The Exterminating Angel (1844) Robert G. Ingersoll on The Great Infidels Glossary Notes "Voltaire, the pen name of François-Marie Arouet (1694-1778), was one of the most influential leaders of the French Enlightenment. His defense of individual freedom of conscience and his criticisms of religious fanaticism and oppressive orthodoxy had a telling effect on Western history, inspiring several leading founders of America's new laws. This is the first English translation of many of his key texts from his famous pamphlet war for tolerance, written from 1750 to 1768, originally published under pseudonyms to avoid imprisonment and to educate the average citizen. Included are "The Sermon of Rabbi Akib" (a searing attack on anti-Semitism), "Prayer to God" (from the famous Treatise on Tolerance), the hugely popular "Catechism of the Honest Man," "The Dinner at Count Boulainvillier's," and other witty, sometimes acerbic pieces that point out the errors in the Bible, the corruption of the clergy, and the religiously-inspired persecutions, both of his day and across the ages. Many of these pamphlets were burned in a losing battle by the authorities. With a lengthy introduction and copious notes by the editor and translator, plus an appendix including first-hand accounts of the battle by noted mathematician and French revolutionary Condorcet, Frederick the Great, Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith, and others, this excellent compilation will be a welcome addition to the libraries of anyone with an interest in human rights and freedom of thought"-- Provided by publisher