Treatise on the three impostors Moses, Jesus, Mohammed

<p class="ql-align-justify"><em>"A cardinal work that I invite you to read" </em>Michel Onfray (lecture at the Universit�� Populaire de Caen, May 10, 2005)</p><p class="ql-align-justify">&nbsp;</p><p class="ql-align-justify"><em>"One of the best foreign books of the year."</em> Times Literary Supplement</p><p class="ql-align-justify">&nbsp;</p><p class="ql-align-justify">This astonishingly bold and almost provocative text was extraordinarily successful throughout the eighteenth century. It was published throughout Europe, copied by hand dozens of times, Queen Christine of Sweden offered a small fortune to obtain a copy, and there was endless discussion about the probable author. It was even attributed to Frederick II of Prussia. The Parisian police, alerted, ended up arresting the booksellers who were selling it.</p><p class="ql-align-justify">The reason was simple: according to the mysterious author, who was obviously familiar with Spinoza's work, all religions were fables maintained by impostors, in league with political power to tyrannize the people.</p><p class="ql-align-justify">The historical importance of the Treaty of the Three Impostors cannot hide its modernity and its topicality in this 21st century, which is already overshadowed by religious conflicts.</p>