Language:
English
Year of publication:
1994
Titel der Quelle:
Neohelicon
Angaben zur Quelle:
21,2 (1994) 357-367
Keywords:
Voltaire, Correspondence
;
Philosophy History 18th century
;
Antisemitism History 18th century
Abstract:
Analyzes antisemitic remarks in Voltaire's personal letters, and discusses the question whether they shed new light on his well-known negative attitude to Jews and Judaism. Asserts that there are only 200 such remarks in 22,000 letters, but they are very virulent. His way of defaming Hebrew Scripture in order to invalidate Christianity reveals the same attitude as seen in his public discursive writings, and that attitude made up part of the Enlightenment's war against Christianity and particularly against the Roman Catholic Church. There is another, personal element in the letters: a violent expression of disgust for individual Jewish merchants with whom he had met (Voltaire was also a business entrepreneur). He generalized this hatred by an uncritical embrace of stereotypes.
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