Épître à l'Auteur du Livre des Trois Imposteurs
Encyclopedia
Épître à l'Auteur du Livre des Trois Imposteurs (English title: Letter to the author of The Three Impostors) is an epistle
in verse form written by Voltaire
and published in 1770 (see 1770 in poetry
). It is a letter to the anonymous writers and publishers of The Treatise of the Three Impostors
. It contains one of the most famous Voltaire quote
s, "If God hadn't existed, it would have been necessary to invent Him."
Epistle
An epistle is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter. The epistle genre of letter-writing was common in ancient Egypt as part of the scribal-school writing curriculum. The letters in the New Testament from Apostles to Christians...
in verse form written by Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
and published in 1770 (see 1770 in poetry
1770 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:-Colonial America:* William Billings, The New England Psalm-Singer* William Livingsotn:** "A Soliloquy"...
). It is a letter to the anonymous writers and publishers of The Treatise of the Three Impostors
The Treatise of the Three Impostors
The Treatise of the Three Impostors is the name for a probably mythical work supposedly denying all three Abrahamic religions - Christ, Moses and Muhammed...
. It contains one of the most famous Voltaire quote
Quote
Quotation is the repetition of someone else's statement/thoughts. This can be in the form of words, songs, American Sign Language, written, or any other form of communication. Quotation marks are punctuation marks used in text to indicate the words of another speaker or writer...
s, "If God hadn't existed, it would have been necessary to invent Him."