Do Roman Catholics KnOw the Epicurean Paradox?

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    Do Roman CatholicsKnOw

    The Epicurean paradox ?Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?

    Then he is not omnipotent.Is he able, but not willing?

    Then he is malevolent.Is he both able and willing?Then whence cometh evil?

    Is he neither able nor willing?Then why call him God?

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    Epicurus (341 BC270 BC) was anancient Greek philosopher as well as the founder of the

    school of philosophy calledEpicureanism.Only a few fragments and letters of Epicurus's 300

    written works remain. Much of what is known about Epicurean philosophy derives from later

    followers and commentators.

    For Epicurus, the purpose of philosophy was to attain the happy, tranquil life,

    characterized byataraxiapeace and freedom from fearandaponiathe absence of

    painand by living a self-sufficient life surrounded by friends.He taught that pleasure and

    pain are the measures of what is good and evil; death is the end of both body and soul and should

    therefore not be feared; the gods neither reward nor punish humans; the universe is infinite and

    eternal; and events in the world are ultimately based on the motions and interactions ofatoms

    moving in empty space.

    Biography

    His parents, Neocles and Chaerestrate, both Athenian-born, and his father a citizen, had

    emigrated to the Athenian settlement on theAegean island ofSamos about ten years before

    Epicurus's birth in February 341 BC. As a boy, he studied philosophy for four years under the

    Platonist teacher Pamphilus. At the age of 18, he went toAthens for his two-year term of

    military service. The playwrightMenander served in the same age-class of theephebes asEpicurus.

    After the death ofAlexander the Great,Perdiccas expelled the Athenian settlers on Samos to

    Colophon,on the coast of what is now Turkey. After the completion of his military service,

    Epicurus joined his family there. He studied underNausiphanes,who followed the teachings of

    Democritus.In 311/310 BC Epicurus taught inMytilenebut caused strife and was forced to

    leave. He then founded a school inLampsacusbefore returning to Athens in 306 BC where he

    remained until his death. There he foundedThe Garden, a school named for the garden he

    owned that served as the school's meeting place, about halfway between the locations of two

    other schools of philosophy, theStoa and theAcademy.

    Even though many of his teachings were heavily influenced by earlier thinkers, especially by

    Democritus,he differed in a significant way with Democritus on determinism. Epicurus would

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    often deny this influence, denounce other philosophers as confused, and claim to be "self-

    taught".

    Epicurus never married and had no known children. He was mostly likely avegetarian.He

    suffered fromkidney stones,to which he finally succumbed in 270 BC at the age of 72, and

    despite the prolonged pain involved, he wrote toI domeneus:

    I have written this letter to you on a happy day to me, which is also the last day of my life. For I

    have been attacked by a painful inability to urinate, and also dysentery, so violent that nothing

    can be added to the violence of my sufferings. But the cheerfulness of my mind, which comes

    from the recollection of all my philosophical contemplation, counterbalances all these afflictions.

    And I beg you to take care of the children of Metrodorus, in a manner worthy of the devotion

    shown by the young man to me, and to philosophy.

    The school

    Epicurus' school, which was based in the garden of his house and thus called "The

    Garden", had a small but devoted following in his lifetime. The primary members were

    Hermarchus,the financierIdomeneus,Leonteus and his wifeThemista,thesatiristColotes,

    the mathematicianPolyaenus of Lampsacus,Leontion, andMetrodorus of Lampsacus,the

    most famous popularizer of Epicureanism.His school was the first of the ancient Greek

    philosophical schools to admit women as a rule rather than an exception. An inscription on the

    gate to The Garden is recorded bySeneca in epistle XXI ofEpistulae morales ad Lucilium:

    Stranger, here you wil l do well to tarr y; here ourhighest good is pleasure.

    Epicurus emphasized friendship as an important ingredient of happiness, and the school

    resembled in many ways a community of friends living together. However, he also instituted a

    hierarchical system of levels among his followers, and had them swear an oath on his core tenets.

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    Teachings

    Prefiguring science and ethics

    Epicurus is a key figure in the development ofscience and thescientific methodbecause of his

    insistence that nothing should be believed, except that which was tested through direct

    observation and logical deduction. Many of his ideas about nature and physics presaged

    important scientific concepts of our time. He was a key figure in theAxial Age,the period from

    800 BC to 200 BC, during which similarly revolutionary thinking appeared in China, India, Iran,the Near East, and Ancient Greece. His statement of theEthic of Reciprocity as the foundation of

    ethics is the earliest in Ancient Greece, and he differs from the formulation ofutilitarianismby

    Jeremy Bentham andJohn Stuart Millby emphasizing the minimization of harm to oneself and

    others as the way to maximize happiness.

    Epicurus's teachings represented a departure from the other major Greek thinkers of his period,

    and before, but was nevertheless founded on many of the same principles asDemocritus.Like

    Democritus, he was an atomist, believing that the fundamental constituents of the world were

    indivisible little bits of matter (atoms,Greek atomos, indivisible) flying throughempty space

    (kenos). Everything that occurs is the result of the atoms colliding, rebounding, and becoming

    entangled with one another, with no purpose or plan behind their motions. (Compare this with

    the modern study ofparticle physics.) His theory differs from the earlier atomism of Democritus

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    because he admits that atoms do not always follow straight lines but their direction of motion

    may occasionally exhibit a 'swerve' (clinamen). This allowed him to avoid thedeterminism

    implicit in the earlier atomism and to affirmfree will.(Compare this with the modern theory of

    quantum physics,which postulates a non-deterministic random motion of fundamental particles,

    which do not swerve absent an external force; randomness originates in interaction of particles in

    incompatible eigenstates.)

    He regularly admitted women and slaves into his school and was one of the first Greeks to

    break from the god-fearing and god-worshipping tradition common at the time, even while

    affirming that religious activities are useful as a way to contemplate the gods and to use

    them as an example of the pleasant life.Epicurus participated in the activities of traditional

    Greek religion, but taught that one should avoid holding false opinions about the gods. The godsare immortal and blessed and men who ascribe any additional qualities that are alien to

    immortality and blessedness are, according to Epicurus, impious. The gods do not punish the bad

    and reward the good as the common man believes. Theopinion of the crowd is, Epicurus

    claims, that the gods " send great evil s to the wicked and great blessings to the righteous who

    model themselves after the gods,"whereas Epicurus believes the gods, in reality, do not concern

    themselves at all with human beings.

    It is not the man who denies the gods worshipped by the multitude, who is impious, but he who

    aff irms of the gods what the multi tude beli eves about them.

    Pleasure as absence of suffering

    Epicurus' philosophy is based on the theory that all good and bad derive from the sensations of

    what he defined as pleasure and pain: What is good is what is pleasurable, and what is bad is

    what is painful. His ideas of pleasure and pain were ultimately, for Epicurus, the basis for the

    moral distinction between good and evil. If pain is chosen over pleasure in some cases it is only

    because it leads to a greater pleasure. Although Epicurus has been commonly misunderstood to

    advocate the rampant pursuit of pleasure, his teachings were more about striving for an absence

    of pain andsuffering,both physical and mental, and a state of satiation and tranquility that was

    free of the fear of death and the retribution of the gods. Epicurus argued that when we do not

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    suffer pain, we are no longer in need of pleasure, and we enter a state ofataraxia,"tranquility of

    soul" or "imperturbability".

    Epicurus' teachings were introduced into medical philosophy and practice by the Epicurean

    doctorAsclepiades of Bithynia,who was the first physician who introduced Greek medicine in

    Rome. Asclepiades introduced the friendly, sympathetic, pleasing and painless treatment of

    patients. He advocated humane treatment of mental disorders, had insane persons freed from

    confinement and treated them with natural therapy, such as diet and massages. His teachings are

    surprisingly modern, therefore Asclepiades is considered to be a pioneer physician in

    psychotherapy, physical therapy and molecular medicine.

    Epicurus explicitly warned against overindulgence because it often leads to pain. For instance,

    Epicurus warned against pursuing love too ardently. He defended friendships as ramparts for

    pleasure and denied them any inherent worth. He also believed, contrary to Aristotle, that death

    was not to be feared. When a man dies, he does not feel the pain of death because he no longer is

    and therefore feels nothing. Therefore, as Epicurus famously said, "death is nothing to us." When

    we exist, death is not; and when death exists, we are not. All sensation and consciousness ends

    with death and therefore in death there is neither pleasure nor pain. The fear of death arises from

    the belief that in death, there is awareness.

    From this doctrine arose the Epicurean epitaph:Non fui, fui, non sum, non curo (I was not; I

    was; I am not; I do not care)which is inscribed on the gravestones of his followers and seen on

    many ancient gravestones of theRoman Empire.This quote is often used today athumanist

    funerals.

    As an ethical guideline, Epicurus emphasized minimizing harm and maximizing happiness of

    oneself and others:

    It is impossible to live a pleasant life without living wisely and well and justly (agreeing "neither

    to harm nor be harmed"), and it is impossible to live wisely and well and justly without living a

    pleasant life.

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    Epicurean paradox

    The "Epicurean paradox"is a version of theproblem of evil.It is atrilemmaargument (God is

    omnipotent, God is good, but Evil exists); or more commonly seen as this quote:

    Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?

    Then he is not omnipotent.

    Is he able, but not willing?

    Then he is malevolent.

    Is he both able and willing?

    Then whence cometh evil?

    Is he neither able nor willing?

    Then why call him God?

    This argument was a type favoured by the ancient Greekskeptics,and may have been wrongly

    attributed to Epicurus byLactantius,who, from hisChristianperspective, regarded Epicurus as

    anatheist.It has been suggestedthat it may actually be the work of an earlyskeptic writer,

    possiblyCarneades.According toReinhold F. Glei,it is settled that the argument of theodicy is

    from an academic source which is not only not epicurean, but even anti-epicurean. The earliest

    extant version of this trilemmaappears in the writings of the skepticSextus Empiricus.

    Epicurus didnt deny the existence of gods. Instead, he stated that what gods there may be, do not

    concern themselves with us, and thus would not seek to punish us either in this or any other life.

    Epistemology

    Epicurus emphasized the senses in hisepistemology,and his Principle of Multiple Explanations

    ("if several theories are consistent with the observed data, retain them all") is an early

    contribution to thephilosophy of science.

    There are also some things for which it is not enough to state a single cause, but several, of

    which one, however, is the case. Just as if you were to see the lifeless corpse of a man lying far

    away, it would be fitting to list all the causes of death in order to make sure that the single cause

    of this death may be stated. For you would not be able to establish conclusively that he died by

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    the sword or of cold or of illness or perhaps by poison, but we know that there is something of

    this kind that happened to him.

    Politics

    In contrast to theStoics,Epicureans showed little interest in participating in the politics of the

    day, since doing so leads to trouble. He instead advocated seclusion. This principle is

    epitomized by the phrase lathe bisas .Plutarch elaborated in his essay I s the

    Saying " L ive in Obscurity" Right?( -An recte dictum sit

    latenter esse vivendum) 1128c;Flavius Philostratus Vita Apollonii8.28.12, meaning "live in

    obscurity", "get through life without drawing attention to yourself", i. e. live without pursuing

    glory or wealth or power, but anonymously, enjoying little things like food, the company of

    friends, etc.

    Legacy

    Bust of Epicurus leaning against his disciple Metrodorus in theLouvre Museum

    Elements of Epicurean philosophy have resonated and resurfaced in various diverse thinkers and

    movements throughout Western intellectual history.

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    The atomic poems (such as 'All Things are Governed by Atoms') and natural philosophy of

    Margaret Cavendish were influenced by Epicurus.

    His emphasis on minimizing harm and maximizing happiness in his formulation of theEthic of

    Reciprocity was later picked up by the democratic thinkers of theFrench Revolution,and others,

    likeJohn Locke,who wrote that people had a right to "life, liberty, and property." To Locke,

    one's own body was part of their property, and thus one's right to property would theoretically

    guarantee safety for their persons, as well as their possessions.

    This triad, as well as theegalitarianism of Epicurus, was carried forward into the

    American freedom movement andDeclaration of Independence,by theAmerican founding

    father,Thomas Jefferson,as "all men are created equal" and endowed with certain

    "inalienable rights," such as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Jefferson

    considered himself an Epicurean.

    InAn Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding,David Hume uses Epicurus as a character for

    explaining the impossibility of our knowing God to be any greater or better than his creation

    proves him to be.

    Karl Marx'sdoctoral thesis was on "The Difference Between theDemocritean and Epicurean

    Philosophy of Nature."

    Epicurus was first to assert humanfreedom as coming from a fundamentalindeterminism in the

    motion of atoms. This has led some philosophers to think that for Epicurusfree will was caused

    directly by chance. In his "On the Nature of Things"(De rerum natura),Lucretius appears to

    suggest this in the best-known passage on Epicurus' position. But in his Letter to Menoeceus,

    Epicurus followsAristotle and clearly identifies threepossible causes - " some things happen of

    necessity, others by chance, others through our own agency." Aristotle said some things

    "depend on us" (eph hemin). Epicurus agreed, and said it is to these last things thatpraise and

    blame naturally attach. For Epicurus, thechance "swerve" (orclinamen)of the atoms simply

    defeateddeterminism to leave room for autonomous agency.

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    Epicurus was also a significant source of inspiration and interest for bothArthur

    Schopenhauer,having particular influence on the famous pessimist's views on suffering and

    death, as well as one of Schopenhauer's successors:Friedrich Nietzsche.Nietzsche cites his

    affinities to Epicurus in a number of his works, includingThe Gay Science,Beyond Good and

    Evil,and his private letters toPeter Gast.Nietzsche was attracted to, among other things,

    Epicurus' ability to maintain a cheerful philosophical outlook in the face of painful physical

    ailments. Nietzsche also suffered from a number of sicknesses during his lifetime. However, he

    thought that Epicurus' conception of happiness as freedom from anxiety was too passive and

    negative.

    Works

    Epicurus,Nuremberg Chronicle

    The only surviving complete works by Epicurus are three letters, which are to be found in

    book X of Diogenes Laertius'L ives of Eminent Phi losophers,and two groups of quotes: the

    Principal Doctri nes, reported as well in Diogenes' book X, and the Vatican Sayings,

    preserved in a manuscript from theVatican Library.

    Numerous fragments of his thirty-seven volume treatiseOn Naturehave been found among the

    charredpapyrus fragments at theVilla of the Papyri atHerculaneum.In addition, other

    Epicurean writings found at Herculaneum contain important quotations from his other

    works. Moreover, numerous fragments and testimonies are found throughout ancient

    Greek and Roman literature, a collection of which can be found inUsener'sEpicurea.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Schopenhauerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Schopenhauerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Schopenhauerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzschehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzschehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gay_Sciencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gay_Sciencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gay_Sciencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_Good_and_Evilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_Good_and_Evilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_Good_and_Evilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_Good_and_Evilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Gasthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_Chroniclehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_Chroniclehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_Chroniclehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lives_of_Eminent_Philosophershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lives_of_Eminent_Philosophershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lives_of_Eminent_Philosophershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_Libraryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Nature_%28Epicurus%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Nature_%28Epicurus%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Nature_%28Epicurus%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyri_from_Herculaneumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_of_the_Papyrihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herculaneumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Usenerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicureahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicureahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicureahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Epicurus_Nuremberg_Chronicle.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicureahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Usenerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herculaneumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_of_the_Papyrihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyri_from_Herculaneumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Nature_%28Epicurus%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_Libraryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lives_of_Eminent_Philosophershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_Chroniclehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Gasthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_Good_and_Evilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_Good_and_Evilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gay_Sciencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzschehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Schopenhauerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Schopenhauer
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    Hero cult

    According to Diskin Clay, Epicurus himself established a custom of celebrating his birthday

    annually with common meals, befitting his stature as heroctistes (or founding hero) of the

    Garden. He ordained in his will annual memorial feasts for himself on the same date (10th of

    Gamelion month.Epicurean communities continued this tradition, referring to Epicurus as their

    "savior" (soter)and celebrating him as hero. Lucretius apotheosized Epicurus as the main

    character of his epic poemDe rerum natura.Thehero cult of Epicurus may have operated

    as a Garden varietycivic religion.However, clear evidence of an Epicurean hero cult, as well

    as the cult itself, seems buried by the weight of posthumous philosophical interpretation.

    Epicurus' cheerful demeanor, as he continued to work despite dying from a painful stone

    blockage of his urinary tract lasting a fortnight, according to his successorHermarchus andreported by his biographerDiogenes Laertius,further enhanced his status among his followers.

    In literature and popular media

    TheApostle Paul encountered Epicurean andStoicphilosophers as he was ministering inAthens.

    Horace describes himself asEpicuri de grege porcum"a swine fr om Epicure's herd"in his

    Epistles.

    In Canto X Circle 6 ("Where the heretics lie") ofDante'sInferno,Epicurus and his followers are

    criticized for supporting a materialistic ideal when they are mentioned to have been condemned

    to the Circle of Heresy.

    Epicurus the Sageis a two-part comic book byWilliam Messner-Loebs andSam Kieth

    portraying Epicurus as "the only sane philosopher" by anachronistically bringing him together

    with many other well-known Greek philosophers. It was republished as graphic novel by the

    Wildstorm branch ofDC Comics.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ctisteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attic_calendarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_rerum_naturahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_culthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civic_religionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civic_religionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermarchushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diogenes_Laertiushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostle_Paulhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horacehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistles_%28Horace%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistles_%28Horace%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Alighierihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferno_%28Dante%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicurus_the_Sagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicurus_the_Sagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Messner-Loebshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Kiethhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Comicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Comicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Kiethhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Messner-Loebshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicurus_the_Sagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inferno_%28Dante%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Alighierihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistles_%28Horace%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horacehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostle_Paulhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diogenes_Laertiushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermarchushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civic_religionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_culthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_rerum_naturahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attic_calendarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ctistes
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    Epicurus and the Epicursim

    In Judaism,Epicurians are ones which do not have a share inOlam Habathe afterlife and the

    world to come.

    In Rabbinic literature the termEpikorosis used, without a specific reference to theGreek

    philosopher Epicurus, yet it seems apparent that the term was derived from his name.

    Epicurus's technicallyhedonistic views and philosophical teachings, though opposed to the

    Hedonists of his time, countered Jewish scripture, the strictlymonotheistic conception ofGod in

    Judaism and the Jewish belief in the afterlife and the world to come.

    TheTalmudic interpretation is that theAramaic word is derived from theroot-word ;RKP "lit. licentious), hence disrespect.

    The Christiancensorship of the Jewish Talmud in the aftermath of theDisputation of Barcelona

    and during theSpanish Inquisition andRoman Inquisition,let the term spread within the Jewish

    classical texts, since Roman Catholic Church censors replaced terms likeMinim("sectarians",

    coined on the Christians) with the termEpikorsimorEpicursim, meaningheretics.

    References:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicurus

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epikoros_%28Judaism%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_eschatology#Olam_Haba_-_the_afterlife_and_the_world_to_comehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greekshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotheismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_in_Judaismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_in_Judaismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmudhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aramaichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_%28linguistics%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disputation_of_Barcelona#Aftermathhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisitionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_Inquisitionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minuthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minuthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minuthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hereticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicurushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicurushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicurushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hereticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minuthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_Inquisitionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisitionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disputation_of_Barcelona#Aftermathhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_%28linguistics%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aramaichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmudhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_in_Judaismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_in_Judaismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotheismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greekshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_eschatology#Olam_Haba_-_the_afterlife_and_the_world_to_comehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epikoros_%28Judaism%29