Theophrastus redivivus
The clandestine 1659 Latin compendium of atheist argument, the boldest irreligious text of its century. Its compiler has never been identified.
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- Original byline
- Anonymous
- Published
- 1659
- Form
- Other works
- Authorship
- Still unknown
- Reason for anonymity
- Unrecorded
- Copyright
- Public domain
- Reference
- Wikipedia · Wikidata
The authorship story
Theophrastus redivivus is a massive Latin manuscript of 1659 that assembles, from ancient and modern sources, the arguments that the gods are human inventions, religion a political instrument, and the soul mortal. Nothing so systematically irreligious could be printed, or signed: it circulated in a handful of secret copies among the libertins erudits of France. The compiler covered his tracks completely, and centuries of scholarship on the clandestine manuscript tradition have produced no accepted identification. The most audacious book of its age is also among the most successfully anonymous ever written.
Questions readers ask
Who wrote Theophrastus redivivus?
Nobody knows. No author for Theophrastus redivivus has been identified in the documented record.
Can I read Theophrastus redivivus for free?
Yes. Theophrastus redivivus is in the public domain and the full text is free to read at the Internet Archive.
When was Theophrastus redivivus published?
Theophrastus redivivus was published in 1659 without an author’s name.
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