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Early Modern · 1686–1688
Philosophical Commentary on the Words Compel Them to Come In
Pierre Bayle · 1647–1706
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What it is
A refutation of the text used to justify forced conversion, arguing that an erring conscience binds as much as a correct one and must therefore be left free.
Why it lasted
The most radical toleration argument of the century, extending liberty to atheists and idolaters, written by a Huguenot exile after his brother died in a French prison.
Scripture it works from
Where to read it
Public domain and free to read in full, though not held here. The archives below have it.
These open a search on each archive rather than a direct link, which is the honest way to point at an edition nobody here has checked line by line.
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