Voltaire And Mendelssohn: A Comparative Analysis

The role and authority of religion have been extremely controversial subjects during the Enlightenment Era in the 17th and 18th century. One of the most disputed questions was regarding religious toleration in Europe. The philosophes Voltaire and Moses Mendelssohn serve as exemplary models for the dispute and the diverse ideologies that emerged from this debate. Their background and historical context did not only shape their thinking and ideologies, but also their writing styles. On one hand, Voltaire was French, born and raised as a Christian amongst the aristocrats and acquired an excellent education. On the other hand, Mendelssohn was born in the Holy Roman Empire and was raised into Jewish traditions and religion; however, he was not part of the elite an did not receive a first-class education. Additionally, the two documents that will be analyzed and compared in this paper are, Treatise on Tolerance
He states, “It does not require any great art or studied elocution to prove that Christians ought to tolerate one another. I will go even further and say that we ought to look upon all men as our brothers. What! call a Turk, a Jew, a Siamese, my brother? Yes, of course; for we not all children of the same father, and the creatures of the same God??” This quote encapsulates Voltaire’s opinion on toleration. He not only demands the need for toleration between Christians, since this is the case in the Calas Affair. However, he further argues for universal toleration. This concept was not a favorable opinion amongst Enlightenment thinkers. However, since he was neither a devout religious man, nor he identified strongly with a particular religious belief, his advocacy for universal religious toleration was justified. His religious belief allowed him to expand his ability to tolerate all religions because he did need to defend and demand toleration for one specific