Subject: Voltaire

Third American edition of "Letters of Certain Jews to Monsieur Voltaire," published in Cincinnati in 1848. This work, originally authored by Antoine Guenee and translated by Philip Lefanu, purports to be a response from Jews to Voltaire's criticisms of Judaism and the Old Testament. The book includes a note from J. Jonas, President of the Holy Congregation of the Children of Israel in Cincinnati. The original work, while presented as a Jewish defense, is largely considered a Christian apologetic against Deism.

This pamphlet contains "Sermons in the Character of a Jew" by M. de Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet, 1694-1778). Published in London in June 1762, this work has been a subject of scholarly debate for centuries due to its portrayal of Judaism. While Voltaire's works often displayed anti-Jewish sentiments, this pamphlet, initially attributed to Voltaire, was later revealed to be written by Antoine Guénée (1717-1803). It presents itself as a Jewish response to Deism but is largely interpreted as an attack on Deism rather than a defense of Judaism. Philip Lefanu (c. 1735-1795) published an English translation in Dublin in 1777.

The June 1762 issue of The London Magazine, printed for R. Baldwin. This 56-page issue includes a translation of a sermon by Rabbi Akiba at Smyrna on the Portuguese Auto-da-fé, translated from the Hebrew by Voltaire. The text was most likely written by a Christian, not a Rabbi.