Abstract

The essay analyzes the influence of Pierre Bayle's work on Voltaire's political thought, particularly taking into account the conception developed by the father of the "philosophes" around the issue of the relationship between religion and politics. An element of continuity emerges from this inquiry: it is focused on the concept of tolerance, that both Bayle and Voltaire conceive - notwithstanding some meaningful differences that are analyzed by the Author - as a fundamental political concept that allows to redefine the relationship between the political and the religious power in Europe during the XVIIth and XVIIIth Century in order to put an end to the religious conflicts and to intolerance.