Jesus Nazarenus Legislator: Adam Boreel and the Rationality of Christian Religion against the ‘De tribus impostoribus'

This article examines the manuscript, entitled Jesus Nazarenus Legislator, written by
Adam Boreel against the De Tribus Impostoribus. The analysis focuses on three main
aspects of the manuscript. First, I give some information about De Tribus Impostoribus.
Second, I trace the history of the writing of Boreel’s book. To this end, I will mainly take
into consideration the correspondences of Henry Oldenburg and John Worthington.
Last, I show that Boreel postulates a rational Christian religion and that he places
emphasis on the practical aspects of this religion. For this reason, all humankind can
accept it. In conclusion, I will sum up the results obtained from my analysis of the Jesus
Nazarenus Legislator; I will also suggest that Boreel’s ideas could be read in light of the
discussion on adiaphora in the Christian religion.