Uriel da Costa

Uriel da Costa (c. 1585 – April 1640), born Gabriel Fiuza da Costa, was a Portuguese Sephardi philosopher. Born into a family of New Christians (Jews forcibly converted to Catholicism), he later returned to Judaism. This return led him to question the established orthodoxies of both Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism, placing him in conflict with religious institutions. His books were placed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, and he was excommunicated multiple times by Jewish authorities. His life, marked by intellectual iconoclasm and societal ostracism, tragically ended in suicide around 1640. His philosophical inquiries focused on biblical criticism, the philosophy of religion, ethics, and morality, challenging traditional interpretations and practices.