Thinking religion freely with the imagination The sceptical example of the parabola of the three rings in Boccacio’s Décameron (1350) and Lessing’s Nathan the Wise (1779)

What philosophical function does the parabola of the three rings play in Boccacio’s Decameron and Lessing’s Nathan the Wise? This article shows how suspending the administration of proof when it comes to religious truths authorizes a sceptical reorganization of the imaginary discourse which, by humanizing our relation to God, privileges moderation in the distribution of affects and tolerance among religious communities.