PREFACE* In order to clarify my basic hypothesis, it is necessary first of all to distinguish between “polemic” and “dispute” or “debate,” terms interchanged casually nowadays. “Polemic,” because of its original Greek meaning, war (polemos), is used to indicate a campaign or conflict haveing the aim of changing an opponent’s views or his religion. A religious polemic can be conducted independently or in conjunction with other coercive means, police or political. The essential and decisive criterion