The letter begins with and extract from d’Alembert’s entry on Geneva describing Hell. In the extract, d’Alembert writes that Hell is no longer given such importance by several ministers in Geneva because they claim that it would be an insult to the Divinity if we imagine that God, being full of goodness and justice, could be capable of punishing our offences with eternal torments. These ministers, d’Alembert claims, explain as best they can the passages in the Bible that are directly contrary to their opinion and claim that in the Holy Scriptures nothing should be taken literally if it seems to go against humanity and reason. He concludes by writing that these ministers will only believe in punishment in the afterlife that is temporary, i.e. Purgatory (a matter that had divided the Protestant and Catholic faiths), noting that this is another item to add to the history of human contradictions. Voltaire then comments on this text, writing that it is the main article that Geneva is watching. He adds that it is a little stiff and that the reception of it is mixed but that d’Alembert just has to laugh because the people of Geneva are happy and everyone must be. Voltaire notes that they will no longer fight for ‘Omousios’, or consubstantiality, because the fashion has passed. He ends by saying that all that must be done is to eat bread in the shade of a fig tree while elsewhere you slaughter for the interests of two or three princes.