Put simply, the Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270) regarded the pursuit of pleasure as the basis of human existence, whereby "pleasure" is not to be synonymous with sensual pleasures, but with inner peace that can be achieved through reason, moderation and virtue. An important point was also the elimination of fear, especially of the supernatural. Epicureanism does not deny the existence of the gods, but assumes that they are not interested in humans. There is no interaction between gods and humans, which is why offerings and prayers are meaningless and divine providence simply does not exist. Everything that happens has a natural cause. Consequently, there is no life after death, any punishment for the life previously led is omitted, therefore the fear of death is unfounded. It is easy to imagine that Christian religions had little to gain from this philosophy.
Francis Meres first made a connection, albeit a daring one, between Marlowe and Epicureanism via the French writer Étienne Jodelle in Palladis Tamia in 1598. This theory is not far-fetched. If Marlowe really did consider this, it might explain some of his alleged statements, or why they might have been misunderstood.
