Uriel da Costa (c. 1585–1640) or Uriel Acosta was a Jewish philosopher and skeptic who questioned the Catholic and Rabbinic institutions of his time. Costa was born in Portugal with the name Gabriel da Costa Fiuza. His ancestors were Cristãos-novos, or New Christians, converted from Judaism to Catholicism by state edict. Minkin tells of struggles faced by da Costa in “his search for truth.”