Heretic. The word is derived from the name of the Greek philosopher Epikoros (Epicurus). It refers to an individual who disobeys the divine commandments, derides the Torah and defames rabbinic scholars. According to the 12th-century philosopher Moses Maimonides, an apikoros is someone who rejects God's foreknowledge, prophecy and revelation. The term was first used in the Mishnah; in the modern period it is used to describe any type of heretic.