Full Idea
Epicurus in his popular exposition allows the existence of God, but in expounding the real nature of things he does not allow it.
Gist of Idea
Epicurus accepted God in his popular works, but not in his writings on nature
Source
report of Epicurus (fragments/reports [c.289 BCE]) by Sextus Empiricus - Against the Physicists (two books) I.58
Book Reference
Sextus Empiricus: 'Against the Physicists/Against the Ethicists', ed/tr. Bury,R.G. [Harvard Loeb 1997], p.35
A Reaction
Plato and Aristotle also distinguished their esoteric from their exoteric writings, but this is an indication that thei popular works may always have presented safer doctrines.