Towards the end of his life, Cicero turned away from his oratorical and political career and looked instead to matters of philosophy and religion. The dialogue The Nature of the Gods both explores his own views on these subjects, as a monotheist and member of the Academic School, and considers the opinion of other philosophical schools of the Hellenistic age through the figures of Velleius the Epicurean and Balbus the Stoic. Eloquent, clearly argued and surprisingly modern, it focuses upon a series of fundamental religious questions including: is there a God? If so, does he answer prayers, or intervene in human affairs? Does he know the future? Does morality need the support of religion? Profoundly influential on later thinkers, such as Saint Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, this is a fascinating consideration of fundamental issues of faith and philosophical thought.
The Nature of the Gods
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`The translation is both lively and accurate; the introduction is judicious and informative. The notes are especially strong on the identification of the many historical references in the work.' Phronesis
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Latin
Original Language: Latin
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Cicero's "De Natura Deorum" is a work the great orator used to present his own position towards philosophy, the gods, and how they work in the universe and in the lives of individuals. Cicero presents his thesis by opening a dialogue between three distinguished philosophers from the major schools of the first century BC: namely the Stoics, Epicureans, and Academics. Velleius, in book one, expounds upon the general tenets of the Epicureans; in book two, Balbus the Stoic in turn attempts to refute the claims made by Velleius; and finally, in book three, Cotta takes the position of the Academics, which should be understood as Cicero's opinions himself. If judged correctly, Cicero's opinions are quite clear, but they should be left for the reader to discover on his own. As pure philosophy, this book obviously lacks merit; but as for creativity and sheer eloquence Cicero's work will make for an entertaining and insightful read, especially as an introductory to the philosophical maxims during the decay of the Roman Republic. Despite the works lack of philosophical ingenuity, its influence may possibly be greater than what is customarily maintained, since it is likely that "De Naturae Deorum" impacted Boethius in writing his "Consolation of Philosophy." First of all, both works address many of the same issues, and secondly in their literary style they both use prose and verse to convey meaning. Overall, this work will make for a comforting, and at times insightful read; this will be an essential addition to the classical library.
36 of 42 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you're like me, you were brought up thinking the ancients understood God(s) in terms of their old polytheistic mythology. In fact quaint village myths didn't make it in the large cities. The idea of a single High God predated Christianity by centuries, and was in fact central to mainstream ancient philosophies / theologies you've probably heard of: Platonism, Stoicism, Epicureanism.
For us, religion and revelation are inseparable. Christianity, Islam, Bahai-ism, Mormonism are "revealed" religions, based on the God's direct revelation through his Son or Prophet -- Jesus, Mohamed, Bahaulla, Joseph Smith. The Greeks and Romans didn't have "revealed" religions. They had to work out their ideas of meaning and divinity without a solid, revealed, starting place. In a world without revealed religion, the ancient philosophers tried to figure out, What is God? Amazing.
If you're interested in how the ancients understood God, Cicero's book, The Nature of the Gods, is a great read. It's basically a synopsis of ancient philosophies / theologies. It will change your understanding of the history of western religious thought.
Listen to Cicero [106 - 43 BC], a non-Christian, describing God: "God dwells in the universe as its ruler and governor, and rules the stars in their courses, and the changing seasons, and all the varying sequences of nature, looking down on earth and sea, and protecting the life and goods of men."
And, "The divine power is to be found in a principle of reason which pervades the whole of nature."
I particularly like the easy to read translation in this Penguin Classics edition.
25 of 33 people found the following review helpful
By Lao Tzu
Format:Paperback
I admire Cicero and and I like THE NATURE OF THE GODS, but I give it 2 stars because of the poor translation, which renders a lucid book intolerably boring. So, please throw away the PENGUIN edition and check out the same title by OXFORD WORLD'S CLASSCIS translated by P.G.Walsh. After you have compared the two editions, you will realize the weakness of J.M.Ross' translation.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Typically OXFORD
OXFORD has shifted gears to accessible translators/translations. The additional information provided by the translators in the OXFORD series make they very much "alive"... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Dr. Ralph Quane, Writer of Illuminated Manuscripts
5.0 out of 5 stars
Important witness to ancient theological views
Cicero's famous work, De Natura Deorum - on the Nature of the Gods, is important evidence of the theological beliefs of the major philosophical schools during the Late Republic of... Read more
Published on December 3, 2010 by hypatiaa
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thought provoking work, good translation
This is a review of the translation published by Oxford World's Classics.
In this work, Cicero tackles the question of theology from the perspective of the schools of... Read more
In this work, Cicero tackles the question of theology from the perspective of the schools of... Read more
Published on November 17, 2010 by Christopher R. Travers
4.0 out of 5 stars
Questions that still haven't gone away.
I began reading the Stoics to get background on St. Paul's evangelistic sermon in Athens (Acts 17), in which Stoics and Epicureans are among his partners in dialogue, but am... Read more
Published on September 5, 2008 by David Marshall
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating!
Interesting book! Three public figures and Cicero himself, gather in Cotta's villa around 76 B.C. to discuss the nature of the gods. Gaius Velleius is an Epicurean. Read more
Published on June 3, 2006 by G. Stucco
5.0 out of 5 stars
worth a read and a reread.
I picked this book up on a whim and read it in it's entirety in one evening, and promptly started over from the beginning. Read more
Published on June 21, 2001
1.0 out of 5 stars
A Little Dry
I found the book informative while reading it, but also a bit confusing and a little dry, best used for a college course and not for recreational reading. Read more
Published on June 22, 2000 by "maeilan"
