Atheism in Pagan Antiquity Part 7

P. 75. Cyrenaics: Diog. Laert. ii. 91.-Date of Theodorus: Diog. Laert. ii.

101, 103; his book on the G.o.ds: Diog. Laert. ii. 97, s.e.xt. Emp. _adv.

math._ ix. 55; his trial: Diog. Laert. ii. 101.

P. 76. Theodorus's book used by Epicurus: Diog. Laert. ii. 97.-Zeller: _Philos. d. Griechen_, ii. 1, p. 925.-Euthyphron: see especially p. 14_b_ foll.

P. 77. Criticism of Mythology in the _Republic_: ii. p. 377_b_ foll.; wors.h.i.+p presupposed: _e.g._ iii. p. 415_e_; v. p. 459_e_, 461_a_, 468_d_, 469_a_, 470_a_; vii. p. 540_b_; reference to the Oracle: iv. p.

427_b_.-_Timaeus_: p. 40_d_ foll.-_Laws_, rules of wors.h.i.+p: vi. p. 759_a_, vii. p. 967_a_ and elsewhere, x. p. 909_d_; capital punishment for atheists: x. p. 909_a_. Comp. above, on p. 61.

P. 78. Atheism a sin of youth: _Laws_, x. p. 888_a_.-Goodness and truth of the G.o.ds: _Republ._ ii. p. 379_a_, 380_d_, 382_a_.-Belief in Providence: _Laws_, x. p. 885_c_, etc.; _Republ._ x. p. 612_e_; _Apol._ p. 41_d_.

P. 79. _Laws_, x. p. 888_d_, 893_b_ foll., especially 899_c-d_; comp. also xii. p. 967_a-c._-_Timaeus_: p. 40_d-f_. Comp. _Laws_, xii. p. 948_b_.

P. 80. The G.o.ds in the _Republic_, ii. p. 380_d_. This pa.s.sage, taken together with Plato's general treatment of popular belief, might lead to the hypothesis that it was Plato's doctrine of ideas rather than the rationalism of his youth that brought about strained relations between his thought and popular belief. I incline to think that such is the case; but there is a long step even from such a state of things to downright atheism, and the stress Plato always laid on the belief in Providence is a strong argument in favour of his belief in the G.o.ds, for he could never make his ideas act in the capacity of Providence.-The G.o.ds as creators of mankind: _Timaeus_, p. 41_a_ foll.

P. 81. Xenocrates: the exposition of his doctrine given in the text is based upon Heinze's _Xenokrates_ (Leipzig, 1892).

P. 83. Trial of Aristotle: Diog. Laert. v. 5; Athen. xv. p. 696.-The writings of Aristotle that have come down to us are almost all of them compositions for the use of his disciples, and were not accessible to the general public during his lifetime.

P. 84. On the religious views of Aristotle see in general Zeller, ii. 2, p. 787 (Engl. transl. ii. p. 325); where the references to his writings are given in full. In the following I indicate only a few pa.s.sages of special interest.-Discussion of wors.h.i.+p precluded: _Top._ A, xi. p.

105_a_, 5.-Aristotle's Will: _Diog_. Laert. v. 15.-The G.o.ds as determining the limits of the human: _e.g._ _Nic. Eth._ K, viii. p. 1178b, 33: "(the wise) will also be in need of outward prosperity, as he is (only) a man."-Reservations in speaking of the G.o.ds, _e.g._ _Nic. Eth._ K, ix. p.

1179_a_, 13: "he who is active in accordance with reason ... must also be supposed to be the most beloved of the G.o.ds; for if the G.o.ds trouble themselves about human affairs-_and that they do so is generally taken for granted_-it must be probable that they take pleasure in what is best and most nearly related to themselves (_and that must be the reason_), and that they reward those who love and honour this most highly," etc. The pa.s.sage is typical both of the hypothetical way of speaking, and of the twist in the direction of Aristotle's own conception of the deity (whose essence is reason); also of the Socratic manner of dealing with the G.o.ds.

P. 85. The pa.s.sage quoted is from the _Metaphysics_, A viii. p. 1074_a_, 38. Comp. _Metaph._ B, ii. p. 997_b_, 8; iv. p. 1000_a_, 9.

P. 86. Theophrastus: Diog. Laert. v. 37.

P. 87. Strato: Diels, _Ueber das physikal. System des S., Sitzungsber. d.

Berl. Akad._, 1893, p. 101.-His G.o.d the same as nature: _Cic. de nat.

deor._ i. 35.

P. 89. On the history of h.e.l.lenistic religion, see Wendland, _Die h.e.l.lenistisch-romische Kultur in ihren Beziehungen z. Judentum u.

Christentum_ (Tubingen, 1907).

P. 90. The pa.s.sage quoted is Polyb. vi. 56, 6.

P. 92. On the Tyche-Religion, see Nagelsbach, _Nachhom. Theologie_, p.

153; Lehrs, _Populare Aufsatze_, p. 153; Rohde, _Griech. Roman_, p. 267 (1st ed.); Wendland, p. 59.-Thucydides: see Cla.s.sen in the introduction to his (3rd) edition, pp. lvii-lix, where all the material is collected. A conclusive pa.s.sage is vii. 36, 6, where Thuc. makes the bigoted Nicias before a decisive battle express the hope that "Fortune" will favour the Athenians.-Demosthenes's dream: _Aeschin._ iii. 77.-Demosthenes on Tyche: _Olynth._ ii. 22; _de cor._ 252.

P. 93. Demosthenes and the Pythia: _Aesch._ iii. 130. Comp. _ibid._ 68, 131, 152; Plutarch, _Dem._ 20.-Demetrius of Phalerum: Polyb. xxix.

21.-Temples of Tyche: Roscher, _Mythol. Lex._, art. _Fortuna_.

P. 94. Tyche mistress of the G.o.ds: _Trag. adesp. fragm._ 506, Nauck; [Dio Chrys.] lxiv. p. 331 R.-Polybius: i. 1; iii. 5, 7.-The reservations against Tyche as a principle for the explaining of historical facts, and the twisting of the notion in the direction of Providence found in certain pa.s.sages in Polybius, do not concern us here; they are probably due to the Stoic influence he underwent during his stay at Rome. Comp. below, on p.

114, and see c.u.n.tz, _Polybios_ (Leipzig, 1902), p. 43.-Pliny: ii. 22 foll.

P. 95. Tyche in the novels: Rohde, _Griech. Rom._ p. 280.

P. 97. Strabo: xvii. p. 813.-Plutarch: _de def. or._ 5 and 7.

P. 98. The Aetolians at Dium: Polyb. iv. 62; at Dodona, iv. 67; Philip at Thermon, v. 9; Dicaearchus, xviii. 54.-Decay of Roman wors.h.i.+p: Wissowa, _Religion u. Kultus d. Romer_, p. 70 (2nd ed.). To this work I must refer for indications of the sources; but the polemic in the text is chiefly directed against Wissowa.

P. 99. Ennius: comp. below, p. 112.

P. 100. Varro: in Augustine, _de civ. Dei_, vi. 2.

P. 103. Theology of the Stoics: Zeller, iii. 1, p. 309-45.

P. 104. Demonology of the Stoics: Heinze, _Xenokrates_, p. 96.

P. 105. Epicurus's theology: Zeller, iii. 1, pp. 427-38. Comp. Schwartz, _Charakterkopfe_, ii. p. 43.

P. 106. Epicurus's doctrine of the eternity of the G.o.ds criticised: Cic.

_de nat. deor._ i. 68 foll.

P. 107. The Sceptics: Zeller, iii. 1, pp. 507 and 521.

P. 109. Diogenes: see note on p. 74.-Bion: Diog. Laert. iv. 52 and 54.

P. 110. Menippos: R. Helm, _Lukian u. Menipp_ (Leipzig and Berlin, 1906).

P. 111. Euhemerus: Jacoby in Pauly-Wissowa's _Realencyclop._, art.

"Euemeros"; Wendland, _h.e.l.lenist. Kultur_, p. 70.-Euhemerism before Euhemerus: Lobeck, _Aglaophamus_, p. 9; Wendland, p. 67.

P. 112. A Danish scholar, Dr. J. P. Jacobsen (_Afhandlinger og Artikler_, p. 490), seems to think that Euhemerus's theory was influenced by the wors.h.i.+p of heroes. But there is nothing to show that Euhemerus supposed his G.o.ds to have continued their existence after their death, though this would have been in accordance with Greek belief even in the h.e.l.lenistic period; he seems rather to have insisted that they were wors.h.i.+pped as G.o.ds during their lifetime (comp. Jacoby, _loc. cit._).

P. 114. Euhemerism in Polybius: x.x.xiv. 2; comp. x. 10, 11.-Relapse into orthodoxy: x.x.xvii. 9 (the decisive pa.s.sage); x.x.xix. 19, 2 (concluding prayer to the G.o.ds); xviii. 54, 7-10; xxiii. 10, 14 (the G.o.ds punish impiety; comp. x.x.xvii. 9, 16). There is a marked contrast between such pa.s.sages and the way Polybius speaks of Philip's destruction of the sanctuary at Thermon; he blames it severely, but merely on political, not on religious grounds (v. 9-12). Orthodox utterances in the older portions of the work (i. 84, 10; x. 2, 7) may be due to that accommodation to popular belief which Polybius himself acknowledges as justifiable (xvi.

12, 9), but also to later revision.-Influence of Stoicism: Hirzel, _Untersuchungen zu Ciceros philos. Schriften_, ii. p. 841.

P. 115. Cicero's Stoicism in his philosophy of religion: _de nat. deor._ iii. 40, 95.

P. 116. Sanctuary to Tullia: Cic. _ad Att._ xii. 18 foll.; several of the letters (23, 25, 35, 36) show that Atticus disapproved of the idea, and that Cicero himself was conscious that it was unworthy of him.

P. 117. Euhemeristic defence: _fragm. consol._ 14, 15.-Augustus's reorganisation of the cults: Wissowa, _Religion u. Kultus d. Romer_, p.

73. Recent scholars, especially when treating of Virgil (Heinze, _Vergils ep. Technik_, 3rd ed. p. 291; Norden, _Aeneis_, vi. 2nd ed. pp. 314, 318, 362), speak of the reform of Augustus as if it involved a real revulsion of feeling in his contemporaries. This is in my opinion a complete misunderstanding of the facts. Virgil's religious views: _Catal. v., Georgics_, ii. 458.

P. 118. Pliny: _hist. nat._ ii. 1-27. The pa.s.sages translated are ---- 14 and 27.

P. 122. Seneca: fragm. 31-39, Haase.-Stoic polemic against atheism: Epictetus, _diss._ ii. 20, 21; comp. Marcus Aurelius, vi. 44.-Later Cynicism: Zeller, iii. 1, p. 763.-Oenomaus: only preserved in excerpts by Euseb. _praep. evang._ 5-6 (a separate edition is wanted).-His polemic directed against the priests: Euseb. 5, p. 213_c_; comp. Oenomaus himself, _ibid._ 6, p. 256_d_.

P. 123. Lucian: see Christ, _Gesch. d. griech. Litt._ ii. 2, p. 550 (5th ed.), and R. Helm, _Lukian u. Menipp_ (see note to p. 110).

P. 124. Timon: ch. x.

P. 126. On Lucian's caution in attacking the really popular G.o.ds, see Wilamowitz, in _Kultur d. Gegenwart_, i. 8, p. 248.-The Jews atheists: Harnack, _Der Vorwurf d. Atheismus in den 3 ersten Jahrh_. (_Texte u.

Unters._, N.F., xiii. 4), p. 3.

P. 127. I have met with no comprehensive treatment of Jewish and Christian polemic against Paganism; Geffcken, _Zwei griech. Apologeten_ (Leipzig, 1907), is chiefly concerned with investigations into the sources. I shall therefore indicate the princ.i.p.al pa.s.sages on which my treatment is based.-Polemic against images in the Old Testament: Isaiah 44.10 etc.; in later literature: Epistle of Jeremiah; Wisdom of Solomon 13 foll.; Philo, _de decal._ 65 foll., etc.-Euhemerism: Wisdom of Solomon 14.15; Epistle of Aristeas, 135; Sibyll. iii. 547, 554, 723.-Elements and celestial bodies: Wisdom of Solomon 13; Philo, _de decal._ 52 foll.-The tenacity of tradition is apparent from the fact that even Maimonides in his treatise of idolatry deals only with star-wors.h.i.+p and image-wors.h.i.+p. I know the treatise only from the Latin translation by D. Voss (in G. I. Voss's _Opera_, vol. v.).-Demons: Deuteron. 32.17; Psalms 106.37; add (according to LXX.) Isaiah 65.11; Psalms 96.5. Later writers: Enoch 19.99, 7; Baruch 4.7. Such pa.s.sages as Jub. 22, 17 or Sibyll. prooem. 22 are possibly Euhemeristic.-Fallen angels: Enoch, 19.-Philo's demonology: _de gig._ 6-18, etc.

P. 128. St. Paul: 1 Cor. 10.20; comp. 8.4 and Rom. 1.23.