How to Think about God: An Ancient Guide for Believers and Nonbelievers (Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers)

A vivid and accessible new translation of Cicero’s influential writings on the Stoic idea of the divine Most ancient Romans were deeply religious and their world was overflowing with gods―from Jupiter, Minerva, and Mars to countless local divinities, household gods, and ancestral spirits. One of the most influential Roman perspectives on religion came from a nonreligious belief system that is finding new adherents even today: Stoicism. How did the Stoics think about religion? In How to Think about God , Philip Freeman presents vivid new translations of Cicero's On the Nature of the Gods and The Dream of Scipio . In these brief works, Cicero offers a Stoic view of belief, divinity, and human immortality, giving eloquent expression to the religious ideas of one of the most popular schools of Roman and Greek philosophy. On the Nature of the Gods and The Dream of Scipio are Cicero's best-known and most important writings on religion, and they have profoundly shaped Christian and non-Christian thought for more than two thousand years, influencing such luminaries as Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Dante, and Thomas Jefferson. These works reveal many of the religious aspects of Stoicism, including an understanding of the universe as a materialistic yet continuous and living whole in which both the gods and a supreme God are essential elements. Featuring an introduction, suggestions for further reading, and the original Latin on facing pages, How to Think about God is a compelling guide to the Stoic view of the divine. "The majority of Romans were a deeply religious people, though their religion took on forms most of us in the modern world would find unfamiliar. One of the most popular systems of belief among Roman as well as Greek thinkers was Stoicism. Although not strictly a religion Stoicism had many religious aspects including an understanding of the universe as a materialistic, yet continuous and living whole in which Stoics view both the gods and a supreme God as essential elements. This belief system is clearly expressed by Cicero in a central section of his book The Nature of the Gods, a work in which he has different Romans argue various positions on divinity at length. In How to Think about God(s), translator Philip Freeman presents a new translation of this central section which had tremendous influence on religious thinkers (Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Dante, etc.) for centuries to come. He will also translate Cicero's famous text, The Dream of Scipio, which further articulates the Stoic position on divinity and human immortality. Taking these two fragments of Cicero's corpus of religious writings together, we have a succinct presentation of one of the most influential religious systems of the classical world. Cicero himself varied in his religious beliefs over his lifetime and never wholly embraced Stoicism, but he always admired its teachings and was deeply influenced by them. In these two works he explains fairly and even beautifully the ideas of Stoicism without committing himself to them. How to Think about God(s) is an illuminating illustration of what the key religious thinking was by one of the key religious Roman thinkers at the dawn of the Christian era"-- Provided by publisher

A vivid and accessible new translation of Cicero's influential writings on the Stoic idea of the divine

Most ancient Romans were deeply religious and their world was overflowing with gods-from Jupiter, Minerva, and Mars to countless local divinities, household gods, and ancestral spirits. One of the most influential Roman perspectives on religion came from a nonreligious belief system that is finding new adherents even today: Stoicism. How did the Stoics think about religion? InHow to Think about God, Philip Freeman presents vivid new translations of Cicero'sOn the Nature of the Gods and The Dream of Scipio. In these brief works, Cicero offers a Stoic view of belief, divinity, and human immortality, giving eloquent expression to the religious ideas of one of the most popular schools of Roman and Greek philosophy.

On the Nature of the Gods and The Dream of Scipio are Cicero's best-known and most important writings on religion, and they have profoundly shaped Christian and non-Christian thought for more than two thousand years, influencing such luminaries as Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Dante, and Thomas Jefferson. These works reveal many of the religious aspects of Stoicism, including an understanding of the universe as a materialistic yet continuous and living whole in which both the gods and a supreme God are essential elements.

Featuring an introduction, suggestions for further reading, and the original Latin on facing pages,How to Think about God is a compelling guide to the Stoic view of the divine A vivid and accessible new translation of Cicero's influential Stoic writings on the divine Most ancient Romans were deeply religious and their world was overflowing with gods--from Jupiter, Minerva, and Mars to countless local divinities, household gods, and ancestral spirits. One of the most influential Roman perspectives on religion came from a nonreligious belief system that is finding new adherents even today: Stoicism. How did the Stoics think about religion? In How to Think about God , Philip Freeman presents vivid new translations of Cicero's On the Nature of the Gods and The Dream of Scipio . In these brief works, Cicero offers a Stoic view of belief, divinity, and human immortality, giving eloquent expression to the religious ideas of one of the most popular schools of Roman and Greek philosophy. On the Nature of the Gods and The Dream of Scipio are Cicero's best-known and most important writings on religion, and they have profoundly shaped Christian and non-Christian thought for more than two thousand years, influencing such luminaries as Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Dante, and Thomas Jefferson. These works reveal many of the religious aspects of Stoicism, including an understanding of the universe as a materialistic yet continuous and living whole in which both the gods and a supreme God are essential elements. Featuring an introduction, suggestions for further reading, and the original Latin on facing pages, How to Think about God is a compelling guide to the Stoic view of the divine. **A vivid and accessible new translation of Cicero’s influential writings on the Stoic idea of the divine** __On the Nature of the Gods__ and __The Dream of Scipio__ are Cicero's best-known and most important writings on religion, and they have profoundly shaped Christian and non-Christian thought for more than two thousand years, influencing such luminaries as Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Dante, and Thomas Jefferson. These works reveal many of the religious aspects of Stoicism, including an understanding of the universe as a materialistic yet continuous and living whole in which both the gods and a supreme God are essential elements. On The Nature Of The Gods (2.1-44) -- The Dream Of Scipio. Marcus Tullius Cicero ; Selected, Translated, And Introduced By Philip Freeman. Includes Bibliographical References. Electronic Reproduction. Baltimore, Md Available Via World Wide Web. In English Translation Next To Original Latin Text ; Introduction In English. Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 CONTENTS 6 Introduction 8 On the Nature of the Gods (2.1–44) 18 The Dream of Scipio 110 Notes 156 Further Reading 166