Marcus Tullius Cicero, De natura deorum [On the Nature of the Gods]

Clara Auvrey-Assayas (Université de Rouen)
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Cicero’s dialogue

On the Nature of the Gods

is part of a coherent and well-planned series written between 45 and 43 BCE (

De diuinatione

2, 1-4). It exercised a strong influence on philosophers and particularly on theologians, from the early Christian writers through to the 18th century English and French Enlightenments, from Minucius Felix through to Locke, Hume, Diderot and Voltaire, to name but a few. The reception accorded this rich and complex dialogue from such a variety of thinkers over the centuries is well deserved.

As Cicero himself pointed out in its preface, the dialogue aims at throwing some light on a very difficult question whose resolution could be profitable as much for our understanding of what we are – as human beings in our relation to some higher principle – as

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Citation: Auvrey-Assayas, Clara. "De natura deorum". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 July 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13347, accessed 29 March 2024.]

13347 De natura deorum 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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