Rethinking the Gods: Philosophical Readings of Religion in the Post-Hellenistic PeriodAncient philosophers had always been fascinated by religion. From the first century BC onwards the traditionally hostile attitude of Greek and Roman philosophy was abandoned in favour of the view that religion was a source of philosophical knowledge. This book studies that change, not from the usual perspective of the history of religion, but as part of the wider tendency of Post-Hellenistic philosophy to open up to external, non-philosophical sources of knowledge and authority. It situates two key themes, ancient wisdom and cosmic hierarchy, in the context of Post-Hellenistic philosophy and traces their reconfigurations in contemporary literature and in the polemic between Jews, Christians and pagans. Overall, Post-Hellenistic philosophy displayed a relatively high degree of unity in its ideas on religion, which should not be reduced to a preparation for Neoplatonism. |
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Rethinking the Gods: Philosophical Readings of Religion in the Post ... Peter van Nuffelen No preview available - 2011 |
Rethinking the Gods: Philosophical Readings of Religion in the Post ... Peter van Nuffelen No preview available - 2021 |
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ancient wisdom antiquity Apul Apuleius argues argument Aristides Boys-Stones Cels Celsus century Chaeremon chapter Christianity comparison concept Cornutus cosmic hierarchy cosmos cult images demons depicted Dio Chrys Dio Chrysostom Dio’s discourse on ancient discourse on cosmic discussion disorder divine hierarchy divine law divine world doctrine Egyptian emperor emphasises Epicureans example explicitly fragment gods Graeco-Roman culture Greek Hellenistic Hesiod hieros logos highest human idea ideal implies interpretation Isis and Osiris Jews kaª kingship orations Lucian Lucius Maximus Maximus of Tyre metaphysical mystery cults myth Neoplatonism nomos empsychos Numen Numenius ofthe one’s original pantheon passage Persian Great King Persian King Philo philosophical philosophical knowledge Plato Platonist Plut Plutarch polemic political Posidonius position Post-Hellenistic period Post-Hellenistic philosophy Pseudo-Aristotle Pythagoras religious rituals Roman Empire Rome rule satraps seems Socrates Stoic Stoicism Stoics and Platonists stresses suggests superstition theology traditional religion treatise truth understanding Varro whereas worship Zeus
Bibliographic information
| Title | Rethinking the Gods: Philosophical Readings of Religion in the Post-Hellenistic Period Greek Culture in the Roman World |
| Author | Peter van Nuffelen |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press, 2011 |
| ISBN | 113950343X, 9781139503433 |
| Subjects | › › Literary Criticism / Ancient & Classical Philosophy / History & Surveys / Ancient & Classical Religion / Philosophy |
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