The book under review, which originates from a conference held at Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in 2018, is a valuable contribution to the study of Cicero's De natura deorum (henceforth ND). The eleven chapters that make up the volume – mostly in German, except for one chapter in French and two in English – address central issues in the analysis of this Ciceronian text from different perspectives.
The collection is organised into four main sections of two or three contributions each, on different topics and perspectives, such as Roman religion and ND, Quellenforschung, the study of rhetorical and literary aspects of the text, and the reception and tradition of Ciceronian philosophy in ancient and modern times.
After the introduction, in which the editors present the volume and summarise its contents, the first chapter, by W. Stroh, provides a comprehensive analysis of the importance of Roman religion both in Cicero's life and texts, especially between 62 and 56 bce. This is undoubtfully one of the finest contributions in the volume. After considering Cicero's exile, the consecration of his house by Clodius as described in De domo sua and De haruspicum responso, his philosophical writings, and the central role that pietas and religion play in them, Stroh concludes that ND offers a unique insight into how an educated Roman tried to reconcile traditional religion with modern Greek education. In the following contribution J. Rüpke discusses ND from the theoretical perspective of urban religion. He interestingly points out that in this text Roman religion is an intrinsically urban phenomenon: throughout the dialogue the urbs is the Lebenswelt that the characters have in mind as they argue about religious practices configured in terms of urban institutions and practices, and the intellectual and philosophical debate itself is considered an indicator of urbanitas. E. Begemann's article closes the first section with an original approach to religion in ND, taking into consideration H. Rosa's resonance theory to examine the relationship and communication between gods and men as described by Velleius, Balbus and Cotta.
The second section deals with Quellenforschung. H. Essler compares and contrasts the way in which Epicurean theology – especially regarding the physical nature of the gods – is presented in ND 1 with its exposition by Philodemus in De pietate and De dis. Essler concludes that the references to Epicurus in Cicero mostly have a rhetorical function. Diez provides a lucid overview of the study of the sources of ND carried out by German philologists and explains this perspective in the wider political and intellectual context of nineteenth-century Europe.
The papers in the third section examine the relationship between philosophical ideas presented in the dialogue and literary aspects. C. Auvray-Assayas analyses how Cicero is configured as a silent character in the dialogue, who only speaks at the beginning and the end to state his opinion on the speeches. She explains this silence as related to his presentation as an Academic adherent – Cicero chooses to do so to question his auctoritas as the author of the text. He is, therefore, configured as a very different character from the Marcus of De divinatione and De fato, who speaks as one of the main interlocutors. The contribution by R. Woolf looks for an explanation for the existence of not one but two representatives of the Academic perspective in the dialogue and concludes that, while Cotta tends to refute every aspect of the Epicurean and Stoic doctrines, the character of the young Cicero displays his scepticism differently, by evaluating their arguments with a more open-minded attitude, critical but also willing to recognise positives elements. In the chapter that closes this section G.-M. Müller takes into consideration the reference to ND in De divinatione 1.8, where Quintus points out that a position such as Cotta's could lead to the abolition of religion. In De divinatione Academic scepticism is presented as a positive perspective, allowing for critical evaluation and acceptance of some aspects of other schools, such as Stoicism. Müller concludes that De divinatione explains and clarifies Cicero's viewpoint in ND, showing some elements of convergence between Academic scepticism and Stoicism in his philosophical thinking.
The fourth and final section aims to explore some aspects of the reception and tradition of ND. J. Sauer argues that in the Octavius (second century ce) Minucius Felix rewrites Balbus’ argument, to strengthen his position by taking into consideration Cotta's remarks. D. Kiesel shows how both St Augustine and Julian of Eclanum, when discussing in the fifth century ce if sexual desire is a good or not, include Stoic ideas to support their arguments and refer to Balbus’ speech in ND 2. Finally, J. Müller explores how David Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779) takes ND as its model. The most interesting aspect of these three contributions is that they not only recognise Cicero's influence on the tradition, but also reflect on the fact that the later texts can cast new light on the interpretation of ND.
Such a variety of perspectives does not affect the volume's unity, since the main hermeneutical challenges of ND – such as the configuration of Cicero's character or the evaluation of the speeches at the end of Book 3 – are addressed repeatedly throughout the collection. The inclusion of an index rerum et nominum and an index locorum at the end of the volume significantly enhance its usefulness. This book has the great merit of offering an original and up-to-date contribution to the study of ND, a Ciceronian text that does not always receive as much attention as it deserves, mainly because of its many complexities. It is thus altogether welcome.Footnote 1
