A Commentary on Cicero, De Natura Deorum II

Distinguished Latinist Andrew R. Dyck presents the first English commentary on Cicero's De Natura Deorum II in over fifty years. This text is the only connected exposition of Stoic theology to survive from the ancient world. It includes an argument for the existence of the gods from the construction of the cosmos taken up by later thinkers, as well as an exposition of the world-order and divine providence according to Stoic doctrine. After a period in which Cicero's philosophical works were treated mainly as sources for reconstructing the thought of earlier philosophers, they are now coming to be appreciated as intelligent and skillful works in their own right. This book will assist students and others studying Cicero's De Natura Deorum II by providing its historical context, improved Latin text, and a detailed commentary with references to the latest literature on the subject.