A Commentary on Cicero, De Natura Deorum II

by Andrew R. Dyck

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780472054831
Publisher:	University of Michigan Press
Publication date:	03/03/2025
Series:	Michigan Classical Commentaries
Pages:	422
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Andrew R. Dyck is Professor Emeritus of Classics at the University of California Los Angeles. He is the author of A Commentary on Cicero, De Legibus, A Commentary on Cicero, De Officiis, and A Commentary on Cicero, De Divinatione II.

Table of Contents

Preface
Abbreviations
Concerning the Text
Introduction
TEXT
M. Tulli Ciceronis De Natura Deorum Liber Secundus
COMMENTARY
Editions Cited
Bibliography
Indexes
     Index of Greek Words and Phrases
     Index of Latin Words and Phrases
     Index of Topics
     Index of Proper Names

What People are Saying About This

Caroline Bishop

“Dyck provides a judicious blend of religious, philosophical, and linguistic material, helpfully illuminating the structure and various arguments of the second book of Cicero’s de natura deorum. His commentary is well suited for use for teaching at the graduate level and for scholars working on de natura deorum.”

Josiah Osgood

“This expert and up-to-date commentary on a major work of Cicero’s philosophical corpus will be of great value to students and scholars alike. De Natura Deorum II offers the fullest surviving account from antiquity of the Stoic view of the gods, while the dialogue as a whole stimulated some of the leading minds of the Enlightenment.”