De Natura Deorum Book I

by Marcus Tullius Cicero, Andrew R. Dyck (Editor)

This edition of the Latin text, with accompanying commentary, of the first book of Cicero's essay, On the Nature of the Gods comprises an exposition and refutation of the theology of the Epicurean philosophical school as well as a history of ancient reflections on the gods. Prefaced to the dialogue is Cicero's general justification for writing on philosophy. In his introduction, Andrew Dyck analyzes the work in the context of Cicero's intellectual development and of ancient views of the deity.

Genres: Philosophy

248 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2003

About the author

Born 3 January 106 BC, Arpinum, Italy
Died 7 December 43 BC (aged 63), Formia, Italy

Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. Cicero is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.

Alternate profiles:
Cicéron
Marco Tullio Cicerone
Cicerone

Note: All editions should have Marcus Tullius Cicero as primary author. Editions with another name on the cover should have that name added as secondary author.

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I translated most of this for a graduate class called Cicero's Philosophy, and while I enjoyed the Latin, I found Dyck's commentary lacking. It was a rare moment when he provided grammatical help, and I surely could have used it with something as dense as philosophy. He was concerned mostly with helping his readers understand Cicero's argument or explaining proper names, all of which was helpful and pretty comprehensible. All in all, Dyck's audience appears to be a little more erudite than my peers and me.

As far as the format of this book goes, my only complaint is that the print was pretty small.

[_Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious