Doubting the Divine in Early Modern Europe: The Revival of Momus, the Agnostic God

by George McClure

In this book, George McClure examines the intellectual tradition of challenges to religious and literary authority in the early modern era. He explores the hidden history of unbelief through the lens of Momus, the Greek god of criticism and mockery. Surveying his revival in Italy, France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and England, McClure shows how Momus became a code for religious doubt in an age when such writings remained dangerous for authors. Momus ('Blame') emerged as a persistent and subversive critic of divine governance and, at times, divinity itself. As an emblem or as an epithet for agnosticism or atheism, he was invoked by writers such as Leon Battista Alberti, Anton Francesco Doni, Giordano Bruno, Luther, and possibly, in veiled form, by Milton in his depiction of Lucifer. The critic of gods also acted, in sometimes related fashion, as a critic of texts, leading the army of Moderns in Swift's Battle of the Books, and offering a heretical archetype for the literary critic.

280 pages, Hardcover

Published June 21, 2018

Reviews

[Steny_1912]

If one is sufficiently interested in the figure of Momus, cultural studies in general, and quite willing to read such literature in the name of improving their own academic writing skills, then this should be a good hit. That being said, the language and the detail involved may become weary after a time - it's worth remembering that this was most likely not written with the specific intention to appeal to people outside of academia. Still, I think it is quite the educational read - books such as these are usually valuable not just because of their main subject matter, but also because, in positioning it in a certain historical context, that, too, becomes clearer to the reader.