During the Hellenistic period, mythology
took on the prestige of elite knowledge that marks its possessors as belonging
to a certain class. At the same time, the skeptical turn of the Classical age
became even more pronounced.Greek mythographer Euhemerus established the
tradition of seeking an actual historical basis for mythical beings and events.Although his original work (Sacred Scriptures) is lost, much is known
about it from what is recorded by Diodorus and Lactantius.
Rationalizing hermeneutics of myth became
even more popular under the Roman Empire, thanks to the
physicalist theories of Stoic and Epicurean
philosophy. Stoics presented explanations of the gods and heroes as physical
phenomena, while the Euhemerists rationalized them as historical figures. At
the same time, the Stoics and the Neoplatonists
promoted the moral significations of the mythological tradition, often based on
Greek etymologies.
Through his Epicurean message, Lucretius had sought to expel
superstitious fears from the minds of his fellow-citizens.Livy, too, is
skeptical about the mythological tradition and claims that he does not intend
to pass judgement on such legends (fabulae).The challenge for Romans with a strong and apologetic sense of religious tradition was to
defend that tradition while conceding that it was often a breeding-ground for
superstition. The antiquarian Varro, who regarded religion
as a human institution with great importance for the preservation of good in
society, devoted rigorous study to the origins of religious cults. In his Antiquitates
Rerum Divinarum (which has not survived, but Augustine's City of God indicates its
general approach) Varro argues that whereas the superstitious man fears the
gods, the truly religious person venerates them as parents.
In his work he distinguished three kinds of gods:
1.
The gods of nature:
personifications of phenomena like rain and fire.
2.
The gods of the poets: invented by
unscrupulous bards to stir the passions.
3.
The gods of the city: invented by
wise legislators to soothe and enlighten the populace.
Roman Academic Cotta ridicules both literal and allegorical
acceptance of myth, declaring roundly that myths have no place in philosophy.
Cicero
is also generally disdainful of myth, but, like Varro, he is emphatic in his
support for the state religion and its institutions. It is difficult to know
how far down the social scale this rationalism extended.
Cicero asserts that no one (not even old women and boys) is so foolish as to
believe in the terrors of Hades or the existence of Scyllas, centaurs
or other composite creatures,but, on the other hand, the orator elsewhere complains of the superstitious and
credulous character of the people.
De Natura Deorum is the most comprehensive summary of Cicero's line of
thought.
Credit : wikipedia
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