The Ancient Mediterranean Religions Index Database

Results for
Please note: the results are produced through a computerized process which may frequently lead to errors, both in incorrect tagging and in other issues. Please use with caution.
Due to load times, full text fetching is currently attempted for validated results only.
Full texts for Hebrew Bible and rabbinic texts is kindly supplied by Sefaria; for Greek and Latin texts, by Perseus Scaife, for the Quran, by Tanzil.net

For a list of book indices included, see here.

graph

All subjects (including unvalidated):

subject	book bibliographic info
atheism	Ando and Ruepke (2006), Religion and Law in Classical and Christian Rome, 72, 103, 104 Bloch (2022), Ancient Jewish Diaspora: Essays on Hellenism, 167 Brenk and Lanzillotta (2023), Plutarch on Literature, Graeco-Roman Religion, Jews and Christians, 121 Del Lucchese (2019), Monstrosity and Philosophy: Radical Otherness in Greek and Latin Culture, 60, 73 Dillon and Timotin (2015), Platonic Theories of Prayer, 30, 88, 91 Ebrey and Kraut (2022), The Cambridge Companion to Plato, 2nd ed, 44, 130 Frede and Laks (2001), Traditions of Theology: Studies in Hellenistic Theology, its Background and Aftermath, 89, 92, 99, 183, 184, 212, 290, 303 Frey and Levison (2014), The Holy Spirit, Inspiration, and the Cultures of Antiquity Multidisciplinary Perspectives, 82 Goodman (2006), Judaism in the Roman World: Collected Essays, 150 Isaac (2004), The invention of racism in classical antiquity, 460 Jouanna (2012), Greek Medicine from Hippocrates to Galen, 108, 111 Leão and Lanzillotta (2019), A Man of Many Interests: Plutarch on Religion, Myth, and Magic, 144, 145, 146 Mackey (2022), Belief and Cult: Rethinking Roman Religion, 67 Poorthuis and Schwartz (2014), Saints and role models in Judaism and Christianity, 400 Schremer (2010), Brothers Estranged: Heresy, Christianity and Jewish Identity in Late Antiquity, 50, 51, 65, 67 Van der Horst (2014), Studies in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity, 176 Versnel (2011), Coping with the Gods: Wayward Readings in Greek Theology, 443, 555, 556, 558 Wilson (2012), The Sentences of Sextus, 314 Wolfsdorf (2020), Early Greek Ethics, 207, 208, 247, 694 Wynne (2019), Horace and the Gift Economy of Patronage, 58, 64, 69, 76, 177, 274 van der EIjk (2005), Medicine and Philosophy in Classical Antiquity: Doctors and Philosophers on Nature, Soul, Health and Disease, 46, 62
atheism, accusations against, christians	Malherbe et al. (2014), Light from the Gentiles: Hellenistic Philosophy and Early Christianity: Collected Essays of Abraham J, 362, 387, 665, 794, 813, 816, 824, 825, 887, 888, 889
atheism, accusations against, diogenes	Malherbe et al. (2014), Light from the Gentiles: Hellenistic Philosophy and Early Christianity: Collected Essays of Abraham J, 611
atheism, accusations against, epicureans	Malherbe et al. (2014), Light from the Gentiles: Hellenistic Philosophy and Early Christianity: Collected Essays of Abraham J, 756, 762
atheism, accusations against, jews	Malherbe et al. (2014), Light from the Gentiles: Hellenistic Philosophy and Early Christianity: Collected Essays of Abraham J, 756
atheism, and superstition	Malherbe et al. (2014), Light from the Gentiles: Hellenistic Philosophy and Early Christianity: Collected Essays of Abraham J, 771
atheism, atheists	Athanassaki and Titchener (2022), Plutarch's Cities, 294, 295, 296, 298, 299, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308 Rohmann (2016), Christianity, Book-Burning and Censorship in Late Antiquity, 103, 105, 129, 189
atheism, christian, accused of	Breytenbach and Tzavella (2022), Early Christianity in Athens, Attica, and Adjacent Areas, 106, 109, 110, 111, 131
atheism, decree of diopeithes against	Parker (2005), Polytheism and Society at Athens, 92, 93, 113
atheism, epicureanism	Malherbe et al. (2014), Light from the Gentiles: Hellenistic Philosophy and Early Christianity: Collected Essays of Abraham J, 762
atheism, impiety, asebeia	Eidinow and Kindt (2015), The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion, 327, 329, 333, 334, 335, 336
atheism/atheist	Edelmann-Singer et al. (2020), Sceptic and Believer in Ancient Mediterranean Religions, 4, 70, 72, 127

List of validated texts:

9 validated results for "atheism"

1. Xenophon, Memoirs, 1.1.1 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE)
Tagged with subjects: • Atheism • atheism • impiety (asebeia), atheism

Found in books: Ando and Ruepke (2006), Religion and Law in Classical and Christian Rome, 103; Eidinow and Kindt (2015), The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion, 334; Versnel (2011), Coping with the Gods: Wayward Readings in Greek Theology, 556

sup>
1.1.1 πολλάκις ἐθαύμασα τίσι ποτὲ λόγοις Ἀθηναίους ἔπεισαν οἱ γραψάμενοι Σωκράτην ὡς ἄξιος εἴη θανάτου τῇ πόλει. ἡ μὲν γὰρ γραφὴ κατʼ αὐτοῦ τοιάδε τις ἦν· ἀδικεῖ Σωκράτης οὓς μὲν ἡ πόλις νομίζει θεοὺς οὐ νομίζων, ἕτερα δὲ καινὰ δαιμόνια εἰσφέρων· ἀδικεῖ δὲ καὶ τοὺς νέους διαφθείρων.'' None

sup>
1.1.1 I have often wondered by what arguments those who drew up the indictment against Socrates could persuade the Athenians that his life was forfeit to the state. The indictment against him was to this effect: Socrates is guilty of rejecting the gods acknowledged by the state and of bringing in strange deities: he is also guilty of corrupting the youth. '' None

2. None, None, nan (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE)
Tagged with subjects: • atheism, decree of Diopeithes against • atheists

Found in books: Lloyd (1989), The Revolutions of Wisdom: Studies in the Claims and Practice of Ancient Greek Science, 333; Parker (2005), Polytheism and Society at Athens, 113

3. None, None, nan (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE)
Tagged with subjects: • atheism • atheists • impiety (asebeia), atheism

Found in books: Eidinow and Kindt (2015), The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion, 333; Lloyd (1989), The Revolutions of Wisdom: Studies in the Claims and Practice of Ancient Greek Science, 49; Versnel (2011), Coping with the Gods: Wayward Readings in Greek Theology, 556

4. Cicero, On The Nature of The Gods, 1.3-1.4, 1.118 (2nd cent. BCE - 1st cent. BCE)
Tagged with subjects: • atheism

Found in books: Frede and Laks (2001), Traditions of Theology: Studies in Hellenistic Theology, its Background and Aftermath, 99; Wolfsdorf (2020), Early Greek Ethics, 207; Wynne (2019), Horace and the Gift Economy of Patronage, 58

sup>
1.3 For there are and have been philosophers who hold that the gods exercise no control over human affairs whatever. But if their opinion is the true one, how can piety, reverence or religion exist? For all these are tributes which it is our duty to render in purity and holiness to the divine powers solely on the assumption that they take notice of them, and that some service has been rendered by the immortal gods to the race of men. But if on the contrary the gods have neither the power nor the will to aid us, if they pay no heed to us at all and take no notice of our actions, if they can exercise no possible influence upon the life of men, what ground have we for rendering any sort of worship, honour or prayer to the immortal gods? Piety however, like the rest of the virtues, cannot exist in mere outward show and pretence; and, with piety, reverence and religion must likewise disappear. And when these are gone, life soon becomes a welter of disorder and confusion; ' "^1.4 and in all probability the disappearance of piety towards the gods will entail the disappearance of loyalty and social union among men as well, and of justice itself, the queen of all the virtues. There are however other philosophers, and those of eminence and note, who believe that the whole world is ruled and governed by divine intelligence and reason; and not this only, but also that the gods' providence watches over the life of men; for they think that the cornº and other fruits of the earth, and also the weather and the seasons and the changes of the atmosphere by which all the products of the soil are ripened and matured, are the gift of the immortal gods to the human race; and they adduce a number of things, which will be recounted in the books that compose the present treatise, that are of such a nature as almost to appear to have been expressly constructed by the immortal gods for the use of man. This view was controverted at great length by Carneades, in such a manner as to arouse in persons of active mind a keen desire to discover the truth. " ^1.118 Take again those who have asserted that the entire notion of the immortal gods is a fiction invented by wise men in the interest of the state, to the end that those whom reason was powerless to control might be led in the path of duty by religion; surely this view was absolutely and entirely destructive of religion. Or Prodicus of Ceos,\',WIDTH,)" onmouseout="nd();"º who said that the gods were personifications of things beneficial to the life of man — pray what religion was left by his theory? '' None

5. None, None, nan (1st cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
Tagged with subjects: • Atheism • atheism, atheists

Found in books: Athanassaki and Titchener (2022), Plutarch's Cities, 303; Leão and Lanzillotta (2019), A Man of Many Interests: Plutarch on Religion, Myth, and Magic, 146

6. Cassius Dio, Roman History, 67.14.1-67.14.2 (2nd cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
Tagged with subjects: • atheism • atheism, accusations of

Found in books: Isaac (2004), The invention of racism in classical antiquity, 460; Zetterholm (2003), The Formation of Christianity in Antioch: A Social-Scientific Approach to the Separation Between Judaism and Christianity. 187

sup>
67.14.1 \xa0At this time the road leading from Sinuessa to Puteoli was paved with stone. And the same year Domitian slew, along with many others, Flavius Clemens the consul, although he was a cousin and had to wife Flavia Domitilla, who was also a relative of the emperor's." '^67.14.2 \xa0The charge brought against them both was that of atheism, a charge on which many others who drifted into Jewish ways were condemned. Some of these were put to death, and the rest were at least deprived of their property.'" None

7. None, None, nan (2nd cent. CE - 3rd cent. CE)
Tagged with subjects: • atheism • atheists

Found in books: Lloyd (1989), The Revolutions of Wisdom: Studies in the Claims and Practice of Ancient Greek Science, 49; Wolfsdorf (2020), Early Greek Ethics, 207

8. None, None, nan (2nd cent. CE - 2nd cent. CE)
Tagged with subjects: • Godlessness, reproach of • atheism

Found in books: Isaac (2004), The invention of racism in classical antiquity, 460; Lampe (2003), Christians at Rome in the First Two Centuries: From Paul to Valentinus, 202

9. None, None, nan (3rd cent. CE - 4th cent. CE)
Tagged with subjects: • Atheism • Godlessness, reproach of

Found in books: Ando and Ruepke (2006), Religion and Law in Classical and Christian Rome, 72; Lampe (2003), Christians at Rome in the First Two Centuries: From Paul to Valentinus, 202

Please note: the results are produced through a computerized process which may frequently lead to errors, both in incorrect tagging and in other issues. Please use with caution.
Due to load times, full text fetching is currently attempted for validated results only.
Full texts for Hebrew Bible and rabbinic texts is kindly supplied by Sefaria; for Greek and Latin texts, by Perseus Scaife, for the Quran, by Tanzil.net

For a list of book indices included, see here.

Tiresias: The Ancient Mediterranean Religions Source Database