Diagoras and Philippus ‘the Atheist’ in Philodemus’ On Piety

Abstract

Abstract At the end of his treatise On Piety, Philodemus systematically criticizes Stoic theology, employing an excursus on Diagoras as part of his critique. Arguing against Diagoras’ detractors, Philodemus, relying on a testimonium by Aristoxenus, claims that, in his poetic writings, Diagoras did not commit any act of impiety. On the contrary, he argues that, despite their practice of calling the gods by name in their treatises, the Stoics ended up destroying the gods more radically than ‘atheists’ like Philippus and others. This paper attempts to shed new light on this Herculanean testimonium to Diagoras and, above all, suggests a solution for identifying the otherwise unknown figure of Philippus ‘the Atheist’.