Abstract
This chapter analyzes Plutarch's idea of God with a view to understanding the stumbling block to his religious spirit that determined his attack on Herodotus. As it is argued, when criticizing Herodotus, Plutarch had something other than the so-called envy of the gods in mind. The chapter first reviews the traditional interpretation of Herodotus' motto, which may provide, in the first place, a plausible explanation for Plutarch's seeming inconsistency. The comparative analysis of The Malice of Herodotus and other Plutarchean passages help us clarify Plutarch's idea of god and the reasons behind his attack on Herodotus. The chapter then proceeds to contextualize Plutarch's views, firstly, by comparing them to Platonic receptions of Tim. 29E and, secondly, by contrasting them with Christian and Gnostic Christian discussions that explicitly reject the possibility that God might be envious. Finally, the chapter draws some conclusions and offers a coherent interpretation of Plutarch's criticism. Keywords:antiquity; god; Herodotus; late antiquity; philosophical context; Plutarch; religious context
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