Meta Description: Join Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle as they dive into Cicero’s De Natura Deorum. Discover the secrets of the Latin language, why infinitives are actually nouns, and how Roman philosophy tackles the existence of the gods.
Introduction: Return to the Vomitorium
Welcome back to the “vomitorium,” classical gourmands! After a brief hiatus fighting off the “serious flu” and enduring the “smarch” weather of Michigan, hosts Dr. Jeff Winkle and Dr. David Noe return for Episode 71 of the Ad Navseam Podcast.
While the days may be getting longer (or going backward, if you believe the Michigan groundhogs), the appetite for Greco-Roman civilization remains insatiable. In this episode, the hosts tackle the “big guy” himself: Marcus Tullius Cicero. Specifically, they dive into his heavyweight philosophical treatise, De Natura Deorum (On the Nature of the Gods).
But before we ascend to the heavens to debate the gods, we must descend into the trenches of Latin grammar to settle a feud involving a postcard, a duck, and the true identity of the infinitive.
The Great Grammar Throwdown: Are Infinitives Verbs?
Nothing riles up a Latin philologist quite like “grammatical terrorism” via snail mail. Dr. Noe shares a harrowing tale of receiving an anonymous postcard (postmarked from the Detroit Metroplex) with a ransom-note style message: “Infinitives are verbs!”.
To add insult to injury, the card featured a picture of a juvenile duck and an adult duck, implying Dr. Noe’s understanding of the Latin language was still in its molting phase.
The Verdict:
Dr. Noe lays down the law: Infinitives are NOT verbs. They are verbal nouns.
- In English: “To run is painful.” (“To run” acts as the subject/noun).
- In Latin: The second principal part of a verb is a verbal noun. It has verbal qualities (tense, voice), but its core identity is substantive.
As Dr. Noe puts it, calling an infinitive a verb is akin to “calling celery a fruit” or claiming the Earth is the center of the solar system. Quod erat demonstrandum—the debate is settled.
Cicero: The Man Behind the Philosophy
To understand De Natura Deorum, you must understand the tragedy of 45 BC. Cicero, the great orator and statesman, found himself exiled from political life due to the rise of Julius Caesar and the First Triumvirate .
But the political exile was compounded by personal devastation. Cicero divorced his wife, Terentia, and shortly after, his beloved daughter Tullia died. To make matters worse, his son, Marcus Jr., was off in Athens “studying” (read: partying), failing to live up to his father’s immense shadow.
The Philosophical Explosion
In this “double whammy of sorrow,” Cicero turned to philosophy as a consolation. In an incredible burst of activity, he wrote three major works in rapid succession:
- Tusculan Disputations (Disputationes Tusculanae): On the immortality of the soul.
- De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum: On the limits of good and evil.
- De Natura Deorum: On the nature of the gods.
Cicero wasn’t just writing to pass the time; he was writing to save his own sanity. As he famously wrote in a letter to Atticus: “Before dawn, I was writing against the Epicureans”.
Originality vs. The “Roman Plato”
A common criticism, popularized by the 19th-century German historian Theodor Mommsen, is that Cicero wasn’t an original thinker—he was just copying the Greeks.
The hosts argue that this view misses the point of ancient literature. In antiquity, “originality” wasn’t about inventing something from scratch; it was about mastering a form and elevating it. Cicero explicitly stated that he was “translating” Greek ideas for his countrymen, using the abundance (copia) of the Latin language to make Greek philosophy accessible to Rome.
Cicero’s goal was to be the “Roman Plato”—a Philosophia Togata (Philosophy wearing a Toga). By transforming Latin from a rustic language into a vehicle for high philosophy, Cicero performed an act of immense originality and service to Western civilization.
** De Natura Deorum: What’s Up with the Gods?**
The treatise is structured into three books, mirroring the three main schools of Hellenistic philosophy:
- Book 1: The Epicurean view (Gods exist but don’t care about us).
- Book 2: The Stoic view (Providence and natural law).
- Book 3: The Academic view (Skepticism).
The Opening Argument
Cicero begins with a beautiful Latin sentence dedicated to Brutus (yes, that Brutus). He argues that the inquiry into the gods is ad agnitionem animi pulcherrima (highly interesting for the theory of the soul) and essential for the regulation of religion.
The Three Stances on Divinity
In the proemium, Cicero outlines the three possibilities regarding the existence of the gods, providing a masterclass in Latin vocabulary:
- The Theists: Plerique… deos esse dixerunt (The majority have said that gods exist). Cicero notes that this view is guided by nature (duce natura)—a nod to the Stoic concept of natural law.
- The Agnostics: Represented by Protagoras, who declared himself “uncertain” (dubitare se).
- The Atheists: Represented by Diagoras of Melos and Theodorus of Cyrene, who held that there are “no gods at all” (nullos esse omnino).
Cicero sets the stage for a battle royale between these worldviews: Theists, Agnostics, and Atheists.
The “Cheese Nun” Parting Shot
No episode of Ad Navseam is complete without a gustatory parting shot. This week, Dr. Jeff Winkle brings us wisdom from Sister Noella, also known as the “Cheese Nun”.
Her profound (and slightly ominous) insight?
“Cheese is all about the dark side of life.”
Whether you are contemplating the dark side of cheese or the nature of the divine, Cicero remains your best guide.
Valete!
Resources for the Classical Gourmand
- Hackett Publishing: Celebrating 50 years of independent publishing! Get 20% off and free shipping on excellent translations (like Stanley Lombardo’s Odyssey) using the code AN2022.
- Ratio Coffee: Want coffee that isn’t “bilge water”? Get a machine made by nerds for nerds. Use the code ANCO for 15% off.
- Gold River Trading Co: Prefer tea? Try the “American Breakfast” or “Gunpowder Green.” Use the code ANTEA.
- Latin Per Diem: Take your Latin from neophyte to erudite with Dr. Noe’s new Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata.
Be sure to check out the video version of this episode on YouTube and leave a review on Spotify!.
