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087 Rhetoric and the Sophists

The History of Ancient Greece

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The Origins of Religion

Prodigus is mentioned in the spuriously attributed platonic dialogue titled Eryxius. Like some of his fellow sophists, Prodigus also interpreted religion through the framework of naturalism. His theory was that primitive man was so impressed with the gifts nature provided him for the furtherance of his life. He believed them to be the discovery of gods or themselves to embody the head god. According to Sextus Empiricus, he was an atheist and Cicero remarks that some of his doctrines were subversive of religion.

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