ABSTRACT
All through the Roman period the Stoics held in theory a definite and consistent position. In the first period of Roman Stoicism many of the Stoics had the courage to defy the inherited prejudices of their fellow-countrymen. The nature of the Stoic worship of Zeus is abundantly illustrated by the Hymn of Cleanthes. The 'gods', according to the Stoics, form a 'natura', a department of the universe. Prayer to the gods may be taken as more characteristic of private and individual worship, though the paradox is worthy of attention that men should ask nothing of the gods that they cannot ask publicly. The Roman Stoics took a special pride in the reputation of the city for attention to religion, that is to say, to the ritual observances due to the gods. The theory of religion is treated as the first stage in this downward path; it is the adaptation of philosophy to the language of social life and individual aspiration.
