Abstract:
The Hymn to Zeus by the Stoic philosopher Cleanthes is one of the most intriguing
texts to survive from tl1e Hellenist:ic period, and of great significance for the history
of Hellenistic philosophy, the history of Hellenistic and Greco-Roman religions as
well as the history of Greek literatu re. A detailed study of all three these facets -
philosophical, religious and literary - is essential for understanding the poem. The
Hymn itself is remarkable precisely because it combines different philosophical,
religious and literary traditions and sources into a new expression of philosophical
religion. Scholars, however, often focus on one aspect of the text without giving due
recognition to the integration accomplished in it. To do justice to this text means to
understand the way the text itself interprets the traditions it draws upon; it also
means to take the Hymn seriously as a text that still has something to say to us.
