French Literature Reviews - 2026
A. Robert, Epicurus in Hell: Heresy, Atheism, and Hedonism in the Middle Ages
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas
Aurélien Robert
Epicurus in Hell
Heresy, Atheism, and Hedonism in the Middle Ages
Fayard, 2021
368 p. — 24.00 € — EAN : 9782213711744
Long before the Renaissance, medieval philosophers, physicians, and theologians attempted to rehabilitate the figure of Epicurus and revive his thought. From heretic to model of Christian life, from the caricature of an atheistic immoralist to the promotion of pleasure, Aurélien Robert traces the long construction of the representations of Epicureanism as they were received and transformed in the Middle Ages, offering an unprecedented portrait of medieval philosophy.
In Dante's Divine Comedy, only one philosopher is found in the sixth circle of Hell, among the heretics: Epicurus. How could a thinker who lived in the 4th century BCE be judged in this way? By proposing an archaeology of the representations of the Epicurean in the three major monotheistic religions, Aurélien Robert retraces the long development of the associations between Epicureanism and hedonism, atheism and heresy, and their transformation in the Middle Ages.
But this history conceals another, which has remained in the shadow of an imposing body of religious literature. As early as the 12th century, attempts to rehabilitate the Greek philosopher emerged, nearly three centuries before the rediscovery of Lucretius by Poggio Bracciolini. These accounts by theologians, physicians, and philosophers present Epicurus as a great sage, even a model for Christians. At the same time, his philosophy of pleasure was gradually regaining its prestige. Contrary to popular belief, the Middle Ages did not invent the caricature of the Epicurean. Moreover, it was during this period that efforts were made to rescue Epicurus and his philosophy from hell.
A Research Director at the CNRS and a former member of the École française de Rome, Aurélien Robert specializes in the history of medieval and Renaissance philosophy. In 2019, he received the CNRS Bronze Medal for his overall work.
See the book on the publisher's website…
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An article on this work can be read on en-attendant-nadeau.fr:
"The Epicurus Case", by Marc Lebiez (online July 7, 2021)
In the Inferno, Dante encounters Epicurus in the sixth circle, an infamous place he shares with heretics, whereas other pre-Christian thinkers inhabit Limbo and are thus spared the pains of Hell. In his study Epicurus in Hell, Aurélien Robert examines this negative judgment on one of the great ancient philosophers. Is it not absurd to see him, as believers do, as a heretic, an atheist, and a hedonist? How is such a misconception possible?
And on laviedesidees.fr:
The intellectual history of the Middle Ages frequently engaged with classical antiquity, as scholars across various disciplines studied ancient texts to interpret theological and philosophical problems. Within this broader context, the reception of Hellenistic philosophy often involved navigating complex boundaries between orthodoxy and heterodoxy, particularly regarding questions of ethics, the nature of the soul, and human pleasure. The study of how ancient figures were categorized in medieval thought illuminates the mechanisms by which intellectual traditions were transmitted, criticized, or adapted centuries before the rediscovery of texts associated with writers such as Lucretius during the Renaissance.
In Epicurus in Hell, Aurélien Robert traces the long construction of the representations of Epicureanism as they were received and transformed in the Middle Ages, from heretic to model of Christian life, and from the caricature of an atheistic immoralist to the promotion of pleasure. The book examines how medieval philosophers, physicians, and theologians attempted to rehabilitate the figure of Epicurus and revive his thought long before the Renaissance. Readers interested in the history of medieval philosophy and the reception of classical antiquity may find this work relevant.