To many readers of "The Prince," Machiavelli appears to be
deeply un-Christian or even anti-Christian, a cynic who thinks
rulers should use religion only to keep their subjects in check.
But in "Machiavelli's God," Maurizio Viroli, one of the world's
leading authorities on Machiavelli, argues that Machiavelli, far
from opposing Christianity, thought it was crucial to republican
social and political renewal--but that first it needed to be
renewed itself. And without understanding this, Viroli contends, it
is impossible to comprehend Machiavelli's thought.
Viroli places Machiavelli in the context of Florence's
republican Christianity, which was founded on the idea that the
true Christian is a citizen who serves the common good. In this
tradition, God participates in human affairs, supports and rewards
those who govern justly, and desires men to make the earthly city
similar to the divine one. Building on this tradition, Machiavelli
advocated a religion of virtue, and he believed that, without this
faith, free republics could not be established, defend themselves
against corruption, or survive. Viroli makes a powerful case that
Machiavelli, far from being a pagan or atheist, was a prophet of a
true religion of liberty, a way of moral and political living that
would rediscover and pursue charity and justice.
The translation of this work has been funded by SEPS -
Segretariato Europeo per le Pubblicazioni Scientifiche.
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