Machiavelli's Three Romes

B. Sullivan Vickie

Description

Machiavelli's ambiguous treatment of religion has fueled a contentious and long-standing debate among scholars. Whereas some insist that Machiavelli is a Christian, others maintain he is a pagan. Sullivan mediates between these divergent views by arguing that he is neither but that he utilizes elements of both understandings arrayed in a wholly new way. In this illuminating study, Sullivan shows Machiavelli's thought to be a highly original response to what he understood to be the crisis of his times.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Political science of religion
• Ancient Rome

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 15 janvier 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781501747861
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

M a c h i av e l l i ’s ThreeRomes

V i c k i e B . S u l l i v a n

M a c h i av e l l i ’ s ThreeRomes

R e l i g io n , H um a n L i b e r t y, a n d P o l i t i c s R e f o r m e d

N o r t h e r n I l l i n o i s U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s i m p r i n t o fa n C o r n e l l U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s I t h a c a L o n d o na n d

Copyright © 1996 by Northern Illinois University Press

First paperback printing 2019

Design by Karen Gibson

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850. Visit our web- site at cornellpress.cornell.edu. ISBN 978-1-5017-4784-7(paperback)| ISBN 978-1-5017-4786-1 (pdf) | ISBN 978-1-5017-4785-4 (ebook) ∞ Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sullivan, Vickie B. Machiavelli’s three Romes : religion, human liberty, and politics reformed / Vickie B. Sullivan. p.cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN978-1-5017-4784-7(alk. paper) 1. Machiavelli, Niccolò, 1469–1527—Contributions in political science. 2. Machiavelli, Niccolò, 1469–1527—Views on Christianity. 3. Catholic Church—Controversial literature. 4. Liberty. I. Title. JC143.M4S85 1996 320.1’092—dc20 96-10830 CIP

Excerpts taken fromMachiavelli’s Discourses on Livy, translated by Harvey C. Mansfield and Nathan Tarcov (University of Chicago Press, copyright 1996), andThe Prince, translated by Harvey C. Mansfield (University of Chicago Press, copyright 1985), are used with permission of the publisher.

T o t h e M e m o r y o f M y M o t h e r

C o n t e n t s

Acknowledgments Note on Texts Cited Introduction

P a r t I : C h r i s t i a n R o m e

1

2

The Church and Machiavelli’s Depiction of Italy’s Historical Situation The Ravages of Christianity

P a r t I I : P a g a n R o m e

3 4 5

The Foundation for Tyranny in Rome Corruption, Youth, and Foreign Influences Machiavelli’s Ambiguous Praise of Paganism

P a r t I I I : M a c h i a v e l l i ’ s N e w R o m e

6 7 8

Old Lands and Machiavelli’s New One A Temporal Christianity and the Princes of the Republic Machiavelli’s Rule and Human Liberty

Notes WorksCited Index

ix xi 3

15

17 36

57

61 81 102

119

123 147 172

191 221 227

A c k n o w l e d g m e n t s

The first debt that I incurred in the preparation of this book is to Catherine and Michael Zuckert, who introduced me to Machi- avelli’s political works in a course devoted to his thought that they taught at Carleton College. From my seminar paper, through my dissertation, to the manuscript of this book, they have been most generous readers, helping a student to make arguments with which they have not always agreed. Only now do I feel as though I have answered to my own satisfaction the questions they raised in that undergraduate class. Anything of value in this interpretation has been profoundly influenced by Nathan Tarcov’s work on Machiavelli and by Joseph Cropsey’s extraordinary example of intellectual probity and clarity of vision in the study and teaching of political philosophy. John Scott, Carol Fiedler, and George Greene read and com- mented on all or portions of the manuscript at various stages. Grace Burton listened patiently to my theories and offered excellent advice. Skidmore College provided me with a sabbatical for the completion of this project, and the students at Skidmore, whose in- defatigable questioning in two seminars I taught on Machiavelli, helped me to refine my arguments. The suggestions of the two readers for Northern Illinois Univer- sity Press have improved the manuscript.Polityallowed me to reprint material in chapters 5 and 7 that originally appeared in an article. Finally, I thank my husband, Daniel, whose critical eye and dialectical skills aided me and whose patience and good humor sustained me.