
This book is a study of the religious beliefs of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus--his beliefs in divine retribution, in oracles and divination, in miracles or in fate. It seeks to show not only how such beliefs were central to his work, but also how they were compatible...

Critics of Herodotus have generally shown an unease in the face of the religious passages of the Histories, a sense that he 'lets himself down' by delving into matters irrelevant to the proper purpose of history. They have tended consequently to latch on to isolated instances...