Epicurean Translations/Interpretations by Cicero and Seneca

Both Cicero and Seneca had a very accurate knowledge of the Greek language. Cicero is the first to develop a Latin philosophical language, capable of responding to the specific needs of a discipline that only in the first century BC acquired cred- ibility and found consensus among men of culture, rhetoricians, and politicians. In this essay, starting from detailed examples taken from the texts of Cicero and Seneca, I will attempt to highlight the characteristics of their approach to Epicurus’ Greek thought and language, showing – as far as possible – the peculiarities within a fundamental strategic convergence.