The existence of divinity was generally accepted in the ancient world, and one piece of evidence put forward for this acceptance was that over centuries, and throughout the known world, there was widespread agreement on this issue, as summarized by Cicero:

Even the Epicureans approved in that they believed that images of gods sometimes appear in dreams, which would emanate from actual originals although from distant regions of outer space. The attitude to Greek religion adopted by the philosophers shows a criticism of traditional gods of myth and ritual, and their replacement by a “natural theology”. The divine attribute of deathlessness was complemented by that of being ungenerated, and the concepts of intelligence, perfection, power and control were transferred to cosmic forces.