The Stoic Conflagration in Dio of Prusa’s Oration 36

Abstract The myth about the world’s fiery end in the closing section of Dio of Prusa’s Oration 36 clearly contains numerous Stoic elements; yet the passage remains underused as a source for Stoicism. I examine this myth, arguing first (from its context) that Dio intends it to represent the early Stoic doctrine of the conflagration, and second that it presents Chrysippus’ views in particular. Finally, I propose that this text may resolve a puzzle as to why Chrysippus had a welcoming attitude towards the world-ending conflagration: he regarded it as the decisive triumph of the virtue of the divine cosmic animal.