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greek-cosmologyfeatured in 15 works

Cosmic Conflagration (Ekpyrosis)

The universe periodically burns away in a great fire, then is reborn exactly as before — an endless cycle of conflagration and renewal.

Ekpyrosis is the Stoic doctrine that the cosmos is periodically dissolved into divine, creative fire and then regenerated, repeating the same history over and over. Developed within early Stoicism by Zeno, Cleanthes, and especially Chrysippus (3rd c. BCE), it expresses the Stoic vision of the world as a living, fiery, rational whole governed by providence. The idea echoes Heraclitus's earlier picture of fire as the basic stuff, and it shaped later debates about eternal recurrence and cyclical time.

How it traveled

  1. De communibus notitiis adversus Stoicos
    Chaeronea · 120
    explains
  2. Ad Se Ipsum
    Vindobona (Vienna) · 170
    explains
  3. Vitae philosophorum
    — · 240
    explains
  4. Fragmenta Logica et Physica
    Athens
    explains
  5. De Aeternitate Mundi
    —
    explains
  6. Praeparatio Evangelica
    —
    explains
  7. Contra Celsum
    —
    explains
  8. Oracula
    —
    explains
  9. Refutatio Omnium Haeresium (= Philosophumena)
    —
    explains
  10. Stromata
    —
    explains
  11. De Resurrectione
    —
    explains
  12. Panarion (Adversus Haereses)
    —
    explains
  13. Testimonia et Fragmenta
    Athens
    explains
  14. Apologia I
    —
    explains
  15. Octavius
    —
    explains

Key passages(20)

Origin Anchor — gr-ekpyrosis↗origin

Fragments & Testimonia · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 620↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 581↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 590↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 594↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 595↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 596↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 598↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 602↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 605↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 611↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 613↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 614↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 617↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 618↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 619↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 624↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 625↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 626↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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Chrysippus, Fragmenta Logica et Physica 627↗explains

Fragmenta Logica et Physica · Chrysippus

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