Ancient religion, fears of division and rules of civil unity in anti-Machiavellian literature

Although the narrative on civil religion has come to commonly rely on Machiavelli, Hobbes and an array of republican thinkers, it may be argued that anti-Machiavellian authors also fully participated in this genealogy. As they intended to deconstruct Machiavellian ideas on politics and religion, figures such as Innocent Gentillet, Jean Bodin, Justus Lipsius and Giovanni Botero in fact contributed to the forging and dissemination of ideas and arguments that are now considered to be inseparable from the emergence of civil religion. These authors commonly and positively referred to ancient religion, especially to the Roman model, and highlighted their fear of a growing duality between the state and religion (what Botero symbolises as the coexistence between two rival altars). In response to such concerns, anti-Machiavellian authors also drew lessons on how to read ancient authors with a view to formulating proposals. Their solutions mainly include the achievement of unity through the institutions of the state, together with policies aimed at religious toleration, ranging from the mere acknowledgment of diversity to the fundamental guarantee of religious freedom.