The book offers a critical investigation of a wide range of features of religious discourse in the transmitted forensic, symbouleutic and epideictic orations of the Ten Attic Orators, a body of 151 speeches which represents the mature flourishing of the ancient art of public speaking and persuasion.

Introduction Chapter 1. Religious discourse in Attic oratory: A full survey Chapter 2. Contextualizing religious discourse Chapter 3. Reacting to the "airy nothing" Chapter 4. Civic/political identity in religious discourse Conclusion

"Serafim has produced a scholarly volume of significant erudition. In exploring the use of religious discourse across the entire canon of the Attic orators, Serafim has emphasised the importance of understanding religion in oratory, adding considerably to the knowledge of this topic. This book is very timely, with many connections that can easily be drawn to modern political life. What makes this particularly relevant is the use of modern frameworks to understand sociological phenomena, such as religion, identity and the importance of contexts in society... [T]his is a fine volume on a topic that, given the current political climate and the importance of religion in politics, is timely and even cautionary to all citizens in democratic countries to be mindful of the way religion is used in political discourse." - Bryn Mawr Classical Review"The book’s strength lies in its demonstration of the pervasiveness of religious discourse in the rhetorical strategies used by public speakers in various settings in classical Athens. When he dives into specifc passages, Serafim often provides appealing and convincing analyses, combining linguistic observations with rhetorical deconstruction to good effect...an informative overview of the varied ways in which religious discourse could be used in rhetorical strategies in classical Athens." - Kernos"The book is a very rewarding lecture offering a new, insightful approach which can be used as a methodological tool for further investigation in the field of religion as persuasive and identity construction mechanism." - Arys