ABSTRACT
It is not very often that the Ionian thinkers are considered to be theologians. An
exception might be made for Xenophanes and Heraclitus, but the first three Ionians, the
Milesians, are perceived as philosophers who were primarily interested in cosmogony,
cosmology, physics, and biology rather than in theology. Nevertheless, the meaning of
the ideas put forth by the Milesians is drastically impoverished if the religious aspect
is not taken into account or is treated as a negligible element. Their theology should,
however, be set against the background of religious views of the epic poets.
