McClure, George

George McClure is a historian specializing in Renaissance and early modern European intellectual history, with particular focus on religious skepticism and the classical tradition. His monograph "Doubting the Divine in Early Modern Europe: The Revival of Momus, the Agnostic God" (2018) traces the reception and transformation of the ancient Greek deity Momus—the god of mockery and criticism—in Renaissance and early modern thought. McClure demonstrates how humanist writers employed this classical figure to voice religious doubts and critique divine providence in ways that would have been dangerous if expressed directly. His work illuminates how classical mythology provided a vehicle for exploring agnostic and skeptical ideas about divinity during a period of intense religious orthodoxy. This study contributes significantly to understanding the intellectual roots of modern religious skepticism and the complex strategies early modern thinkers used to question theological certainties.