Machiavelli was not anti-Christian but championed a “republican Christianity” that prioritized patriotism, liberty, and this-worldly action over meekness and otherworldly salvation — a tradition deeply rooted in Florentine political culture and one that laid intellectual foundations for modern republicanism, including the founding of America.
Maurizio Viroli, a Princeton scholar and one of the foremost living Machiavelli experts, argues that the standard reading of Machiavelli as a teacher of evil or atheist is fundamentally wrong. Instead, Machiavelli endorsed a Christianity of virtue — one that demands strength, compassion for one’s fellow citizens, and willingness to defend the common good.
This interpretation was not marginal. It was the dominant form of Christianity in republican Florence and other Italian city-states, preached from pulpits and embedded in civic rituals since the 14th century.
Moses as Machiavelli’s True Hero
Machiavelli’s central political hero was not Cesare Borgia but Moses — the friend of God who talked directly with Him and received answers.
Moses exemplified the qualities Machiavelli most admired: compassionate love for one’s people and the willingness to use extraordinary, even brutal means to achieve liberation.
In the Golden Calf episode (Exodus 32), Moses ordered the slaughter of his own people and attributed the command to God — even though the Bible records Moses, not God, issuing the order. Machiavelli approved of this entirely.
The lesson: leaders who pursue grand, noble goals like emancipating a people from tyranny must be prepared to “enter into evil” — lying, massacring, breaking their word — when there is no other path.
