A Deceitful Emperor

A Deceitful Emperor

For eight long years the emperor had been Julian the Apostate, but things were about to change.

JUNE 27, 363, was a happy day for the Christians of the Roman Empire. For eight long years the emperor had been Julian the Apostate, but things were about to change.

Born in 331, Julian was the nephew of Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor of the Roman Empire. Constantine the Great had legalized Christianity in the empire. When Julian was six years old, Constantine died, and the empire was divided among his three sons, Constantine II, Constans, and Constantius, all Julian’s cousins. After a series of wars between the sons, Constantius, also a Christian, emerged victorious as emperor.

Julian had received a Christian education, but he had secretly rejected it, seeing hypocrisy in the lives of his supposedly Christian teachers. He was baptized and even ordained to serve as a lector, one who read the Scriptures in worship services, but the austere Christianity that was forced on him made him a rebel. He went to study in Athens, where he enthusiastically embraced the teachings of Homer, Plato, and Aristotle. While in Athens he became a convert to ancient Greek idolatry. He told his private confidants that he was in daily communication with Jupiter, Minerva, Apollo, and Hercules, who assured him of their personal special protection. However, he publicly concealed his commitment to the Greek gods, for it was politically incorrect at the time since the Roman Empire had become Christian.

In 356 Emperor Constantius made Julian, his cousin, the governor of Gaul (modern France), where Julian had distinguished himself in battle. Meanwhile, Constantius was in Constantinople (modern Istanbul) and was threatened by the Persians. He ordered some of Julian’s troops to come to his aid. Not wanting to march the two thousand miles to Constantinople, Julian’s troops mutinied against Constantius’s orders and proclaimed Julian emperor instead. This act of outright rebellion made civil war appear imminent, but Constantius died before it could occur, leaving Julian the undisputed emperor. It was not until just before Constantius died that Julian publicly revealed his allegiance to the Greek gods.

As emperor, Julian immediately set about restoring paganism, earning him the name of Julian the Apostate. In addition to levying heavy taxes on Christians, Julian also removed them from military and government offices and prohibited them from teaching school. He reopened the pagan temples and reinstituted the priesthood and the sacrifices.

In an effort to discredit the Christian holy places in Jerusalem, Julian decided to rebuild the Jewish temple. However, when the workers were laying the foundation, they struck underground deposits of gas that exploded and burned, ending the project.

After reigning eight years, Julian went to war against the Persians. The Christians dreaded his return and were relieved to hear that he had died of wounds he received in battle. The day after Julian’s death, June 27, 363, the army elected a Christian general, Jovian, as the new emperor. When news arrived that Julian had died and that his replacement was a Christian, there was great rejoicing in the churches.

Reflection

Throughout history tyrants often arise unexpectedly. How do you think you would react to living under an anti-Christian dictator? The people in Julian’s time were not expecting his return to paganism and the resulting persecution of Christians. What can you be doing to prepare for such a possibility? Faith needs strong roots if it is to stand firm in difficult times.

The Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses.

Daniel 4:17