Julian Copies the Church; His Letter to the Pagan High Priest

The emperor was deeply grieved to find that all his efforts to make paganism dominant were coming to nothing, and to see Christianity growing in esteem. The doors of the temples were kept open, sacrifices were offered, and the old festivals had been restored in all the cities, and yet he was far from satisfied, for he could plainly see that as soon as his influence was withdrawn, the whole state of things would quickly change. He was especially annoyed to discover that the wives, children and servants of many of the pagan priests had become Christians. Reflecting that one main support of the Christian religion was the life and conduct of those who profess it, he decided to bring the order and discipline of Christianity into the pagan temples. He would set up various orders and ranks of ministers, appoint teachers and readers to give instruction in pagan doctrines and exhortations, and order prayers to be offered on fixed days at set hours. He also resolved to found monasteries for men and women who wished to live in philosophical retirement, and also hospitals to care for strangers and the poor, and for other charitable purposes. He wanted to bring in among the pagans the Christian system of penance for sins committed knowingly and unknowingly. But the point of church discipline he admired most, and most wanted to set up among the pagans, was the custom of the bishops of giving letters of recommendation to those who traveled to other lands, commending them to the hospitality and kindness of other bishops everywhere and in every circumstance. In this way Julian tried to graft the customs of Christianity onto paganism. If what I have said seems hard to believe, I need not go far for proof, for I can produce a letter the emperor himself wrote on the subject. He writes as follows: [a]

“To Arsacius, High Priest of Galatia. Paganism has not yet reached the prosperity one could wish, because of the conduct of those who follow it. The worship of the gods, however, is carried on in the grandest and most magnificent way, far beyond what we even prayed for and hoped. May our Adrastea be kind to these words! For no one would have dared to expect so great and so astonishing a change as the one we have seen in a very short time. But are we to be content with what has already been done? Should we not rather consider that the growth of atheism has come chiefly from the kindness the Christians show to strangers, the reverence they show for the dead, and the false seriousness they put on in their way of life? Each of us must be diligent in doing his duty. I do not mean you alone, for that would not be enough, but all the priests of Galatia. [b] “You must either shame them, or try persuasion, or else remove them from their priestly offices, if they do not join in the service of the gods together with their wives, their children and their servants, or if they put up with the servants, sons or wives of the Galileans treating the gods with irreverence and preferring atheism to piety. Then urge the priests not to go to the theaters, not to drink in taverns, and not to engage in any trade or practice any shameful craft. “Honor those who listen to you, and drive out those who ignore you. Set up guesthouses in every city, so that strangers from neighboring and foreign countries may enjoy our kindness, each according to his need. “I have provided the means to meet the necessary costs, and have given orders throughout all Galatia that you are to be supplied every year with thirty thousand bushels of grain and sixty thousand measures of wine. A fifth of this is to go to the support of the poor who serve the priests, and the rest is to be given out to strangers and to our own poor. For while there are no needy people among the Jews, and while even the impious Galileans provide not only for those of their own party who are in want but also for those who hold with us, it would indeed be shameful if we let our own people suffer poverty. [d] “Teach the pagans to share in this work of kindness, and let the firstfruits of the pagan towns be offered to the gods. “Train the pagans in this generosity by showing them that it has the support of the practice of the most ancient times. For Homer has Eumaeus say:

“Let us not allow others to outdo us in good deeds, and let us not disgrace ourselves by violence, but rather let us be first in piety toward the gods. If I hear that you are acting on my instructions, I will be full of joy. Do not visit the governors often at their homes, but write to them often. When they enter the city, let no priest go out to meet them, and when they go to the temple of the gods, let no priest go with them farther than the entrance. Let no soldiers march before them on such occasions, but let whoever wishes follow them. For as soon as they have entered the sacred precinct, they are only private persons. There, as you well know, it is your place to preside, according to the divine law. Those who humbly keep this law show that they have true religion, while those who despise it are proud and vain. [f] “I am ready to help the people of Pessinus, provided they win the favor of the mother of the gods. But if they neglect this duty, they will incur my utmost displeasure. [g]

“So convince them that if they want my help, they must offer up prayers to the mother of the gods.”