The Death of Valentinian and the Speech of Themistius

Questions like these, however, are best left for each person to examine and decide for himself.

The Sarmatians invaded the western parts of the empire, and Valentinian raised an army to oppose them. But as soon as they heard of the number and strength of the troops raised against them, they sent envoys to ask for peace. When the envoys were brought before Valentinian, he asked them whether all the Sarmatians were like them. They replied that the leading men of the nation had been chosen to make up the embassy. At this the emperor cried out in a great fury: “What a terrible thing our subjects endure, and what disaster is closing in on the Roman government, if the Sarmatians, a barbarous people whose best men are you, will not be content to stay in their own land, but are bold enough to invade my realm and dare to make war on the Romans at all!” He went on in this way for some time at the top of his voice, and his rage was so violent and so unbounded that at last he burst a blood vessel and an artery at once. As a result he lost a great deal of blood, and he died soon after in a fortress of Gaul. He was about fifty-four years old, and for thirteen years he had held the reins of government with good results and great distinction. Six days after his death his youngest son, who bore the same name as himself, was proclaimed emperor by the soldiers. Soon afterward Valens, and Gratian, the boy’s brother, formally agreed to this choice, although at first they were irritated that the soldiers had handed him the emblems of power without first getting their consent. [a]

During this time Valens had made his residence at Antioch in Syria. He grew more hostile toward those who differed from him in their opinions about the divine nature, and he harassed them more severely and persecuted them. The philosopher Themistius delivered a speech in his presence. In it he urged the emperor not to be surprised at the disagreement over the doctrines of the church. It was more moderate and smaller, he said, than the disagreement among the pagans, whose opinions are of many kinds; and since there are so many doctrines leading to endless disputes, the differences over them necessarily produce more quarrels and arguments. And so it might well please God not to be easily known, and to allow differences of opinion, so that each person might fear him all the more, since an exact knowledge of him is so far out of reach. And anyone who tried to sum up this vastness would be led to conclude how great he is and how good he is. [c]