HISTORICAL ESSAYS.

No. II.

ON THE CHARACTER OF JULIAN; AND ON HIS ATTEMPT TO REBUILD THE JEWISH TEMPLE.

ARLY in the fourth century of the Christian æra, the religion of Christ being established by the Roman emperor Constantine and the civil and ecclesiastical rights of the Christians secured to them by law, the whole system of Paganism rapidly sank into

insignificance and neglect.

We need not here insist upon the miraculous evidence by which it pleased the Almighty controller of events to confirm in the mind of the first Christian emperor, a belief in the Divine origin of Christianity. Suffice it to say, that the Christian religion was established by law, by this emperor, who died in the sixty fifth year of his age, after having received Christian baptism; a participation in which sacrament, a misconception of its true nature had induced him too long to postpone.

Constantine was succeeded by three sons, Constantine, Constantius, and Constans. Of his other relations, all were put to death by the lawless soldiers, except two sons of his brother Julius,-Gallus and JULIAN; the latter of whom, had, at the period of his uncle's death, only attained the age of eight years; and who, having been educated in the belief of the Christian religion, procured for himself, during his short reign as successor of Constantius, who died, November 3rd, A. D., 361, the disgraceful title of THE APOSTATE, and an immortality of infamy as the champion of the last struggles of expiring paganism.

Julian was, beyond all doubt, a man of genius and great capacity. Some authors, indeed, have laboured to establish the mediocrity of his parts and endowments; and it cannot be denied, that he was superstitious in a high degree, and strongly addicted to a belief in magical

*Vid. Mosheim's Eccl, Hist. Cent. IV.

arts. That he was deficient in understanding, does, however, by no means follow. Nothing can be more likely to lead to delusive conclusions than the practice of weighing the characters of past ages in modern scales. Alexander the Great, a man undeniably of extraordinary genius, was in his way, as superstitious as Julian himself; and among our own countrymen, more than one eminent man might be named, who, in the matter of superstition, was no wise in advance of the age in which he lived.

Be it then allowed, that by the general tenor of his conduct, as well as by the adroitness with which he set about the accomplishing of his favourite project, the restoration and reformation of paganism,— Julian proved himself a man of consummate ability. He failed indeed; as man must fail, when his efforts are directed against the most High; but those persons are no judicious defenders of Christianity who attempt unfairly to depreciate the talents of its opponents.

TO REFORM the pagan system of religion was Julian's first object. To re-establish it, precisely on the old footing, he felt to be impossible. The light of Christianity had penetrated into its "dark places," and making visible its deformity and folly, had rendered the one hateful and the other contemptible. With sound judgment, then, the apostate, in his endeavour to restore heathenism, directed his efforts to these principal points; namely, to the concealing, by philosophical or moral allegories, of the real nature and origin of the pagan worship; to the establishing of a system of ecclesiastical polity, similar in its character to that which prevailed in the Christian church; and to the correcting of the morals of all ranks of his subjects, especially those of the priests.

With these views, with the help of his favourite sect of philosophers -the Platonists, he entered upon a systematical attempt to refine the theology of paganism. In imitation of the Christians from whose faith he had apostatized, Julian caused lectures on religion to be publicly delivered by regularly appointed readers; settled the order of the different parts of the pagan service, and caused stated hours of prayer to be rigorously observed. He established schools for the education of youth, in the pagan religion and literature; and erected hospitals for the sick, and alms-houses for the poor. He was accustomed to observe, that "the Galileans," by which contemptuous appellation, he stigmatized the followers of Christ, had strengthened their party by their singular benevolence, and that paganism had suffered by a neglect of this virtue on the part of its votaries. In a

letter, still extant, he bears powerful testimony to the efficacy of " that faith," which alone "worketh by love," by the remarkable declaration, -"these Galileans relieve both their own poor, and ours." He commanded magistrates to punish vice, and sedulously to watch over the public morals and manners. Availing himself of his own Christian knowledge, and thus stealing fire from heaven, he taught, that universal benevolence ought to be practised, that men should return good for evil, and shew kindness even to their enemies. Profiting by the pattern exhibited by the Christian pastors, he exhorted the heathen priests, so to live as to furnish, by their conduct, an example of the lessons which they taught. He directed, that they should avoid places of public entertainment, and, also, every species of sordid gratification; and that they should devote themselves to prayer and to the duties of their sacred office; relying constantly upon the hopes which "the gods " held out to mortals, of happiness after death.

Thus systematically did the imperial apostate, in his impious attempt to subvert Christianity, avail himself of many of the precepts of that Divine religion. Nor did he confine himself to legislation or exhortation. Having, on his accession to the imperial throne, repealed the laws then recently enacted against idolatry, and repaired, embellished, and re-opened the heathen temples, he publicly and daily offered, in his own person, and with due imperial pomp, a solemn sacrifice; thus affording to his subjects an example of personal devotion, not always exhibited even by Christian princes.

While, however, Julian perceived and acknowledged the excellence of Christian practice, and would gladly have promoted it among his heathen subjects, he needed to learn, that the FRUITS of Christianity, can spring only from the FAITH which he was labouring to destroy.

Perhaps, a more systematic and well-conducted attempt than this of Julian, to preserve CHRISTIAN PRACTICE, CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES being repudiated, was never made; and its utter failure furnishes a valuable comment upon the scriptural direction, "either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt; for THE TREE IS KNOWN BY HIS FRUIT."

It was not, however, simply by his efforts in support of paganism, that Julian attempted to banish Christianity from his dominions. While he confiscated the revenues of the Christian clergy, and conferred them upon the heathen priests, he had the wisdom to abstain, at least in a great measure, from open and direct persecution. "The

blood of martyrs," he believed to be "the seed of the church;" and to imitate the barbarities of Diocletian and other persecutors, would as he well knew, have the ultimate effect of augmenting the numbers of the Christians, while upon his own memory, it would leave an indelible stain. By a refinement of policy, therefore, scarcely to have been expected from a man of his impetuous temperament, he professed universal toleration; and employed against the objects of his aversion, no weapons, the use of which could be pronounced to be absolutely inconsistent with that profession. In an age and country in which fire and sword had been the usual arms of the imperial opponents of the religion of Christ, satire and ridicule might perhaps, be regarded as insignificant and comparatively harmless weapons; but those persons who are the best qualified to form a judgment upon this point, will probably be disposed to allow, that Julian evinced a deep knowledge of human nature, when he made choice of this mode of attack.

Another heavy blow was aimed at Christianity, by the profound poliey of Julian, by means of the suppression of learning among those who professed the Christain religion. Christians were directly forbidden to teach; and indirectly forbidden to learn; the wily emperor being well aware, that Christian parents would, for the most part, prevent their children from resorting to the pagan schools; and that Christian youths of more mature age, would be deterred from the same practice, by their own scruples. Deprived thus, of the advantages of a liberal education, a loss much more to be deplored than that of wealth or honours Julian doubtless hoped, that the Christian church must, in time, degenerate into a congregation of ignorant enthusiasts, incapable of defending the truth of their own doctrines, or of withstanding the fallacies of pagan philosophy. Notwithstanding, however, the utmost efforts of this artful oppressor, assisted as he was by the advice and co-operation of the most learned philosophers of the period, "the foolishness of God" was proved to be "wiser than men.”

Hitherto we have only spoken of the efforts which were directed by the imperial infidel against the Christians who lived under his government; we are now to speak of an attack levelled against the very foundations of Christianity itself. It required less sagacity than Julian possessed, to perceive, that the truth of the Christian religion was involved in the accomplishment of prophecy; consequently, he was well aware, that if he could falsify any one well known scriptural prediction, he would, thereby, disprove that exclusive claim to a

Divine origin, which distinguished Christianity from every other religion.

Among the remarkable prophecies extant in the Christian scriptures, those which referred to the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem, had pre-eminently fixed the attention of mankind. The signal accomplishment of these prophecies by the arms of Titus, and the subsequent dispersion of the Jews, had been, during a period of nearly three hundred years the subjects of triumphant appeal by the Christians, as supplyiug an irrefragable argument in support of the truth of revelation. To furnish a palpable refutation of this argument, was the bold and impious design of Julian, when, in the year, 363, he undertook to restore the Jewish worship, and to rebuild that temple, of which it had been declared by the Messiah himself, that not one stone should be left upon another.

This was, indeed, a mode of attack, which, had its success been POSSIBLE, must have been allowed to afford strong evidence of the sound judgment of the apostate. Effectually to reform paganism, by mitigating its absurdities, and refining its grossness, was an attempt to which even his genius must have proved unequal; and open persecution of the Christians, would, he well knew, be followed by a reaction favorable to them and to their principles; but the falsification of one single distinct scriptural prediction, would have shaken the very foundation upon which their faith rested; and would in fact, have reduced the religion of Christ to a level with the worship of Jupiter. It is, therefore, no matter of wonder, that the imperial pagan devotee engaged in this enterprise with intense ardour; or that the issue of it was expected, by the partisans of the emperor, with hope, not unmixed with fear; and by the Christians with that triumphant confidence, which their belief in the sure word of prophecy as recorded in the scriptures of truth, could not but inspire.

The whole Roman world, therefore, looked anxiously on, while the workmen addressed themselves to their task. The issue is well known. "God left not himself witness." A fearful earthquake and tempest, accompanied by flames issuing from the ground, rendered it impossible to lay the foundations of the new temple; the labourers engaged in the work were killed, scorched, or dispersed; and the materials consumed; and this, not once only, but on repeated attempts. Such briefly, are the facts of this interposition of Divine Providence, as established by the evidence of contemporary authors; one of whom