Julian, Volume I

Julian, Volume I follows the life of Julian (Flavius Claudius Iulianus), known as "the Apostate". He was a Roman Emperor who lived from 331 or 332 to 363 CE. Born and educated as a Christian in Constantinople, Julian survived a precarious childhood and later devoted himself to literature and philosophy, eventually converting to paganism. He studied in various Greek cities, enriching his theological perspectives.

In 355, Julian was summoned from Athens by his cousin, Emperor Constantius, to the court at Milan. There, he was titled "Caesar" and appointed as the governor of Gaul. As governor, Julian restored prosperity and good governance to Gaul following the devastation caused by the Alamanni, whom he defeated at the Battle of Strassburg in 357, along with other Germanic tribes. Between 357 and 361, tensions rose as Julian's soldiers, unwilling to serve in the East under Constantius's orders, nearly sparked a conflict between the two. However, Constantius's death in 361 allowed Julian to become the sole Emperor of the Roman world.

As Emperor, Julian initiated numerous reforms and proclaimed universal religious toleration, although he advocated for the revival of older pagan practices. In 362–363, Julian prepared in Constantinople and later in Antioch for an expedition against Persia, ruled by Shapur II. Tragically, he died from a wound received in a desperate battle.

Julian's surviving works, all written in Greek, are collected in the Loeb Classical Library across three volumes. The eight Orations (1-5 in Volume I, 6-8 in Volume II) include two orations praising Constantius, one for Constantius's wife Eusebia, and two theosophical hymns or declamations, offering insights into neo-Platonism, Mithraism, and the cult of the Magna Mater in the Roman world.

Also in Volume II are the satirical works, Caesars and Misopogon (Beard-hater). The Letters, more than eighty in total, are presented in Volume III. These include edicts or rescripts, many concerning Christians, encyclical or pastoral letters to priests, and private correspondence. Finally, Volume III offers the fragments of Julian's work Against the Galilaeans, which was written primarily to argue that the Old Testament lacks evidence for the foundational ideas of Christianity.