Julian, Volume III

Julian (Flavius Claudius Iulianus), known as "the Apostate", was a Roman Emperor who lived from 331 or 332 to 363 CE. Born and educated in Constantinople as a Christian, he survived a precarious childhood and later dedicated himself to literature and philosophy, ultimately converting to paganism. His studies spanned various Greek cities.

In 355, his cousin, Emperor Constantius, summoned him from Athens to the court at Milan, entitled him "Caesar", and appointed him as the governor of Gaul. Julian restored Gaul to prosperity and efficient governance after it had suffered from the ravages of the Alamanni—whom he defeated at the battle of Strassburg in 357—along with other Germanic tribes. Between 357 and 361, Julian's soldiers, refusing to follow orders to serve in the East, almost led Julian into conflict with Constantius. However, Constantius died in 361, allowing Julian to become the sole Emperor of the Roman Empire.

He initiated many reforms and declared universal religious tolerance while advocating for the revival of older pagan rituals. In 362–363, Julian prepared for an expedition against Persia, ruled by Shapur II, from Constantinople and later Antioch. Tragically, he perished from a wound received in a desperate battle.

Julian's extant works, all in Greek, are preserved in the Loeb Classical Library across three volumes. Although his Commentaries on his western campaigns are lost, his surviving works include eight Orations (1-5 in Volume I, 6-8 in Volume II). These comprise two orations praising Constantius, one for Constantius's wife Eusebia, and two theosophical hymns or declamations. These are significant for the study of neo-Platonism, Mithraism, and the cult of the Magna Mater in the Roman world.

The satirical works Caesars and Misopogon (Beard-hater) also appear in Volume II. The Letters (more than eighty, Volume III) encompass edicts or rescripts, mainly concerning Christians, as well as encyclical or pastoral letters to priests, and private letters. Lastly, Volume III includes the fragments of Against the Galilaeans (the Christians), a work primarily intended to argue that the Old Testament provides insufficient evidence for the premise of Christianity.