he were the author, he must have not only wholly changed his religion, but considerably im- proved his style. ' The Egyptian Serapis, for instance, was no other than Joseph, who, being the grand-son of Sara, was named SapSy dir<$. I § 12. Augustine's city of god. 85 responds witli the despotic conduct of Constantius, wliicli in- duced the reaction of heathenism under Julian. (3) The attack of Julian upon Christianity brought out no reply on the spot/ but subsequently several refutations, the chief one by Cyeil of Alexandria (f 4AA), in ten books " against the impious Julian," still extant and belonging among his most valuable works. About the same time Theodoeet wrote an apologetic and polemic work : " The Heahng of the Heathen Affections," in twelve treatises, in which he endeavors to refute the errors of the false religion by comparison of the prophecies and miracles of the Bible with the heathen oracles, of the apostles with the heroes and lawgivers of antiquity, of the Christian morality with the immorality of the heathen world„ § 12o Augustine's City of God. Salvianus. (4) Among the Latin apologists we must mention Atjgus- TESTE, Okosius, aud Salvianus, of the fifth century. They struck a different path from the Greeks, and devoted them- selves chiefly to the objection of the heathens, that the over- throw of idolatry and the ascendency of Christianity were chargeable with the misfortunes and the decline of the Roman empire. This objection had already been touched by Tertul- lian, but now, since the repeated incursions of the barbarians, and especially the capture and sacking of the city of Rome un- der the Gothic king Alaric in 410, it recurred with peculiar force. By way of historical refutation the Spanish presbyter Orosius, at the suggestion of Augustine, wrote an outline of universal history in the year 417. Augustine himself answered the charge in liis immortal work " On the city of God," that is, the church of Christ, in * Though Apolliuaris wrote a book " Of the Truth" against the emperor and the heathen philosophers, of which Julian is reported to have said sneeringly: '\vi-y vwv, tyvuiv^ Kareyvoov : " I have read it, understood it, and condemned it." To which the Christian bishops rejoined in like tone : 'Aveyvics, aW' ovk eyvws, fl yap iyvdi^ ovk tv KUTeyvtos : " You have read, but not understood, for, had you understood you would not have condemned." So says Sozomen : v. 18. Comp. Schrockh: vL 355. I 86 THIRD PERIOD. A.D. 311-590. twenty-two books, upon which lie labored twelve years, from 413 to 426, amidst the storms of the great migration and to- wards the close of his life. He was not wanting in apprecia- tion of the old Roman virtues, and he attributes to these the former greatness of the empire, and to the decline of them he imputes her growing weakness. But he rose at the same time far above the superficial view, wliich estimates