The sun., 1895-05-05
and deplored the Emperor from the depth Of
his heart, the pagan orator, Libanius.

this book Is the chapter in which the author
examines tho paradoxes and problems pre-
sented In Julian's religious and philosophical
opinions, paradoxes and problems by which
historians have been often perplexod. How
could IL come to pass. IL has been asked, that q
man whose moral standard was, TO say the
least, higher than that of his contemporaries,
had no respect for the morals of the Sermon on
the Mountp How could the follower OF highly
spiritualized theology and cosmology prefer
in religious worship the sacrifice OF heca-
tombs Of oxen, which some even OF the
neo-P Pythagorcans felt to bo brutal and
disgusting. to tho prayers and praises
offered In Christian assembies1 How
could a roformer painfully alive to the religious
and moral degradation OF hts own times, be SO
blind as he was to the real character of the only
forces by which a healthier society could be
erectedp His views OF life and duty seem in
some respects much more like those which
have grown up under Christian teaching than
like those of the lfe-loving Paganism OF the
best days of Greece. Yet nowhere Is he more
bitter in his denuncations Of Christian de-
pravity than where he is exhorting TO what we
are accustomed to regard as peculiarly Chris
tian virtues.
In attempting to deal with these puzzling in
quiries the author of this book sets aside the
justification which Julian has received at the
nRnuS OF bOme strongly anUI-SnrlsJlHu WrlteTs,
especially of some philosopher" of the last
century, whose patronage has probably been
worse for his reputation than the invectives of
his foes. She thinks that, TO those in any de-
gree familiar with the high-fown and imagina-
tive strain of his religious musings and with the
violence Of all his attractions and repulsions in
regard to persons and things Of a religious char
actcr, the idea that even tho force of COM
mon hatred could induce the nationalist
opponents OF superstition to claim him as
an adherent Is almost ludicrous. Modern
friends of his fame rather likely to err in
another direction, and to minimize that abhor-
renee Of Christianity which 1t cannot be denied
was one of the ruling passions of his life. To
approach the problem presented in Julian's
mental attitude with any hope Of success We
should, without any thought Of accusation or of
apology, study his beliefs on their positive
rather than on their negative side. The chief
question is not so much why he was not Chris
tian as what made him such an ardent Hell
lene. For 1t was the ideas of Hellenic mythol-
ogy and philosophy which so entirely possessed
his intellect to make the reception or even
any faint comprehension Of the Christian
ideal total impossibility to him. The author
shows us that, while Julian was yet in his stu
dent days, his young and enthusiastic mind,
saturated with Greek culture, moving in a
poets and illumned by the splendid specula-
tions of Greek philosophers. felt bitter scorn
and Indignation at seeing this culture and this
world receding before tho infowing tide of
new principles totally foreign to his whole view
of life. Whatever may have been the case with
less ardent hearts or with more quiet minds.
with him, at least, no compromise between
Christianity and Hellenic culture was in any
degree possible. He was imbued with whole
hearted loyalty to the great men of the
past and to the teachings and the mode
of life that had come down from them.
Tho heather writings which his Christian
temporaries regarded dangerous though
perhaps necessary article of diet. only to be
taken, at all events. with copious antidotes were
to him the staff of life and the medicine of the
soul. He could not divide his allegiance. Such
were the limitations Of Julian the Apostate Yet
1t is recognized by the author Of this book that.
with all his short-sght edness, he perceived some
things that were hidden from most men Of his
time In the triumph of Christianity he foresaw
the Dark Ages. 1t is scarcely to be wondered at
that he could not see the Renaissance beyond.
Apart from his attitude toward Christianity.
tho author notes yet another paradox in tho
position taken up by Julian as to the beliefs Of
his day. His religion was Hellenism; he aspired
to be q Greek OF the Greeks. Yet both in his
religious philosophy and in the religious cults
which he chiefly preferred, there was a very
strong admixture of Oriental thought and feel
ing. We are reminded. however. that for GEN.
turies a process had been going on by which
Oriental elements were being assimilated into
the substance of Greek thought. The capital of
the Ptolemies had been the great meeting place
of Eastern and Western ideas. At one time,
1t may well have seemed as II the Greek
mind would perish under the weight of
n huf IN fha
neo- Platonists of Alexandria. the Hellenic
intellect reasserted its supremacy and it's
powers of receiving and recasting things new
and old. In the desire to leave generalities
however. and to attain some knowledge of what
Julian's religion actually was, the author of
this book has studied his own obscure and has
tily written treatises on King Helios." and on
" The Mother of the Gods" 1t Is made clear by
this study that while the religion of Julian
in his public capacity was Romano-Hellcnism
in his private observances and dominant
thoughts he was a follower Of Mithracism, or
the philosophy of solar monotheism. The orl-
gin and character OF this strange system re-
quires some preliminary explanation, II the |
reader Is to comprehend 1t, and receives this at
the authors hands.
vi.
Tho worship of Mthras was. according to
introduced lnto the hOman world by |
the Cilcian pirates. who were put down by
Pompeius In the year 20 b. c.. and with whom
schoolboys are made acquainted through one of
Cicero's best known oratons. Before that date,
however. Mithraicism had already passed
through many phases. In the simple nature
worship Of the early Aryans. Mithras held a |
high place one of the gods of light and of |
benelcence. The stern dualsm Of the Mazdean
religion of the early Persans reduced him to a
subordinate station. But the inherent ten |
dency to n polytheistic nature worship. which |
a certain phase of social |
and intellectual development. undermined the |
simplicity of the Mazdean religious system. |
From tho first part Of the fourth century b. c. |
to the fall of the Persian empire, Mlthras held |
a place of honor almost equal to that occupied |
by Ormuzd. His qualities OF purity and of |
ubiquity made him the special protector OF |
honest men. Later on he became identi- |
fled with deities of more distinctly solar
who had their seats In Phry- |
gia. notably with Atys who. in mythol-
ogy, was closely associated with Cybelc, the |