page_title: Restoration and tolerance of Paganism from Julian until Valens
section_title: Religious toleration under Jovian, Valentinian and Valens
hierarchical_section_title: Restoration and tolerance of Paganism from Julian until Valens / Religious toleration under Jovian, Valentinian and Valens
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Feuillet d'un diptyque des Nicomaques et des Symmaques&#160;: prêtresse de Cérès accomplissant un rite en l'honneur de Cybèle. Ivoire, œuvre italienne (de Rome&#160;?), vers 400 ap. J.-C. Provenance&#160;: puits de l'abbaye de Montier-en-Der, diocèse de Langres (Haute-Marne). L'autre feuillet est conservé au Victoria and Albert Museum de Londres.
context_page_description: The restoration and tolerance of Paganism from Julian until Valens, from 361 till 375 was a brief period of relative tolerance towards Pagans, preceded by the persecutions of Constantius II and followed by those of Emperor Gratian.
  Under the sole rule of the emperor Julian from 361 to 363, Paganism saw an attempt at restoration; while from 363 till 375, under the reigns of Jovian, Valens and Valentinian I, it received a relative tolerance.
context_section_description: After the death of Julian, Jovian seems to have instituted a policy of religious toleration which avoided the extremes of Constantius and Julian.  Under Valentinian and Valens this period of religious toleration continued. Pagan writers praise both of these emperors for their liberal religious policies.  Valentinian, who ruled in the west, seems to have only been a halfhearted Christian as he avoided attending his inaugural ceremony by twenty-four hours in order to avoid an inauspicious day (the intercalary day of the bissextile year).  Valentinian and Valens granted complete toleration for all cults at the beginning of their reign in 364.  Valentinian even allowed the performance of nocturnal sacrifices, which had been previously prohibited due to the attempt of some people to practice unlawful divination under the cover of the night, after the proconsul of Greece appealed to him.  Valentinian also confirmed the rights and privileges of the Pagan priests and confirmed the right of Pagans to be the exclusive caretakers of their temples.  Valens, who was ruling in the east, was an Arian and was too engaged with fighting against the Orthodox Christians to bother much with the Pagans. In both the west and east severe laws were once again passed prohibiting private divination.  Due to the over zealousness of the populace to stop harmful divination, the haruspices and augurs began to be afraid to show themselves in public. This led the emperors to formally authorize the practice of official and lawful divination by law in 371.
caption: Ivory diptych of a priestess of Ceres, still in fully classical style, ca 400: the "idol" was defaced and thrown in a well at Montier-en-Der (later an abbey) where it was found. (Musée de Cluny) Many works of art were destroyed in the Christian era.[11]
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