GabrielWithoutWings
January 14th, 2008, 06:24 AM
Emperor Julian,
the Blessed
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/Zero009/julian4.jpg
Julian, who eventually grew to be Caeser, Ruler of the Roman Empire in its failing years was born Christian but then enthusiastically embraced Hellenism (or Roman state religion) citing Christianity as the problem plagueing his declining civilization.
His life is a stunning reminder of secular rule
I took these quotes from The Julian Society, a non-denominational group for pagan upliftment (The Julian Society (http://www.juliansociety.org/)). The first one is quite simply one of the most beautiful quotes I've read:
As long as one person remembers, the ancient path survives.
As long as one person worships truly, the ancient Goddesses and Gods are with us.
As long as one person acts with noble spirit, even if they act alone, we are all blessed.
Be thou that one.
The second needs to be taken into its historical context, because I cannot see how "zeal" has anything to do with "piety", but it's still nice:
For zeal to do all that is in one's power is, in truth, a proof of piety
A summary of Emperor Julian's life:
"In 360 A.D., the Emperor Julian became the last Pagan ruler of the Roman Empire. Known as "Julian the Apostate" because he had been raised a Christian but then later converted to Paganism, he worked to reestablish the worship of the ancient Goddesses and Gods and restore all forms of Pagan Religion.
Julian's religious goal was simple and direct, to restore the honor and status which the ancient Pagan faiths had held since the beginning of time. He sought to reinstate noble virtues and purposes within all Pagan religion, to make Pagan teachings available to all, and to continue the rites and public worship of all ancient Pagan deities. Julian's aim was to rebuild and strengthen the various Pagan paths to insure their future survival.
Julian first worked to preserve all forms of Pagan faith so that they could collectively compete with the Christian church. He also ordered an end to the persecution of non-Christians, and proclaimed that all religions should be tolerated on an equal basis.
Julian then began a unified plan to organize and reestablish Pagan religion itself. He rebuilt the ancient temples to the gods, reformed the pagan priesthoods, and saw to it that the ancient Pagan rites were publicly continued. He also worked to reintroduce Pagan ideals to the world by promoting public education in the Pagan faiths and philosophies.
Julian reigned as Caesar of the Western Roman Empire from 355 AD to 360 AD, and then as Augustus from 360-363 AD. Sadly, Julian died in battle in 363 AD before his religious goals could be completed. He was destined to be the last and greatest champion of the ancient Pagan faiths. The emperors who came after were Christian, they made the Church supreme and banned all Pagan worship on penalty of death. Thus the ancient ways perished. Yet for over a thousand years Julian has remained a symbol of pure faith and just rule, and of the true worth of the ancient Pagan religions.
Today, the sacred work begun by Julian remains, and is a more practical and valid goal than ever. His historical example becomes a positive framework for modern action, and for the Julian Society."
About Julian:
"For him true paideia (learning) means an understanding of the Graeco-Roman cultural tradition in all its aspects and implications; only through this knowledge can man hope to begin to know himself, and thus ultimately be led to union with the divine. Like all truly great human achievements, Graeco-Roman culture is for Julian the product of divine revelation...Thanks to the revelation of Apollo-Helios the Greeks developed an admirable religious, philosophical and artistic tradition which their kinsmen, the Romans, were to perfect by enriching it with the best political constitution the world had known... For Julian, the sanctity of Greek culture was ensured by the fact that Apollo-Helios, the patron of culture and the god of truth, acted as the teacher of humanity and, in special cases, could also bestow his divine grace through instant illumination."
"He divided his life into care for the state and devotion to the altars, associating with the gods in countless initiations, mourning for our desecrated temples, when mourning was all that he could do, but then, when the opportunity came, taking up arms for them. He restored the ruined temples to their places, and he restored their ritual back to them and all others: he brought back, as it were from exile, sacrifice and libation, and renewed the festivals that had fallen into abeyance. He did away with the danger that was attached to the worship of higher powers, never allowed his intellect to be diverted from his consideration of the gods, dispersed the mist that enveloped so many, and would have done the same for us all, had he not been untimely taken from us."
An inspiration for all mankind, I suppose, even if it is only his zeal that stands out.
This article found written here, used with permission from the author who's only stipulation was to provide a link to the relevant sites.
Original post, used with permission (http://www.allbeliefs.com/f28/julian-blessed-1921/#post29497)
The Julian Society (http://www.juliansociety.org/)
the Blessed
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/Zero009/julian4.jpg
Julian, who eventually grew to be Caeser, Ruler of the Roman Empire in its failing years was born Christian but then enthusiastically embraced Hellenism (or Roman state religion) citing Christianity as the problem plagueing his declining civilization.
His life is a stunning reminder of secular rule
I took these quotes from The Julian Society, a non-denominational group for pagan upliftment (The Julian Society (http://www.juliansociety.org/)). The first one is quite simply one of the most beautiful quotes I've read:
As long as one person remembers, the ancient path survives.
As long as one person worships truly, the ancient Goddesses and Gods are with us.
As long as one person acts with noble spirit, even if they act alone, we are all blessed.
Be thou that one.
The second needs to be taken into its historical context, because I cannot see how "zeal" has anything to do with "piety", but it's still nice:
For zeal to do all that is in one's power is, in truth, a proof of piety
A summary of Emperor Julian's life:
"In 360 A.D., the Emperor Julian became the last Pagan ruler of the Roman Empire. Known as "Julian the Apostate" because he had been raised a Christian but then later converted to Paganism, he worked to reestablish the worship of the ancient Goddesses and Gods and restore all forms of Pagan Religion.
Julian's religious goal was simple and direct, to restore the honor and status which the ancient Pagan faiths had held since the beginning of time. He sought to reinstate noble virtues and purposes within all Pagan religion, to make Pagan teachings available to all, and to continue the rites and public worship of all ancient Pagan deities. Julian's aim was to rebuild and strengthen the various Pagan paths to insure their future survival.
Julian first worked to preserve all forms of Pagan faith so that they could collectively compete with the Christian church. He also ordered an end to the persecution of non-Christians, and proclaimed that all religions should be tolerated on an equal basis.
Julian then began a unified plan to organize and reestablish Pagan religion itself. He rebuilt the ancient temples to the gods, reformed the pagan priesthoods, and saw to it that the ancient Pagan rites were publicly continued. He also worked to reintroduce Pagan ideals to the world by promoting public education in the Pagan faiths and philosophies.
Julian reigned as Caesar of the Western Roman Empire from 355 AD to 360 AD, and then as Augustus from 360-363 AD. Sadly, Julian died in battle in 363 AD before his religious goals could be completed. He was destined to be the last and greatest champion of the ancient Pagan faiths. The emperors who came after were Christian, they made the Church supreme and banned all Pagan worship on penalty of death. Thus the ancient ways perished. Yet for over a thousand years Julian has remained a symbol of pure faith and just rule, and of the true worth of the ancient Pagan religions.
Today, the sacred work begun by Julian remains, and is a more practical and valid goal than ever. His historical example becomes a positive framework for modern action, and for the Julian Society."
About Julian:
"For him true paideia (learning) means an understanding of the Graeco-Roman cultural tradition in all its aspects and implications; only through this knowledge can man hope to begin to know himself, and thus ultimately be led to union with the divine. Like all truly great human achievements, Graeco-Roman culture is for Julian the product of divine revelation...Thanks to the revelation of Apollo-Helios the Greeks developed an admirable religious, philosophical and artistic tradition which their kinsmen, the Romans, were to perfect by enriching it with the best political constitution the world had known... For Julian, the sanctity of Greek culture was ensured by the fact that Apollo-Helios, the patron of culture and the god of truth, acted as the teacher of humanity and, in special cases, could also bestow his divine grace through instant illumination."
"He divided his life into care for the state and devotion to the altars, associating with the gods in countless initiations, mourning for our desecrated temples, when mourning was all that he could do, but then, when the opportunity came, taking up arms for them. He restored the ruined temples to their places, and he restored their ritual back to them and all others: he brought back, as it were from exile, sacrifice and libation, and renewed the festivals that had fallen into abeyance. He did away with the danger that was attached to the worship of higher powers, never allowed his intellect to be diverted from his consideration of the gods, dispersed the mist that enveloped so many, and would have done the same for us all, had he not been untimely taken from us."
An inspiration for all mankind, I suppose, even if it is only his zeal that stands out.
This article found written here, used with permission from the author who's only stipulation was to provide a link to the relevant sites.
Original post, used with permission (http://www.allbeliefs.com/f28/julian-blessed-1921/#post29497)
The Julian Society (http://www.juliansociety.org/)