Danustouch
August 14th, 2001, 12:40 PM
Interesting Bit....
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Today, our time machine takes us back to the Roman Empire around the time of 360 A.D.
Some 35 years after Emperor Constantine declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, his grandson, Flavius Claudius Julianus, became the last Pagan ruler of the Roman Empire. He was known as "Julian the Apostate" by Christians because Flavius was raised as a Christian, but reverted back to Paganism.
Julian reigned as Caesar of the Western Roman Empire from 355 A.D. to 360 A.D., then as Augutus from 360 A.D. to 363 A.D., when he was killed in battle.
Emperor Julian ordered an end to the persecution of non-Christians, and ordered that all religions be tolerated equally under the law.
Emperor Julian's objective was to rebuild and strengthen the Pagan faiths so that they could compete with the Christian Church, and thus insure their future survival. He rebuilt the ancient temples, re-established the pagan priesthoods and the public performance of Pagan rites, and encouraged Paganism by making the various principles and teachings available to all.
Emperor Julian untimely death brought a tradgic end to his noble cause, and he was never able to see his religious goals to fruition. All of Julian's successors were Christians, and following Julian's death, the continued extermination of all non-Christian religions accelerated.
Today, very few people have ever heard the name Flavius Claudius Julianus, more appropriately, Emperor Julian. May we as Pagans, never forget those who have fought and struggled to preserve our Pagan heritage. And may we ever pay tribute to a Emperor Julian and others like him who symbolize the noble virtues and purposes of our Pagan beliefs by emulating those virtues and purposes.
For more information, contact the Julian Society at www.juliansociety.org
****************************************************
Today, our time machine takes us back to the Roman Empire around the time of 360 A.D.
Some 35 years after Emperor Constantine declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, his grandson, Flavius Claudius Julianus, became the last Pagan ruler of the Roman Empire. He was known as "Julian the Apostate" by Christians because Flavius was raised as a Christian, but reverted back to Paganism.
Julian reigned as Caesar of the Western Roman Empire from 355 A.D. to 360 A.D., then as Augutus from 360 A.D. to 363 A.D., when he was killed in battle.
Emperor Julian ordered an end to the persecution of non-Christians, and ordered that all religions be tolerated equally under the law.
Emperor Julian's objective was to rebuild and strengthen the Pagan faiths so that they could compete with the Christian Church, and thus insure their future survival. He rebuilt the ancient temples, re-established the pagan priesthoods and the public performance of Pagan rites, and encouraged Paganism by making the various principles and teachings available to all.
Emperor Julian untimely death brought a tradgic end to his noble cause, and he was never able to see his religious goals to fruition. All of Julian's successors were Christians, and following Julian's death, the continued extermination of all non-Christian religions accelerated.
Today, very few people have ever heard the name Flavius Claudius Julianus, more appropriately, Emperor Julian. May we as Pagans, never forget those who have fought and struggled to preserve our Pagan heritage. And may we ever pay tribute to a Emperor Julian and others like him who symbolize the noble virtues and purposes of our Pagan beliefs by emulating those virtues and purposes.
For more information, contact the Julian Society at www.juliansociety.org