A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

§ 68. Julian the Apostate 365commanded that throughout the whole of Galatia annually thirtythousand bushels of corn and sixty thousand measures of wine begiven, of which the fifth part I order to be devoted to the support [333]of the poor who attend upon the priests; and the rest is to bedistributed by us among strangers and beggars. For if there is notone among the Jews who begs, and even the impious Galileans,in addition to their own, support also ours, it is shameful that ourpoor should be wanting our aid.(e) Sozomenus, Hist. Ec., V, 16. (MSG, 67:1260.)Measures taken by Julian for the restoration of heathenism.The Emperor, who had long since been eager that Hellenismshould prevail through the Empire, was bitterly grieved seeingit excelled by Christianity. The temples, however, were keptopen; the sacrifices and the ancient festivals appeared to him inall the cities to come from his will. He grieved that when heconsidered that if they should be deprived of his care they wouldexperience a speedy change. He was particularly chagrined ondiscovering that the wives, children, and servants of many paganpriests professed Christianity. On reflecting that the Christianreligion had a support in the life and behavior of those professingit, he determined to introduce into the pagan temples everywherethe order and discipline of the Christian religion: by orders anddegrees of the ministry, by teachers and readers to give instructionin pagan doctrines and exhortations, by appointed prayerson certain days and at stated hours, by monasteries both for menand for women who desired to live in philosophical retirement,likewise hospitals for the relief of strangers and of the poor, andby other philanthropy toward the poor to glorify the Hellenicdoctrine. He commanded that a suitable correction be appointedby way of penance after the Christian tradition for voluntary