A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

369without reference to the truth or error of the positions taken orthe rightful place of dogma within the Church. It roused moredifficulties, problems, and disputes, led to more persecutions,ended in greater party triumphs than any other ecclesiastical orreligious movement. It entered upon its last important phaseabout the time of the accession of the Emperor Julian. Fromthat time the parties began to recognize their real affiliationsand sought a basis of union in a common principle. The effectwas that on the accession of Christian emperors the Church wasable to advance rapidly toward a definitive statement. Of theemperors that followed Julian, Valentinian I (364-375), who [337]ruled in the West, took a moderate and tolerant position in thequestion regarding the existence of heathenism alongside of theChurch and heretical parties within the Church, though afterwardharsher measures were taken by his son and successor (§ 69). Inthe East his colleague Valens (364-378) supported the extremeArian party and persecuted the other parties, at the same timetolerating heathenism. This only brought the anti-Arians moreclosely together as a new party on the basis of a new interpretationof the Nicene formula (§ 70, cf. § 66, c). On the deathof Valens at Adrianople, 378, an opportunity was given this newparty, which it has become customary to call the New Niceneparty, to support Theodosius (379-395) in his work of puttingthrough the orthodox formula at the Council of Constantinople,381 (§ 71).§ 69. The Emperors from Jovian to Theodosius and Their Policytoward Heathenism and ArianismThe reign of Jovian lasted so short a time, June, 363, to February,364, that he had no time to develop a policy, and the assertionof Theodoret that he extinguished the heathen sacrificial firesis doubtful. On the death of Jovian, Valentinian was electedEmperor, who soon associated with himself his brother Valens