A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

370 A Source Book for Ancient Church History[338]as his colleague for the East. The two were tolerant towardheathenism, but Valens took an active part in favor of Arianism,while Valentinian held aloof from doctrinal controversy. Onthe death of Valentinian I, his sons Gratian (murdered at Lyons,383) and Valentinian II (murdered at Vienne by Arbogast, 392),succeeded to the Empire. Under them the policy of tolerationceased, heathenism was proscribed. In the East under Theodosius,appointed colleague of Gratian in 379, the same policy wasenforced. Arianism was now put down with a strong hand inboth parts of the Empire.(a) Ammianus Marcellinus, Roman History, XXX, 9, § 5.The religious policy of Valentinian I.Ammianus Marcellinus is probably the best of the later Romanhistorians, and is the chief authority for much of the secularhistory from 353 to 378, in which period he is a source of thefirst rank, writing from personal observation and first-handinformation. Ammianus was himself a heathen, but he seemsnot to have been embittered by the persecution to which hisfaith had been subjected. He was a man of a calm andjudicial mind, and his judgment is rarely biassed, even whenhe touches upon ecclesiastical matters which, however, herarely does.Valentinian was especially remarkable during his reign for hismoderation in this particular—that he kept a middle course betweenthe different sects of religion, and never troubled any one,nor issued any orders in favor of one kind of worship rather thananother; nor did he promulgate any threatening edicts to bowdown the necks of his subjects to the form of worship to whichhe himself was inclined; but he left these parties just as he foundthem, without making any alterations.