Religious Intolerance in the Later Roman Empire - Bad request ...

for his cruelty when he was Proconsul of Africa. Ammianus says that he was “a man
who, as if smitten by a blast of madness, was as greedy for human blood as a wild
beast, as he showed when governing Africa with proconsular power.” 160 As such it
seems likely that Julianus was not particularly averse to Donatists and this may be
related to his own personal religion. There is some evidence that Julianus was a pagan;
a fragmentary inscription from Rome (AE 1953.237), of which he was Praetorian
Prefect in 387, records an individual who belonged to the grade of Pater Pa[trum ] in the
Mithraic cult. 161 The grade of Pater was, of course, the highest level of initiation in
Mithraism. Unfortunately the only part of the name that is preserved reads “TICUS V
C///” which could also be attributed to Pontius Atticus. 162 But it could be equally
attributable to the addressee of this law Sextus Rusticus Julianus, if the surviving
“TICUS” is restored to Rusticus.
The other candidate for identification with the individual listed on AE 1953.237
is Pontius Atticus and he has been thought, by the editors of the PLRE, to be
“probably a pagan priest” since he is listed on CIL 8.31118 which records his name
among others who are attested as holding different positions in pagan cults. However,
and unlike the others, Pontius Atticus himself has no priesthood, or grade of initiation
listed after his name on this inscription. If he had been a priest or even an initiate of
Mithras, and was therefore the individual referred to on AE 1953.237, then it seems
likely that CIL 8.31118 would also have listed him as such, particularly as he would
160 Amm. Marc. 27.6.1 quasi afflatu quodam furoris, bestiarum m ore hum ani sanguinis av idus, ut ostenderat
cum proconsulari potestate regeret Africam . See Barnes (1998) 109-111 for Ammianus’ use of bestial
stereotypes.
161 AE 1953.237. Mithraism was, of course, particularly attractive to ambitious men from low social
origins who, like Julianus, sought to better themselves.
162 As suggested by the editors of the PLRE. Pontius Atticus 3 PLRE Vol 1 123. In full the inscription
reads:
DIIS Magnis
M D MI ET Attidi m eno
TYRANNO sextius rus
TICUS V C et inlust
RIS PATER Patrum dei in
VICTI MITHRae
131