The Early Middle Ages | Pagans and Christians in the 4th Century (Lecture 4)

Lecture 4: Christian emperors after Constantine continued his policies of supporting Christianity and penalizing paganism. The accession of Julian the Apostate as emperor in 361 caused a brief period of hope or fear, depending on one’s religious beliefs, that a pagan restoration might take place in the empire. However, Julian’s short reign and personal unpopularity meant that such a restoration was not to be. Within a few decades of Julian’s death, most of his policies had been undone. Whereas paganism was the official religion of the Roman Empire in 300 and Christianity outlawed, the exact opposite was true by 400—Christianity was now the official religion and paganism was outlawed. There were still vast areas of the countryside where pagans, ignorant of Christianity, would survive for centuries to come. There were still diehard senators and scholars who would not abandon the old ways. Nonetheless, the tide had turned within the Roman Empire.

Suggested Readings:
Glen W. Bowersock. Julian the Apostate. Harvard University Press, 1991 (first published in 1978).
Judith Herrin. The Formation of Christendom. Princeton University Press, 1989.
Rowland B. E. Smith. Julian’s Gods: Religion and Philosophy in the Thought and Action of Julian the Apostate. Routledge, 1995.

Lecture 5: https://www.bitchute.com/video/4TN0nDiWVZkP/