Letters
The surviving letters, edicts and rescripts of the emperor Julian, many of them from his time as sole ruler. They state in his own words his policy toward the Christians, whom he calls Galilaeans, and his plans for the old religion.
The collection that goes under Julian’s name includes private letters to philosophers and friends, public letters to cities, and instructions to officials and priests.
For the religious policy of his reign they are the primary evidence, since they come from the emperor himself. Cited here are the rescript on Christian teachers (36), which explains the law of 17 June 362; the letter to Arsacius, high priest of Galatia (22), on reforming the pagan priesthood and founding hostels; and the letter to the citizens of Bostra (41), dated 1 August 362, in which he says that he has recalled the bishops exiled by Constantius and forces no one to sacrifice. They show the policy as Julian wished it to be seen. How it was applied in the provinces is known mainly from Christian writers, who were hostile to him.
Cited in
- AD 361 to AD 363, firm date