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Julian's Against the Galileans
Flavius Claudius Julianus, better known to history by the name imposed by his Christian opponents, Julian "the Apostate," was a nephew of the First Christian emperor, Constantine I. Julian is one of the most fascinating figures of late antiquity. More information is available about him from both pagan and Christian sources than about any other emperor. His reign inspired both admiration and contempt. Julian's ambitious program was to reinstate the religion of his ancestors and, in the process, to subdue the growth of the Christian church, which had achieved legitimacy under the reign of his uncle. Once in power, he immediately sought to revive the religion of classical Rome, to reform the pagan priesthood, revitalize training in classics and pagan philosophy and--as an affront to Christian prophecy--to rebuild the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. This is the first translation into modern English of the complete corpus of Julian's "Against the Galileans and related writings. It not only puts the work of the philosopher-emperor into historical perspective but offers important insights into the waning days of pagan philosophy and the growth of the Christian church against the background of intellectual and religious opposition. The translations are supported by a full historical introduction to the life of Julian and a detailed treatment of his religious philosophy, including the origins of his understanding of the Christian faith. The work is essential reading for anyone interested in the religions of late antiquity, the growth of the Christian church, and the final phase of the conflict between paganism and Christian teaching.
- GenresHistory
226 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2004
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About the author
R. Joseph Hoffmann
14 books48 followersFollowing graduation from Harvard Divinity School (M.Div. Th.M.) and the University of Oxford (D.Phil.), R. Joseph Hoffmann was tutor in Greek at Keble College and Senior Scholar at St Cross College, Oxford, and Wissenschaftlicher Assistent in Patristics and Classical Studies at the University of Heidelberg. He received the degree Dr. habil. from Heidelberg in 1983.
He began his teaching career at the University of Michigan as Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Studies where he developed the undergraduate and graduate program in Christian origins.
From 1991 to 1999, he was Senior Lecturer in New Testament and Church History at Westminster College, Oxford and a member of the sub-faculty of Oriental Studies in Christian origins.
Hoffmann has also taught at Cal State Sacramento, the American University of Beirut and Wells College, where he was Campbell Professor of Religion and Human Values until 2006 and Distinguished Scholar at Goddard College in 2009.
He has held visiting positions at universities in Africa (Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Botswana), the Middle East, the Pacific (Australia and Papua New Guinea) and South Asia, most recently as Visiting Professor of History at LUMS in Lahore, Pakistan.
He is now Professor of the Liberal Arts at the University of Central Asia.
Beyond academe, he is well known for his advocacy of the humanist tradition. He was Chair of the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion until 2010, a senior vice president of the Center for Inquiry until 2008 and a founding faculty member (1986) of the Humanist Institute. In his recent work, Hoffmann has turned increasingly to the work of ”humanist restoration”–a project designed to reconsider the richness of the humanist legacy in the arts and sciences apart from recent attempts to emphasize the purely rationalistic and naturalistic varieties of humanism that emerged in the late twentieth century.
Hoffmann has focused on the controversial aspects of Christian origins, with special reference to early heresies, gnosticism, and the pagan philosophical critiques of the Christian movement. His most recent books include an edited volume entitled Just War and Jihad: Violence in Judaism, Christianity and Islam (2006) and Sources of the Jesus Tradition (2010.)
His study of the concept of the right to life in early Christianity, Faith and Foeticide, will be published in 2014, along with another in his series of translations of the classical philosophical critiques of the Christian movement: Christianity: The Minor Critics.
He began his teaching career at the University of Michigan as Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Studies where he developed the undergraduate and graduate program in Christian origins.
From 1991 to 1999, he was Senior Lecturer in New Testament and Church History at Westminster College, Oxford and a member of the sub-faculty of Oriental Studies in Christian origins.
Hoffmann has also taught at Cal State Sacramento, the American University of Beirut and Wells College, where he was Campbell Professor of Religion and Human Values until 2006 and Distinguished Scholar at Goddard College in 2009.
He has held visiting positions at universities in Africa (Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Botswana), the Middle East, the Pacific (Australia and Papua New Guinea) and South Asia, most recently as Visiting Professor of History at LUMS in Lahore, Pakistan.
He is now Professor of the Liberal Arts at the University of Central Asia.
Beyond academe, he is well known for his advocacy of the humanist tradition. He was Chair of the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion until 2010, a senior vice president of the Center for Inquiry until 2008 and a founding faculty member (1986) of the Humanist Institute. In his recent work, Hoffmann has turned increasingly to the work of ”humanist restoration”–a project designed to reconsider the richness of the humanist legacy in the arts and sciences apart from recent attempts to emphasize the purely rationalistic and naturalistic varieties of humanism that emerged in the late twentieth century.
Hoffmann has focused on the controversial aspects of Christian origins, with special reference to early heresies, gnosticism, and the pagan philosophical critiques of the Christian movement. His most recent books include an edited volume entitled Just War and Jihad: Violence in Judaism, Christianity and Islam (2006) and Sources of the Jesus Tradition (2010.)
His study of the concept of the right to life in early Christianity, Faith and Foeticide, will be published in 2014, along with another in his series of translations of the classical philosophical critiques of the Christian movement: Christianity: The Minor Critics.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 16, 2016
A brilliant book which does an insightful study of Julian and his world and works and is bound to enter into the To-Read list of those in love with the ancient world. It is an interesting study without overwhelming readers with its details and can be used for all including those looking for an introduction or those into an in-depth study of this powerful yet tragic emperor of the ancient world whose change of trajectory could have changed the world as we know it including its Judeo-Christian orbits as is commonly referred to perhaps erroneously, in popular paralance today.
A comfortable read it is one of those books which you want to continue reading till the end and not put down. The author brings out the complexity of the emperor Julian his animosity and philosophical hatred of the Christians and hints at the emotional and social reasons behind it. the footnotes are a great addition to those who wish to know more about the topics being discussed. It is amazing how much of ground the author covers in this book without make the reader feel like it is an academic exercise.
There are various points which I wish to raise about the book and the life of Julian in general but I think it would not be possible to do it in a review. While Julian in his death, is reported to have said about the Galilean God who He so despised, " You have conquered"; Julian in spite of his tragic and vain mistakes, has conquered as one of the most well remembered Roman Emperor in the hearts of those who love both the classical and the Christian world .
A comfortable read it is one of those books which you want to continue reading till the end and not put down. The author brings out the complexity of the emperor Julian his animosity and philosophical hatred of the Christians and hints at the emotional and social reasons behind it. the footnotes are a great addition to those who wish to know more about the topics being discussed. It is amazing how much of ground the author covers in this book without make the reader feel like it is an academic exercise.
There are various points which I wish to raise about the book and the life of Julian in general but I think it would not be possible to do it in a review. While Julian in his death, is reported to have said about the Galilean God who He so despised, " You have conquered"; Julian in spite of his tragic and vain mistakes, has conquered as one of the most well remembered Roman Emperor in the hearts of those who love both the classical and the Christian world .
January 13, 2012
I was amazed by how humorous and simple this emperor was. He was rational and honest and surely no "apostate".
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews