Julian's reaction against and borrowings from Christianity as he recrafted paganism.

What is it about?

The Roman emperor Julian is a figure of ongoing interest and the subject of David Neal Greenwood's Julian and Christianity. This unique examination of Julian as the last pagan emperor and anti-Christian polemicist revolves around his drive and status as a ruler. Greenwood adeptly outlines the dramatic impact of Julian's short-lived regime on the course of history, with a particular emphasis on his relationship with Christianity. Julian has experienced a wide-ranging reception throughout history, shaped by both adulation and vitriol, along with controversies and rumors that question his sanity and passive ruling. His connections to Christianity, however, are rooted in his regime's open hostility, which Greenwood shows is outlined explicitly in Oration 7: To the Cynic Heracleios. Greenwood's close reading of Oration 7 highlights not only Julian's extensive anti-Christian religious program and decided rejection of Christianity but also his brilliant, calculated use of that same religion. As Greenwood emphasizes in Julian and Christianity, these attributes were inextricably tied to Julian's relationship with Christianity—and how he appropriated certain theological elements from the religion for his own religious framework, from texts to deities. Through his nuanced, detailed readings of Julian's writings, Greenwood brings together ancient history, Neoplatonist philosophy, and patristic theology to create an exceptional and thoughtful biography of the great Roman leader. As a result, Julian and Christianity is a deeply immersive look at Julian's life, one that considers his multifaceted rule and the deliberate maneuvers he made on behalf of political ascendancy.

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Why is it important?

"Saying something new about Roman emperor Julian is a difficult thing to do. Yet, David Neal Greenwood manages to do so in a well-researched, soundly argued, and compelling book" (Elizabeth DePalma Digeser, University of California, Santa Barbara, author of A Threat to Public Piety) "Julian and Christianity offers a new and very refreshing approach to Julian as philosopher, practitioner of religion, devotee of the pagan gods, emperor, and tragic figure in the period immediately following Constantine's Christianization program." (Michael Bland Simmons, Auburn University at Montgomery, author of Universal Salvation in Late Antiquity) “both enjoyable and accessible to a large audience ... an impressive work of scholarship” (Journal of Theological Studies, 2022) “an effective synthesis of the opposition to Christianity conducted by the emperor, which will not fail to interest the specialists of this author and of ancient anti-Christian polemics” (Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2022) "Julian and Christianity is an insightful work." (The NYMAS Review) "This book seeks to overcome a traditional and popular chronological reconstruction of the fourth-century Roman Emperor Julian's policies and writings, which assumed an initial phase of religious tolerance followed by increasing hostility toward Christianity. [S]everal of his observations and arguments will surely extend and enrich the debate over one of Rome's most controversial emperors." (Choice)