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But supposing that Christianity derived its strength from the life and conduct of those who followed it, he intended everywhere to adorn the Hellenic temples with the organization and order of the Christian religion, with tribunals and seats of honor, and with teachers and readers of Hellenic dogmas and exhortations, and with set prayers at stated hours and on appointed days, and with monasteries for men and women who had decided to live a philosophical life, and with hospices for strangers and for the poor, and with other philanthropy toward the 5.16.3 needy to dignify the Hellenic doctrine, and to establish a proportionate correction out of repentance for voluntary and involuntary sins according to the Christian tradition; and not least, it is said that he emulated the tokens of the episcopal letters, by which it was customary for strangers, wherever they were passing through, and among whomever they arrived, to be lodged and deemed worthy of care as if they were well-known and most beloved, on account of the testimony of the sym5.16.4 bol. Intending these things, he was eager to accustom the Hellenists to the practices of the Christians. But since this perhaps seems incredible to many, I will furnish the proof of what has been said from no other source than from the very words of the emperor. For he writes thus: 5.16.5 «Letter of the Emperor Julian to Arsacius, high priest of Galatia. "7Hellenism does not yet prosper according to our plan, on account of those who pursue "7it; for the affairs of the gods are splendid and great and better than any prayer, "7and any hope (may Adrasteia be propitious to our words); for no one would have "7dared even to pray for so great and so vast a change in so short a time a little while ago. 5.16.6 "7What then? Do we think these things are enough, and not look to what has "7especially advanced atheism: philanthropy towards strangers, and "7forethought for the burial of the dead, and their feigned solemnity in their "7way of life? Each of which I think ought to be practiced by us in earnest. 5.16.7 "7And it is not sufficient for you alone to be of such a character, but for all the priests in "7Galatia without exception; whom you must either shame, or persuade to be zealous, "7or remove from their priestly function, if they do not come to the gods with their wives "7and children and servants, but tolerate their domestics or "7sons or Galilean wives being impious towards the gods, preferring atheism 5.16.8 "7to piety. Then, exhort the priest neither to frequent "7the theater nor to drink in a tavern nor to preside over any shameful and "7disgraceful craft or trade; and honor those who obey, but "7drive out the disobedient. 5.16. "7Establish numerous hospices in every city, so that "7strangers may enjoy our philanthropy, not only those of our own people, but also 5.16.10 "7any other who may be in need. As to the means by which you will be supplied with money, I have for now "7devised this. For I have ordered that thirty thousand modii of grain and sixty thousand "7sextarii of wine be given annually throughout all Galatia; of which a "7fifth I say ought to be spent on the poor who serve the priests, and the "7rest distributed by us to strangers and beggars. 5.16.11 "7For it is shameful, when not one of the Jews is a beggar, "7and the impious Galileans support not only their own but ours as well, 5.16.12 "7that ours should be seen to be in need of our assistance. Teach "7the Hellenists also to contribute to such services, and "7the Hellenic villages to offer the first-fruits of their crops to the gods, and "7accustom the Hellenists to such acts of benevolence, teaching them that this "7was our work of old. At any rate, Homer has made Eumaeus say this: "7‘Stranger, it is not right for me, not even if a worse man than you should come, "7to dishonor a stranger; for from Zeus are all "7strangers and beggars; and a gift, though small, is welcome.’ "7Let us not then, by allowing others to emulate our good things, disgrace ourselves by our "7laziness, but rather
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ὑπολαβὼν δὲ τὸν Χριστιανισμὸν τὴν σύστασιν ἔχειν ἐκ τοῦ βίου καὶ τῆς πολιτείας τῶν αὐτὸν μετιόντων, διενοεῖτο πανταχῇ τοὺς ῾Ελληνικοὺς ναοὺς τῇ παρασκευῇ καὶ τῇ τάξει τῆς Χριστιανῶν θρησκείας διακοσμεῖν, βήμασί τε καὶ προεδρίαις καὶ ῾Ελληνικῶν δογμάτων καὶ παραινέσεων διδασκάλοις τε καὶ ἀναγνώσταις, ὡρῶν τε ῥητῶν καὶ ἡμερῶν τεταγμέναις εὐχαῖς, φροντιστηρίοις τε ἀνδρῶν καὶ γυναικῶν φιλοσοφεῖν ἐγνωκότων καὶ καταγωγίοις ξένων καὶ πτωχῶν καὶ τῇ ἄλλῃ περὶ τοὺς 5.16.3 δεομένους φιλανθρωπίᾳ τὸ ῾Ελληνικὸν δόγμα σεμνῦναι, ἑκουσίων τε καὶ ἀκουσίων ἁμαρτημάτων κατὰ τὴν τῶν Χριστιανῶν παράδοσιν ἐκ μεταμελείας σύμμετρον τάξαι σωφρονισμόν· οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ ζηλῶσαι λέγεται τὰ συνθήματα τῶν ἐπισκοπικῶν γραμμάτων, οἷς ἔθος ἀμοιβαδὸν τοὺς ξένους ὅποι δή ποτε διιόντας, καὶ παρ' οἷς ἂν ἀφίκωνται, πάντως κατάγεσθαι καὶ θεραπείας ἀξιοῦσθαι οἷά γε γνωρίμους καὶ φιλαιτάτους διὰ τὴν τοῦ συμ5.16.4 βόλου μαρτυρίαν. ταῦτα διανοούμενος ἐσπούδαζε τοὺς ῾Ελληνιστὰς προσεθίζειν τοῖς τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐπιτηδεύμασιν. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἴσως ἀπίθανον εἶναι τοῦτο δοκεῖ, οὐκ ἄλλοθεν ἢ ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν τοῦ βασιλέως ῥημάτων παρέξομαι τῶν εἰρημένων τὴν ἀπόδειξιν. γράφει γὰρ ὧδε· 5.16.5 «᾿Επιστολὴ ᾿Ιουλιανοῦ βασιλέως ᾿Αρσακίῳ ἀρχιερεῖ Γαλατίας. "7<῾Ο> ῾Ελληνισμὸς οὔπω πράττει κατὰ λόγον ἡμῶν ἕνεκα τῶν μετιόντων "7αὐτόν· τὰ γὰρ τῶν θεῶν λαμπρὰ καὶ μεγάλα καὶ κρείττονα πάσης μὲν εὐχῆς, "7πάσης δὲ ἐλπίδος (ἵλεως δὲ ἔστω τοῖς λόγοις ἡμῶν ᾿Αδράστεια)· τὴν γὰρ ἐν "7ὀλίγῳ τοσαύτην καὶ τηλικαύτην μεταβολὴν οὐδὲ εὔξασθαί τις ὀλίγῳ πρότερον 5.16.6 "7ἐτόλμα. τί οὖν; ἡμεῖς οἰόμεθα ταῦτα ἀρκεῖν, οὐδὲ ἀποβλέπομεν, ὡς "7μάλιστα τὴν ἀθεότητα συνηύξησεν ἡ περὶ τοὺς ξένους φιλανθρωπία καὶ "7ἡ περὶ τὰς ταφὰς τῶν νεκρῶν προμήθεια καὶ ἡ πεπλασμένη σεμνότης κατὰ "7τὸν βίον; ὧν ἕκαστον οἴομαι χρῆναι παρ' ἡμῶν ἀληθῶς ἐπιτηδεύεσθαι. 5.16.7 "7καὶ οὐκ ἀπόχρη τὸ σὲ μόνον εἶναι τοιοῦτον, ἀλλὰ πάντας ἁπαξαπλῶς οἳ "7περὶ τὴν Γαλατίαν εἰσὶν ἱερεῖς· οὓς ἢ δυσώπησον, ἢ πεῖσον εἶναι σπουδαίους, "7ἢ τῆς ἱερατικῆς λειτουργίας ἀπόστησον, εἰ μὴ προσέρχοιντο μετὰ γυναικῶν "7καὶ παίδων καὶ θεραπόντων τοῖς θεοῖς, ἀλλ' ἀνέχοιντο τῶν οἰκετῶν ἢ <τῶν> "7υἱέων ἢ τῶν Γαλιλαίων γαμετῶν ἀσεβούντων μὲν εἰς τοὺς θεούς, ἀθεότητα 5.16.8 "7δὲ θεοσεβείας προτιμώντων. ἔπειτα παραίνεσον ἱερέα μήτε θεάτρῳ "7παραβάλλειν μήτε ἐν καπηλείῳ πίνειν ἢ τέχνης τινὸς καὶ ἐργασίας αἰσχρᾶς "7καὶ ἐπονειδίστου προΐστασθαι· καὶ τοὺς μὲν πειθομένους τίμα, τοὺς δὲ "7ἀπειθοῦντας ἐξώθει. 5.16. "7Ξενοδοχεῖα καθ' ἑκάστην πόλιν κατάστησον πυκνά, ἵν' ἀπολαύσωσιν "7οἱ ξένοι τῆς παρ' ἡμῶν φιλανθρωπίας, οὐ τῶν ἡμετέρων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ 5.16.10 "7τῶν ἄλλων ὅστις ἂν δεηθῇ. χρημάτων δ' ὅθεν εὐπορήσεις, ἐπινενόηταί "7μοι τέως. ἑκάστου γὰρ ἐνιαυτοῦ τρισμυρίους μοδίους κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν "7Γαλατίαν ἐκέλευσα δοθῆναι σίτου καὶ ἑξακισμυρίους οἴνου ξέστας· ὧν τὸ "7πέμπτον μὲν εἰς τοὺς πένητας τοὺς τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἐξυπηρετουμένους ἀνα"7λίσκεσθαί φημι χρῆναι, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα τοῖς ξένοις καὶ τοῖς μεταιτοῦσιν ἐπινέ5.16.11 "7μεσθαι παρ' ἡμῶν. αἰσχρὸν γάρ, εἰ τῶν μὲν ᾿Ιουδαίων οὐδὲ εἷς μεταιτεῖ, "7τρέφουσι δὲ οἱ δυσσεβεῖς Γαλιλαῖοι πρὸς τοῖς ἑαυτῶν καὶ τοὺς ἡμετέρους, 5.16.12 "7οἱ δὲ ἡμέτεροι τῆς παρ' ἡμῶν ἐπικουρίας ἐνδεεῖς φαίνοιντο. δίδασκε "7δὲ καὶ συνεισφέρειν τοὺς ῾Ελληνιστὰς εἰς τὰς τοιαύτας λειτουργίας, καὶ "7τὰς ῾Ελληνικὰς κώμας ἀπάρχεσθαι τοῖς θεοῖς τῶν καρπῶν, καὶ τοὺς "7῾Ελληνικοὺς ταῖς τοιαύταις εὐποιίαις προσέθιζε, διδάσκων αὐτοὺς ὡς τοῦτο "7πάλαι ἦν ἡμέτερον ἔργον. ῞Ομηρος γοῦν αὐτὸ πεποίηκεν Εὔμαιον λέγοντα· "7ξεῖν', οὔ μοι θέμις ἔστ', οὐδ' εἰ κακίων σέθεν ἔλθοι, "7ξεῖνον ἀτιμῆσαι· πρὸς γὰρ ∆ιός εἰσιν ἅπαντες "7ξεῖνοί τε πτωχοί τε· δόσις δ' ὀλίγη τε φίλη τε. "7μὴ δὴ τὰ παρ' ἡμῖν ἀγαθὰ παραζηλοῦν ἄλλοις ξυγχωροῦντες αὐτοὶ τῇ "7ῥαθυμίᾳ καταισχύνωμεν, μᾶλλον δὲ