CHAPTER IV

JULIAN PERSECUTES THE INHABITANTS OF CÆSAREA. BOLD FIDELITY OF MARIS, BISHOP OF CHALCEDON

ABOUT the same time, the emperor erased Cæsarea, the large and wealthy metropolis of Cappadocia, situated near Mount Argeus, from the catalogue of cities, and even deprived it of the name of Cæsarea, which had been conferred upon it during the reign of Claudius Cæsar, its former name having been Mazaca. He had long regarded the inhabitants of this city with extreme aversion, because they were zealously attached to Christianity, and had formerly destroyed the temple of Apollo and that of Jupiter, the tutelar deity of the city. The temple dedicated to Fortune, the only one remaining in the city, was destroyed after his accession; and on hearing of the deed, his anger against the Christians exceeded all bounds. He also blamed the Pagans, who were few in number, but who ought, he said, to have hastened to the temple, and to have risked every thing in its defence. He caused all property belonging to the churches of the city and suburbs of Cæsarea to be rigorously sought and carried away: about three hundred pounds of gold, obtained from this source, were conveyed to the public treasury. He also commanded that all the clergy should be enrolled among the troops under the governor of the province, which is accounted the most arduous and least honourable service among the Romans. He ordered the Christian populace to be numbered, women and children inclusive, and imposed taxes upon them as onerous as those to which villages are subjected. He further threatened that, unless their temples were speedily reerected, his wrath would not be appeased, but would be visited on the city, until none of the Galileans remained in existence, for this was the name which, in derision, he gave to the Christians. There is no doubt but that his menaces would have been fully executed, had not death intervened. It was not from any feeling of compassion towards the Christians that he treated them at first with greater humanity than had been evinced by former persecutors, but because he had discovered that the Pagans had derived no advantage from their cruelty, while Christianity had been honoured by the fortitude of those who died in defence of the faith. It was simply from envy of their glory that, instead of employing tire and the sword against them like former persecutors, and instead of casting them into the sea, or burying them alive, in order to compel them to renounce their sentiments, he had recourse to argument and persuasion, and sought by these means to seduce them to Paganism; and he expected to gain his ends more easily by abandoning all violent measures, and by the manifestation of unexpected benevolence. It is said that, on one occasion, when he was sacrificing in the temple of Fortune at Constantinople, Maris, bishop of Chalcedon, presented himself before him, and publicly rebuked him as an irreligious man, an atheist, and an apostate. Julian had nothing in return to reproach him with except his blindness, for his sight was impaired by old age, and he was led by a child. According to his usual custom of uttering blasphemies against Christ, Julian afterwards added, in derision, “The Galilean, thy God, will not cure thee.” Maris replied, “I thank God for my blindness, since it prevents me from beholding one who has apostatized from religion.” Julian passed on without giving a reply; for he considered that Paganism would be advanced by the exhibition of greater lenity and mildness towards Christians than could in ordinary circumstances be expected.