HOMILY 5. The Second Accusation of Emperor Julian

And so, with my word, the first podvig was accomplished and completed. For I have sufficiently shown the wickedness of man, by depicting what he has done to us, and what he could still do, incessantly inventing something more painful than the present. Now I will assign another purpose to the word, which hardly anyone intended for himself, a goal more sacred before God, most pleasing to us, most useful for posterity, — to add to what has been said how true are the scales of God, and what recompense impiety finds for itself, now immediately, now in a short time, as it pleases (I think) the Artist, the Word and Administrator of our affairs, who knows when to atone for misfortunes with mercy and when to bring insolence to reason with shame and executions, using the measures of correction known to Him.

I will begin my speech with a miracle known to all, which even the atheists believe.

As waves were raised upon waves, every day the one who raged against us, first raging against himself, trampling down the holiness of the Spirit of grace, offending (Heb. 10:29), this (it is more appropriate to say) Jeroboam, or the Israelite Ahab (the most wicked of men), or the Egyptian Pharaoh, or the Assyrian Nebuchadnezzar, or, combining all these names together, let us call him alone. For it seems that he combined in himself the vices of all: the apostasy of Jeroboam, the indecent murder of Ahab, the hardness of Pharaoh, the sacrilege of Nebuchadnezzar, and the wickedness of all in general. Having tried all the rest over us, and neglecting other kinds of torment as small and insignificant (for there was no creature more capable of inventing and inventing evil), he finally stirred up the Jewish people against us, making the instrument of his cunning their old light-mindedness and the hatred of us that had long been hidden in them. Concealing his designs under the guise of benevolence toward the Jews, he proved from their books and sacraments that the time had now come for them to enter their land, to rebuild the temple, and to restore the strength of their fathers' customs. But when he had invented this and convinced them of it (for everything pleasant easily leads to deception), the Jews, as if perked up, conceived a plan for the temple, and began to work actively and zealously at the work. Some say with amazement that their wives not only took off all their adornments and willingly sacrificed them for the benefit of the cause and the working people, but also carried the earth in their hands, sparing neither expensive clothes nor tender limbs, recognized their labors as a work of piety, and placed everything else below their occupation. When, frightened suddenly by a violent whirlwind and an earthquake, they rushed to one of the nearby churches, some for prayer, others, as usually happens in such cases, seeking salvation where they had to, while others were carried away by the general confusion, interfering with the crowd of fleeing, then, according to some, the church did not receive them. Going to the open gates, they found that they were closed by some invisible power, which works miracles in a similar way, in order to terrify the wicked, and the pious to safety. But everyone is already saying and are sure that when they tried to enter, fire came out of the temple and burned and destroyed some (so that something similar happened to them that befell the Sodomites, or the miracle that happened to Nadab and Abihu, who burned a strange fire and perished extraordinarily), and others, having mutilated, left as a living monument of God's wrath and vengeance against sinners. So it was, and everyone should believe this, as well as other miracles of God. Even more surprising and obvious to everyone was the light in the sky, depicting the cross. This mark and name, which was formerly despised on earth by the godless, is now made equally visible to all in heaven and serves as a sign of God's victory over the wicked, preferably before any other sign of victory.

What will the wise men of our age say to this, who praise their own, wear long beards, and drag their elegant cloaks on the ground? Tell your own instead, you who write long speeches, compose incredible stories, direct your gaze to the things above, reinterpret heavenly signs, and conclude births and other events from the movement of the stars! Speak to me of your stars, of the crown of Ariadne, of the hair of Veronica, of the lustful swan, of the insolent calf, and, if you like, of your serpent-holder, of the capricorn, of the lion, and of all the others whom you, knowing by their wickedness, have made either gods or stars. Where can you find such a circle in your mathematics? Where will you find a star that would go ahead from the east to Bethlehem as a guide and protector of your Magi? I can say something about heavenly signs: that star opened the coming of Christ, and this one was the crown of Christ's victory. This is what I will say about the heavenly and the heavenly, which, by the great agreement and affinity of all things, participates in our affairs; and the rest will be filled up for me by the psalm: "And thou hast destroyed cities" (Psalm 9:7). Like those ancient cities that were ravaged for such wickedness, they were either swallowed up by the sea or destroyed by an earthquake in the very time of their iniquity with us, so that I can almost say the rest: their memory perished with noise, perished with a loud voice. Such was their fall and destruction, that it would take a long time to restore them, if anyone from among the neighbors, even the most comforted by piety, dared to do so. Such were the manifestations on earth and in heaven! But were not signs placed in the very air at that time, and was it not then sanctified by the signs of the suffering (of Christ)? Let the spectators and witnesses of his miracle show even now the garments sealed then with the signs of the Cross. As soon as one of our own or a stranger told about it or listened to those who told it, he immediately saw a miracle either on himself or on a neighbor: he himself was in the stars, or saw the stars on the clothes of another, which were mottled better than any masterful fabric or skillful painting. What happened from this? The spectators were so amazed that almost everyone, as if with one wave and one voice, began to call on the Christian God and propitiate Him with praises and prayers. Many, without delay, at the same time as it happened, came to our priests and, after earnest request, became members of the Church, were instructed in the sacraments of the Faith, cleansed by Divine Baptism, and thus, through fear, were delivered from fear. But enough about that.

Julian, more and more incited and driven by rage, finally ascends to the very summit of his misfortunes. For he thought that the affairs of the Christians were going according to his wishes, since what he had done already gave him hope that everything would submit to him if he only wanted to; moreover, he admired the victory over the Western barbarians, then he undertook this intention, which was very prudent and philanthropic. Taking from thence two armies, both the soldiers and the demons who commanded him (on whom he had more hope), he marched against the Persians, relying more on his reckless audacity than on the strength of his forces. And this sage could not understand that boldness (θαρσος) and audacity (θρασος), although close in name, are nevertheless most different from each other in actions; I mean courage and cowardice. To be bold in matters that require courage is a sign of courage; while to weaken is a sign of timidity. But to go and rush where there is more danger, and not to hold back, is a sign of insolence; whereas to evade is a sign of caution. It cannot be supposed that it means to keep what you have and to acquire what you did not have. The former is especially and especially worthy of the respect of prudent people, the latter, if it is convenient, should be accepted; otherwise, it is contemptible. Whoever, in the hope of gaining something, exposes himself to the danger of losing all that he has, is very imprudent. Such a man seems to me to be like a bad fighter, who begins to fight before he is in a firm position, or to the helmsman who sinks and tries to sink the enemy's ship when his ship is without tackle and incapable of sailing.

Julian, it seems, did not think about it in the least; he proceeds without prudence to carry out his enterprise; he thought about acquiring a foreign province when the affairs of the Romans were upset by him and were in a bad situation, especially as a result of persecution. Being Salmoneus, who made thunder with his skin, he stretched out his eyes to those Trajans and Hadrians, in whom caution was no less surprising than courage, and did not think of either Carus or Valerian, who were punished for their reckless impetuosity (I do not speak in reproach to an evil fate, as the tragedian expresses it), having suffered defeat within the borders of Persia, when they were at the summit of happiness. But he made up his mind to do so, and gave himself up to his impetuosity, gathering together all that was out of measure in prophecy and sorcery, in heard and unheard of sacrifices, so that all would suddenly collapse. And what a great, extraordinary vow he made, to my Christ and the Word! And the sufferings of the Passionless One, and the mystery of the whole world, the whole Christian race is to be given over to demons, if it succeeds in what it has undertaken.

The beginning of the campaign, so bold and praised by many of his confederates, was as follows: having captured and devastated that part of Assyria which the Euphrates cuts and through which it flows past Persia until its junction with the Tigris, Julian ravaged some fortresses, in which almost no one hindered him, either because he had deceived the Persians by the rapidity of his attack, or because he himself had been deceived by the Persians and lured a little forward (both are said). Thus he went on, while the army was moving, and the river was carrying grain and shells on ships; and soon he encamped at Ctesiphon, the approach to which, because of his desire to take possession of that city, seemed to him already part of the victory. From that time on, his affairs went backwards, as if sand had been poured under his feet or a storm had met the ship. Ctesiphon is a solid fortress that is difficult to take; It is surrounded by a brick wall, a deep moat and a swampy river. It is made even more fortified by another fortress, called Kohe, which is surrounded by nature and art. Both fortresses are so connected that they appear to be one city and are separated only by a river. As it was impossible either to take them by storm, or to subdue them by siege, or to pass between them, especially in ships (there was danger that arrows would be hurled from above on both sides, and the way would be barred), Julian made the rounds of the fortresses, and proceeded in this manner: having diverted a considerable part of the Euphrates, the greatest of rivers, and into a certain ditch, of which the ancient trace is said to have been visible, having let so much water flow, as many ships were needed for sailing, above Ctesiphon connects it with the Tigris; and thanks to this, he saves ships safely transferred from one river to another, and avoids the danger threatening from the fortress.

While Julian is marching forward, the Persian army appears and is constantly increasing in number, but does not consider it necessary to stand face to face and be exposed to danger unless absolutely necessary, being able to overcome with little effort, on the contrary, from high places and from gorges, where the opportunity arises, strikes with spears and arrows, occupies convenient passages in advance, and thus blocks the way of Julian. Then he comes into great difficulty and, not knowing where to turn, finds the evil end of his plan. A certain Persian, not of low birth, imitating Zopyrus, who was with Cyrus at the siege of Babylon, under the guise that by an important offense he had incurred the great wrath of the Persian king and had become very disposed towards him, but he was in favor of the Romans, by his pretense he gained the confidence of Julian, and said to him: "What does this mean, sir? Why such easy measures in such a case? Why do you have this bread on the ships is an unnecessary burden, inspiring only cowardice. Nothing impels one to resist one's superiors and to persist so much as a well-fed belly and the thought that salvation is at hand. But if you listen to me; then you will abandon the ships and thus free your brave army from cowardice. Thou thyself shalt invade the enemy's land by another most convenient and safest route, by which I am thy guide (and I can say that scarcely any one else knows Persia better than I), and return with the desired success. Then you will do me a favor, when you know my favor and my advice in practice." As soon as he said this, Julian believed his words (for light-mindedness is credulous, especially with God's permission); suddenly all the disasters came. The ships took fire; the bread was gone; laughter followed; for it was almost a voluntary suicide; all hope was gone; The guide disappeared with his promises. Enemies are all around; the war flared up; there was no convenient passage; food was obtained with difficulty; the army became disheartened and indignant with the king; there was no good hope left. The only means of salvation in the present circumstances was to get rid of bad reign and military leadership.

This has been the case up to now, and what followed is not told in the same way; Those who have been, as well as those who have not been at war, agree, one to this, the other to another. Some say that Julian was shot by the Persians, when he rushed hither and thither in one of his indiscriminate attacks, and that something happened to him similar to the fate of Cyrus, the son of Parisates, who, with ten thousand troops, attacked his brother Artaxerxes, and, fighting bravely, lost the victory through his temper. Others tell the following about him: Julian ascended a high hill in order to survey the whole army from it, as from a tower, and to find out how many were left in the battle. When the army, beyond expectation, seemed to him very numerous, like a man envious of the salvation of his soldiers, he said: "How annoying it will be if we lead them all into the Roman land!" And some say that one of those foreign jesters who follow an army for fun and for fun at feasts ventured to do so. Others give this honor to one Saracen. Be that as it may, Julian receives a truly timely blow and a saving blow for the whole world; with one blow of the sword he is punished for cutting off many wombs, which he impiously believed. And I wonder how this vain man, who thought that he could know everything by means of his dissected wombs, did not foresee this one thing, that is, a blow to his own womb. It is unseemly to keep silent about his deed, which, among many other things, indisputably proves his frenzy. Julian was lying on the bank of the river and suffering from a wound. And since he knew that many of those who had been glorified before him, in order to be esteemed something higher than man, had by certain stratagems disappeared from among men, and for this reason were recognized as gods, then he, too, captivated by the desire for such glory, and being ashamed of the very nature of death, which ingloriously befalls him for his own folly, what is he plotting? What does it do? His wickedness does not cease with life! He attempts to throw himself into the river and for this he uses the help of people loyal to him and participants in his secrets. And if one of the royal eunuchs, who had guessed what was going on, and explained it to the others, out of disgust at the crime, had not hindered the intention, then perhaps a new god would have appeared from the distressed Julian for foolish people. But so he reigned, so he led the army, so ends his life!

Soon after him, who assumed the royal dignity and was proclaimed king in the midst of the military camp, in the very heat of the dangers that necessarily required a leader, was a man famous for other merits, piety, and appearance, truly worthy of a ruler. And although he lacked neither courage nor zeal; however, he could neither fight the Persians nor advance, because the army was weakened in strength and hopes. Having become the heir not of the kingdom, but of defeat, he is anxious to return to his homeland and seeks the means to accomplish it safely. If the Persians, in their moderation in victory (for they had a law in happiness to observe moderation), or for fear of some rumors, had not turned to peace proposals, as unexpected as humane, there would have been no means, as they say, for the fire-bearer to remain in the army. Thus the Romans were pressed back by the Persians, who were fighting in their own land and encouraged by the events that had preceded them, for it is enough to gain any success to have hope for the future.

But the successor of Julian, as I said, was now concerned with one thing—to save the army, to preserve the strength of the Romans. For these soldiers really constituted the strength of the Romans, and if they acted unsuccessfully, it was more through the recklessness of the commander than from the lack of courage of their own. A treaty was concluded with the Persians (I will say briefly) shameful and unworthy of the Roman army. But if anyone, leaving Julian aside, began to blame his successor for him, then, in my opinion, he would be a bad judge of the events of that time. For the ear does not belong to the reaper, but to the sower; the fault of the fire is not the one who could not extinguish it, but the one who lit it. Here it is appropriate to cite what Herodotus said about the Samian tyrants: these shoes were sewn by Istias, and worn by Aristagoras, who continued what his predecessor had started.

After this, what was left to do but return the body of the wicked man to the Romans, although how did he end his life? But just as we have a departed who left his life before him, let us see what is the difference between the two kings here too (if this in any way serves to the happiness or misfortune of those who have departed). One is accompanied by public blessings, celebrations, processions and our sacred rites, all-night hymns, the lifting up of lamps, with which we Christians honor the pious repose; and the removal of his body becomes a joyful triumph, dissolved by sorrow. If we are to believe the rumor that has reached the ears of many, then when the body of Constantius was carried through the Taurus to his native city, which was of the same name and famous to him, on the top of the mountains some heard the voice of as if singing and attending, and I think that this was the voice of the Angelic Powers, a reward for his piety and funeral recompense. If he seems to have shaken the right doctrine; then the ignorance and unbelief of his nobles are to blame for this, who, catching a simple soul, unconfirmed in piety and not foreseeing the abyss, drew it where they wanted, and, under the guise of™ caring, aroused jealousy for evil. who passed from the father to him, duly honored the earthly tabernacle of him who lived worthy of a king, ended his life with the death of a righteous man and left us power.

For the whole army, although they submitted to the present power, nevertheless showed more respect to the dead; and (as we are wont to be more well-disposed when the loss is still fresh in the memory) grieving and pitying for the beloved king, the soldiers did not tolerate that he should be deprived of royal honors, but also persuaded the apostate to take part in them, even compelled him to meet the deceased in a decent manner, that is, having removed the diadem from his head and given due worship to the king, to go with those who carried him to the tomb — to the famous temple of the Apostles, who have received and preserve this sacred lineage, which has been honored with almost equal honor. Thus is our Emperor buried!