Translated from the Greek Fragments preserved by Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, to which are added Extracts from the Other Works of Julian Relative to the Christians by Thomas Taylor. "The knowledge of the Gods is Virtue, Wisdom, and Perfect Felicity, and Makes Us Resemble the Gods." "I rejoice in the opportunity which is now afforded me of printing this translation of the extracts from a lost work of Julian against the Christians; conceiving that it may be the means of benefitting a certain few, who though they have been educated in stupid opinions, have abandoned them, and who, if properly instructed in, would immediately embrace the genuine religion of mankind.
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10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
It was the best of books, it was the worst of books,
By
This review is from: Arguments of the Emperor Julian Against the Christians (Paperback)
As usual, for those who have the sympathy and inclination, Taylor once more scores high marks for this wonderful translation of Julian's remarks contra the Christians. The memorable observation by the Roman Emperor Julian is that the Christians were often very good people but they were usually terribly ignorant: Theirs was not a virtue in the grand Pythagorean or Platonic-Neoplatonic style. They had amazingly simplistic and crude ideas. Yet despite that, many Christians faithfully and successfully adhered to extremely high standards of personal morality. (Attempt an intelligent discussion with the average modern Christian on the seeming inherent contradictions of Petrine Christianity or its roots in paganism and you will understand Julian's remark.) Again, the Christians often came from the absolute lowest and most disreputable strata of society, whereas in the pagan mysteries (according to Plutarch, Plato, and Julian) only those who were pure of heart and character were permitted to enter.
A good reference but - (curiously) - not a Taylor translation that holds interest on subsequent rereading.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth reading,
By Jill Malter (jillmalter@aol.com) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Arguments of the Emperor Julian Against the Christians (Paperback)
It's not a bad book. The translation is okay, although I think it would have been even better to be less literal and more readable.
And yes, Julian's arguments aren't all that bad against Christianity. But what do you expect? Christianity was never designed to win an argument against anyone who happened to be rich, intelligent, or educated: it was a religion that excluded such people. Given all that, I'm surprised that what we're seeing from Julian wasn't more powerful. Still, I think we ought to read this book, if only to see the opportunity Pagans now have to make large numbers of converts today. Christianity had no arguments against Paganism at the time of Julian, and we can see from this book that it still doesn't.
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First Sentence:
It appears to me to be proper that I should explain to all men the causes through which I am persuaded that the fraudulent machination of the Galilaeans () is the fiction of men, composed with an evil intention; and that it possesses indeed nothing divine, but employing that part of the soul which delights in the fabulous, which is puerile and stupid, adduces monstrous narrations in order to a belief of the truth. Read the first page New!
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It appears to me to be proper that I should explain to all men the causes through which I am persuaded that the fraudulent machination of the Galilaeans () is the fiction of men, composed with an evil intention; and that it possesses indeed nothing divine, but employing that part of the soul which delights in the fabulous, which is puerile and stupid, adduces monstrous narrations in order to a belief of the truth. Read the first page New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 1
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4
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cite this book:
- Porphyry On Abstinence from Animal Food by Porphyry on page 54
- Plagues, Priests, and Demons: Sacred Narratives and the Rise of Christianity in the Old World and the New by Daniel T. Reff on page 60
- The Gospel Truth: The Heresy Of History by Alexander S. Holub in Back Matter
- Psychokinesiology by Evelyn Budd-Michaels on page 56
- The Greek Qabalah: Alphabetic Mysticism and Numerology in the Ancient World by Kieren Barry in Back Matter
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