Julian the Apostate, or Flavius Claudius Julianus (AD 332–363), was born in Constantinople in the last years of Constantine’s reign.

He was, in fact, Constantine’s nephew and the cousin of the great intervening senior emperor, Constantius II, who ruled from 337 to 361. Although raised in a Christian household, Julian abandoned his faith at age twenty. He had read widely in both Christian and pagan literature, as was the norm among Christian intellectuals of this time.

When Julian became emperor in AD 361 at age thirty, he set about dismantling the position of the church in society. He did not persecute the “Galileans,” as he called them, in the manner of earlier emperors. But he used every other available means. He flushed Christians out of his imperial court, rescinded the tax exemptions of Constantine, banned Christian academics from teaching (more on that in a moment), and published tracts ridiculing them. He also did everything he could to revive the glories of the old religion, building and refurbishing temples, and sponsoring pagan priests in various cities.

On 26 June 363, as his armies progressed toward their goal of invading Persia in the east, he was hit by an arrow and died later that evening. His sudden death signaled the end of the campaign to revive paganism and to send Christianity back into obscurity. Julian’s immediate successor was his own general, Jovian. He died the following year (AD 364), apparently overcome by the fumes of his charcoal stove, but not before officially reversing Julian’s anti-Christian policies.

For more on Julian—and others from church history—see John Dickson’s Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Combining narrative with keen critique of contemporary debates, author and historian John Dickson gives an honest account of 2,000 years of Christian history that helps us understand what Christianity is and what it's meant to be.

To say that the Christian Church has an "image problem" doesn't quite capture it. From the Crusades and the Inquisition to the racism and abuse present in today's Church--both in Catholic and Protestant traditions--the institution that Christ established on earth has a lot to answer for. But the Church has also had moments throughout history when it has been in tune with Jesus' teachings--from the rise of charity to the invention of hospitals.

For defenders of the faith, it's important to be able to recognize the good and bad in the church's history and be inspired to live aligned with Christ. For skeptics, this book is a thought-provoking introduction to the idea that Christianity is, despite all, an essential foundation of our civilization.

Bullies and Saints will take you on a big-picture journey from the Sermon on the Mount to the modern church:

• Giving contextual accounts of infamous chapters of Christian history, such as the Crusades, and acknowledging their darkness.
• Outlining the great movements of the faith and defending its heroes and saints, some of whom are not commonly recognized.
• Examining the Church beside the teachings and life of Jesus and how it has succeeded in its mission to imitate Christ.

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