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363β379 AD: The Pagan Restoration & Romeβs Return to Hybrid Religion
Explore the Era
363-379 AD - THE PAGAN RESTORATION
Hybrid Roman Paganism Returns to Power
363 AD - Julian's Death & Immediate Reversal
June 26, 363 - Julian Dies in Persia
- Spear wound during chaotic retreat from failed Persian invasion
- Roman army trapped deep in enemy territory
- No clear succession - Julian had no children
- Military crisis requires immediate leadership decision
- Pagan restoration dies with Julian after only 18 months
June 27, 363 - Jovian Proclaimed Emperor
- Christian general chosen by panicked army
- Pragmatic choice - most senior available commander
- Immediate goal: Get army home alive from Persian territory
- Religious policy: Secondary to military survival
Summer 363 - Jovian's Emergency Measures
The Desperate Retreat
- Negotiates humiliating peace with Sassanid Persia
- Surrenders Roman territories in Mesopotamia
- Pays massive tribute to secure safe passage
- Abandons Roman fortresses along Persian frontier
- Military disaster becomes political liability
Religious Policy - Damage Control
- Immediately reverses Julian's pagan restoration
- NOT because of religious conviction - political necessity
- Christian officials were the established bureaucracy
- Pagan restoration was too new to have created stable alternative
- Easiest path: Return to Constantine's hybrid system
364 AD - Jovian's Brief Reign
February 17, 364 - Jovian Dies Suddenly
- Carbon monoxide poisoning from brazier in sealed room
- Reigned only 8 months - barely enough time to reach Constantinople
- Never had chance to establish stable religious policy
- Main achievement: Reversed Julian's experiment and got army home
π¨ What Jovian's Choice Revealed:
- "Christian restoration" was administrative convenience, not spiritual revival
- Hybrid Roman paganism (with Christian names) was easier to manage than traditional Roman paganism
- The system Constantine created was more stable for imperial control
- Religious conviction had nothing to do with the choice
364 AD - The Brothers Valens & Valentinian
March 28, 364 - Valentinian I Proclaimed
- Pannonian military commander - practical, not theological
- Divides empire with brother Valens to manage administrative crisis
- NOT a religious decision - military necessity after Julian's disasters
The Division:
- Valentinian I (West): Gaul, Britain, Spain, Italy, Africa, Pannonia
- Valens (East): Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, Thrace, Palestine
- Different approaches but same underlying pagan system
364-375 AD - Valentinian I's Western "Christianity"
The Tolerant Hybrid System
Religious Policy:
- "Religious tolerance" - allows both Arian and Nicene "Christians"
- BUT: Only within the Roman imperial framework
- NO tolerance for Hebrew practices (Torah, Sabbath, YHWH worship)
- Absorbs local pagan practices more openly than predecessors
What This "Tolerance" Really Meant:
- β
Roman solar worship (called "Christianity")
- β
Greek philosophical theology (Arian vs. Nicene debates)
- β
Imperial authority over religious matters
- β
Pagan festivals with Christian names
- β
Traditional Roman administration
What Was Still Forbidden:
- β Saturday Sabbath observance
- β Torah as religious authority
- β YHWH's name in worship
- β Hebrew calendar and biblical festivals
- β Jewish-Christian practices
364-378 AD - Valens's Eastern "Christianity"
The Arian Imperial System
Systematic Arian Enforcement:
- Enforces Arian theology throughout eastern territories
- Exiles Nicene bishops (including Pope Liberius briefly)
- Uses imperial force to impose Greek philosophical doctrine
- Creates Arian imperial hierarchy parallel to Nicene resistance
π¨ What Both "Christian" Factions Shared:
- β
Sunday solar worship (not Saturday Sabbath)
- β
Roman imperial structure (emperor = religious head)
- β
Greek philosophical theology (different theories, same foundation)
- β
Anti-Hebrew position (rejected Torah authority)
- β
Pagan festivals (Christmas, Easter, etc.)
- β
Imperial force as theological method
365-367 AD - The Procopius Revolt
The Pagan Counter-Reaction
Procopius's Rebellion (365-366):
- Julian's cousin attempts pagan restoration in East
- Claims to represent "true Roman religion"
- Gains support from military units still loyal to Julian's memory
- Brief success in Asia Minor before being defeated by Valens
What This Revealed:
- Significant pagan sentiment still existed in Roman military
- Julian's experiment had NOT been universally rejected
- "Christian" victory required military force, not spiritual conviction
- Both sides were competing Roman pagan systems, not biblical truth vs. error
367-375 AD - Competing Paganisms Stabilize
Western Hybrid System (Valentinian I)
- Absorbs traditional practices more openly
- Maintains Roman Senate with mixed pagan-Christian membership
- Allows traditional festivals alongside Christian celebrations
- Creates flexible system where local pagan customs get Christian explanations
Eastern Arian System (Valens)
- More systematic in enforcing imperial Christian doctrine
- But doctrine is Greek philosophy, not Hebrew Scripture
- Maintains solar worship (Sunday), pagan calendar (Christmas/Easter)
- Continues imperial ceremonies with Christian vocabulary
375-378 AD - The Gothic Crisis
Barbarian Pressure Exposes System Weakness
Gothic Migration (376 AD):
- Massive Gothic population crosses Danube fleeing Hunnic pressure
- Valens allows entry in exchange for military service
- Goths are Arian Christians - but their Arianism includes significant Germanic pagan elements
- Roman authorities struggle with "Christians" who practice different paganism
Battle of Adrianople (378 AD):
- Valens killed leading Roman army against Gothic rebellion
- Catastrophic defeat - worst Roman military disaster since Cannae
- "Christian" emperor killed by "Christian" barbarians
- Both sides claimed divine mandate for mutual slaughter
π¨ What Adrianople Proved:
- "Christian" identity meant nothing when imperial interests conflicted
- Religious labels were political tools, not spiritual realities
- Gothic Arianism + Roman Arianism = Same hybrid paganism with ethnic differences
- Greek philosophical theology provided no unity when tribal loyalties mattered
378-379 AD - The Interregnum
Gratian Rules Both East and West
- Valentinian I's son inherits western empire (375)
- Valens's death leaves eastern empire without ruler (378)
- Gratian temporarily rules entire empire while seeking eastern partner
Religious Policy During Crisis:
- Maintains hybrid system while focusing on military crisis
- Gothic problem requires practical solutions, not theological purity
- Seeks alliance with any available forces regardless of religious labels
π¨ WHAT 363-379 REALLY REVEALED:
1. "Christian Restoration" = Return to Hybrid Paganism:
- NOT return to biblical faith
- Return to Constantine's syncretic system
- Roman imperial paganism with Christian vocabulary
- Same solar worship, same goddess worship, same emperor worship
2. Religious Labels Were Political Tools:
- "Arian" vs "Nicene" = Political factions, not spiritual movements
- Both sides maintained same pagan practices with different explanations
- Emperor worship continued under both systems
- Hebrew faith remained extinct under both systems
3. Imperial Force Was Core Method:
- Military power determined religious policy
- Theological debates settled by imperial armies
- "Divine mandate" claimed by whoever won battles
- Spiritual authority derived from political victory
4. Paganism Never Left:
- Traditional Roman elements remained throughout the period
- Local pagan practices continued with Christian overlays
- Solar worship (Sunday) and pagan festivals (Christmas/Easter) standard
- Greek philosophy remained foundation of all theology
π― THE BOTTOM LINE (363-379 AD):
This wasn't "Christianity" defeating "paganism."
This was:
- Hybrid Roman paganism (with Christian names) vs.
- Traditional Roman paganism (with classical names)
Both systems:
- β
Worshiped on Sunday (solar worship day)
- β
Used Greek philosophy as theological foundation
- β
Maintained Roman imperial structure
- β
Practiced emperor worship (different titles)
- β
Celebrated pagan festivals (different names)
- β
Rejected Hebrew authority (Torah, YHWH, Sabbath)
The Hebrew Way of Yeshua? Still dead and buried under both systems.
By 379 AD, the choice was between:
- Traditional Roman Beast wearing classical mask
- Hybrid Roman Beast wearing Christian mask
Same beast. Different costume.
Theodosius would make the choice permanent.
This analysis shows that 363-379 was simply the period when Roman imperial paganism switched back from traditional names to Christian names, with no actual restoration of biblical faith occurring.