Letters of Julian/Letter 37

by Julian

37. To Atarbius^[1]

[362, Constantinople or Antioch]

I affirm by the gods that I do not wish the Galilaeans to be either put to death or unjustly beaten, or to suffer any other injury; but nevertheless I do assert absolutely that the god-fearing must be preferred to them. For through the folly of the Galilaeans almost everything has been overturned, whereas through the grace of the gods are we all preserved. Wherefore we ought to honour the gods and the god-fearing, both men and cities.^[2]

Footnotes

1. This is probably Atarbius (so spelled in the Letters of Libanius) a native of Ancyra and at this time administrator of the district of the Euphrates. In 364 he held high office in Macedonia.
2. For other letters on the same subject cf. To the Citizens of Byzacium, Letter 39, and To Hecebolius, Letter 40.