PROLEGOMENA TO JEROME.

I. INTRODUCTORY.

The period witnessed the division of the Empire between the sons of Theodosius, the fall of the Prefect Rufinus (p. 174)—to whom Jerome had been denounced—the triumph of Stilicho and his subsequent death (at which Jerome weakly rejoiced, p. 237), Alaric's sack of Rome (410) and his death, the revolt of Heraclian, the marriage of Alaric's successor, Adolphus, to the Emperor's sister, Galla Placidia, and the death of Arcadius (408). In ecclesiastical matters, it saw the rise of Chrysostom (398), his exile (403), and his death (407), the condemnation of Origenism (400), and the Pelagian controversy (415). It is this period we are now to sketch.

The Emperor Constantius “may be dismissed,” says Gibbon, “with the remark that he inherited the defects without the abilities of his father.” He died in Cilicia on November 3, 361. In his youth, he had been stained by the blood of nine of his near relatives; he had fallen early under the control of the palace eunuchs; and he had done little to defend the empire. In church matters, he favored the Arian A theological view denying that Christ was of the same substance as God the Father. cause, banished the orthodox bishops from the principal sees, and directed his special displeasure at Athanasius of Alexandria. His jealousy of his cousin Julian—who had risen to fame through his fair, vigorous administration and his victories over the Germans—led him to actions that provoked the legions of Gaul, causing them to hail Julian as their Emperor. Constantius rejected Julian's offers of peace; he marched rapidly toward Constantinople, and Constantius, abandoning the Persian war in which he was engaged, turned westward to meet him. The death of Constantius saved the world from a civil war.

Julian’s accession was hailed by all who felt the need of a strong ruler, and his first measures were just and tolerant. He recalled the bishops whom Constantius had exiled; his private life was virtuous, and his love of learning endeared him to some of his best subjects. However, his contempt for Christianity made him first impatient and then a persecutor. He forbade Christians (whom he called “Galileans”) from teaching in schools or practicing the learned professions. He restored Paganism, though it was noted that the Paganism he introduced was in many ways modified by Christian influence. He also favored the Jews and wished them to rebuild their temple at Jerusalem. It is difficult to say what the result of his regressive policy would have been, as he died in a skirmish during the Persian war on June 26, 363.

Jovian, who succeeded him, was a Christian; his election proved that Julian's anti-Christian policy had been ineffective. He proclaimed complete toleration but died only six months after his election, before reaching Constantinople.

His successor, Valentinian, was an orthodox Christian, while his brother Valens, whom he associated with himself, was an Arian. Valentinian established his court at Treves and successfully held back the barbarians. Jerome visited there for a time in 366, and he describes the curious customs of the tribes he saw (Against Jovinian, ii. 7, p. 394). The Emperors proclaimed a toleration that extended even to the celebration of the Eleusinian mysteries. However, their inquisitorial and cruel treatment of anyone suspected of magic arts had a repressive effect on learning. The foundation of schools and the endowment of physicians for poorer citizens showed that the hopes for social improvement were not extinguished. Yet, the state of society in Rome and other large cities at this time, as described by Ammianus Marcellinus (xiv. 6, xxviii. 4; see Gibbon, iv. 77, ed. Milman & Smith), reveals the causes of Rome's fall.

During Valentinian's reign, many important ecclesiastical events occurred. The election of Damasus to the Papacy in 366—when the rival factions of Damasus and Ursinus filled the city with conflict, storming churches and leaving them littered with the slain—showed how significant the Bishopric of Rome had become. “If you would make me Pope, perhaps I might become a Christian,” said Prætextatus, a worshipper of the old gods, to Damasus, who wished to convert him (see p. 428). The law of Valentinian forbidding clergy to inherit legacies also highlights their wealth and moral deterioration (p. 92). Nevertheless, this reign produced some of the greatest bishops and leaders the Church has ever known. Athanasius died in 373, Ambrose became Bishop of Milan in 374, and Basil served as Bishop of Cæsarea in Cappadocia from 370 to 379.

Meanwhile, Valens’ reign in the East was unsuccessful and ended in disaster. The Visigoths and Ostrogoths (or Gruthungi), pressed by the Huns, begged permission to cross the Danube from their settlements in Dacia to cultivate the waste lands of Thrace and Asia Minor. This was granted, but they were mistreated and deceived; eventually, they asserted their rights by force. The Emperor, who attacked them near Adrianople, was defeated, killed, and his army destroyed (378). The Goths were now a formidable force within the Empire. It was the year before the death of Valens (377) that Stridon, the birthplace of Jerome, was destroyed.