that a group of angry Christians wounded the
emperor. Whichever (if either) story is true,
Julian died soon afterward. After his death,
even though it was still possible to worship
pagan gods, everyone knew the end of pagan
religions was near.BUT ONLY FOR A WHILE
Another blow to the pagan religions came in
391 C.E. under the emperor Theodosius. Guided
by Ambrose (see above), the bishop of Milan,
Theodosius proclaimed that all pagan worship in
the Roman Empire was illegal. He also made
Christianity the official religion of the empire. His
proclamation said, “No person shall pollute himself
with sacrificial animals; no person shall slaughter
an innocent victim; no person shall approach the
shrines, wander through the temples, or revere theVictory removed from the Roman Senate. Victory
was a pagan goddess, and Roman senators had
traditionally made sacrifices at this altar when they
were elected. Sacrificing at the altar was a sign of
the legal power of the Senate. When Constantius II
ordered that the altar of Victory be removed, it was
a signal that the emperor was weakening the power
of the Roman Senate.THE ‘OLD’ RETURNS
Several years after Constantius II’s death, a new
emperor came to power. He preferred the pagan
gods to Christianity. This emperor, Julian, brought
the altar of Victory back to the Roman Senate
where it remained for several years until Julian
mysteriously died in 363C.E. According to some
ancient authors, the Persians attacked Julian while
he was marching to unite his armies. Others sayLet me introduce
you! Meet Ambrose,
one of the key
advisors to the
Roman emperor
Theodosius. Wonder
what he is
writing here!12 Bishoprefers to a senior member of the Christian clergy.