Sara Macke

Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Humanities

First Advisor

Rohrbacher, David

Area of Concentration

Classics

Abstract

This work examines the hymns of the Roman emperor Julian (330-363 AD) in the context of his religious and philosophical beliefs. The Hymn to King Helios and Hymn to the Mother of the Gods expand and adapt the theurgical Neoplatonic system of Iamblichus into a religious and philosophical worldview for a Christianized Rome. The first chapter discusses Julian’s life, educational background, and the circumstances surrounding his ascension to sole emperor in 361. The second chapter examines Roman religion as a whole, with a focus on hymnic tradition and cult worship. The third chapter provides a summary background of the Platonic philosophical concepts necessary to understand the ideas posited by Julian in his hymns. I also discuss Julian’s advocacy for the necessity of myth and allegory in philosophy by looking at both of the hymns and the Letter to the Cynic Heracleios. Finally, I examine Julian’s Neoplatonism through a close examination of both hymns. I conclude that within the context of the later Roman Empire, Julian’s hymns provide a commonly overlooked perspective on “paganism,” and also, present a philosophical system with merit of its own, which greatly influenced later Neoplatonists, inspiring Proclus’ own Hymn to Helios.

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