Bad Advertisement?
Are you a Christian?
Online Store:Visit Our Store
| Expedition against the Sarmatians; Death of Valentinian in Rome; Valentinian the Younger proclaimed; Persecution of the Priests; Oration of the Philosopher Themistius, on account of which Valens was disposed to treat those who differed from him more Humanely.
PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP 
Chapter
XXXVI.—Expedition against the Sarmatians; Death of
Valentinian in Rome; Valentinian the Younger proclaimed; Persecution of
the Priests; Oration of the Philosopher Themistius, on account of which
Valens was disposed to treat those who differed from him more
Humanely.
Such subjects as the above,
however, are best left to the examination and decision of individual
judgment.
The Sarmatians1507
| 1507Soc. iv. 31, 32; Ruf. H. E. ii. 12; Philost.
ix. 16.
|
having invaded the western parts of the empire, Valentinian levied an
army to oppose them. As soon, however, as they heard of the number and
strength of the troops raised against them, they sent an embassy to
solicit peace. When the ambassadors were ushered into the presence of
Valentinian, he asked them whether all the Sarmatians were similar to
them. On their replying that the principal men of the nation had been
selected to form the embassy, the emperor exclaimed, in great fury,
“A terrible thing do our subjects endure, and a calamity is
surrounding the Roman government, if the Sarmatians, a barbarous race,
of whom these are your best men, do not love to abide by themselves,
but are emboldened to invade my government, and presume to make war at
all against the Romans.” He spoke in this strain for some time in
a very high pitch of voice, and his rage was so violent and so
unbounded, that at length he burst simultaneously a blood-vessel and an
artery. He lost, in consequence, a great quantity of blood, and expired
soon after in a fortress of Gaul.1508
| 1508Am. Marcel. xxx. 6, 1–4; Zos. iv. 17; Orosius,
vii. 32.
|
He was about fifty-four years of age, and had, during thirteen years,
guided the reins of government with good results and much distinction.
Six days after his death his youngest son, who bore the same name as
himself, was proclaimed emperor by the soldiers; and soon afterwards
Valens and Gratian, his brother, formally assented to this election,
although they were at first irritated at the soldiers having
transferred the symbols of government to him without their previous
consent.
During this period Valens had fixed his residence at
Antioch in Syria, and became more hostile to those who differed from
him in opinion concerning the divine nature, and he vexed them more
severely and persecuted them. The philosopher Themistius pronounced an
oration in his presence, in which he admonished him that he ought not
to wonder at the dissension concerning ecclesiastical doctrines, for it
was more moderate and less than among the pagans, for the opinions
among them are multiform; and that, in the number of dogmas leading to
perpetual disputes, necessarily the difference about them makes more
contentions and discussions; and accordingly it might probably be
pleasing to God not to be so easily known, and to have a divergence of
opinion, so that each might fear Him the rather, since an accurate
knowledge of Him is so unattainable. And in the attempt to summarize
this vastness, one would tend to conclude how great He is and how good
He is.1509
| 1509The extant oration, xii., on this theme was
addressed to Valens at an earlier date.
|
E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
