E01990: The emperor Julian, in his Letter 114, to the people of Bostra (Syria), of 362, refers to Christianity as a religion directed towards corpses (nekrous) and relics (leipsana). Written in Greek at Antioch (Syria).

Julian the Apostate (Flavius Claudius Iulianus Augustus), Letter 114

Letter 114, to the Citizens of Bostra

62-71.

Αὖθις δὲ καὶ πολλάκις παραινῶ τοῖς ἐπὶ τὴν ἀληθῆ θεοσέβειαν ὁρμωμένοις μηδὲν ἀδικεῖν τῶν Γαλιλαίων τὰ πλήθη, μηδὲ ἐπιτίθεσθαι, μηδὲ ὑβρίζειν εἰς αὐτούς. Ἐλεεῖν δὲ χρὴ μᾶλλον ἢ μισεῖν τοὺς ἐπὶ τοῖς μεγίστοις πράττοντας κακῶς· μέγιστον γὰρ τῶν καλῶν ὡς ἀληθῶς ἡ θεοσέβεια, καὶ τοὐναντίον τῶν κακῶν ἡ δυσσέβεια. Συμβαίνει δὲ τοὺς ἀπὸ θεῶν ἐπὶ τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ τὰ λείψανα μετατετραμμένους ταύτην ἀποτῖσαι τὴν ζημίαν ὡς *** τοῖς μὲν ἐνεχομένοις τινὶ συναλγοῦμεν, τοῖς δὲ ἀπολυομένοις καὶ ἀφιεμένοις ὑπὸ τῶν θεῶν συνηδόμεθα.

'(...) Wherefore, once again and several times, I admonish those who are zealous for the true religion not to mistreat the groups of the Galilaeans nor to harass or abuse them. Nay, we ought to pity rather than hate men who, in matters of the greatest importance, are in such a bad position. Indeed, the greatest of all blessings is reverence for the gods and, for that matter, irreverence is the greatest of all evils. It follows that those who have turned aside from the gods to corpses and relics pay this as their penalty […] we sympathize with the suffering of those afflicted , but rejoice with those released and set free by the gods.'

Text: Bidez 1960. Translation: E. Rizos