Stevenson further asserts that "...judging from Julian’s pertinacious adherence to the superstition of the Egyptians, he (Banduri) is of the opinion that by the bull standing with two stars are to be understood Mnevis (one of the oxen worshipped as the living symbol of the Nile, and) consecrated to the sun (Orisis), and Apis (another sacred bull also adored by the people of Egypt) consecrated to the moon (Isis). Julian's response to all of this might well be as suggested by Gore Vidal in his book "Julian", Published by the New American Library, New York, 1965:

"we all believe - even the Galileans, despite their confused doctrine of trinity - that there is a single Godhead from which all life, divine and mortal, descends and to which all life must return. We may not know this creator, though his outward symbol is the sun. But through intermediaries, human and divine, he speaks to us, shows us aspects of himself, prepares us for the next stage of the journey. To find the father and maker of all is hard’, as Socrates said. ‘and having found him it is impossible to utter him’. Yet as Aeschylus wrote with equal wisdom, ‘men search out god and searching find him’. The search is the whole point to philosophy and to the religious experience..."

Julian’s actual words as found in the "Documents of the Christian Church" by Henry Bettenson (Oxford University Press, NY, 1957) were written in an edict to the people of Bostra and are most eloquent:

"...I had imagined that the prelates of the Galilaeans were under greater obligations to me than to my predecessor. For in his reign (Constantius II, a Christian) many of them were banished, persecuted, and imprisoned, and many of the so-called heretics were executed ... all of this has been reversed in my reign; the banished are allowed to return, and confiscated goods have been returned to the owners. But such is their (the Christians) folly and madness that, just because they can no longer be despots, ... or carry out their designs first against their brethren, and then against us, the worshippers of the gods, they are inflamed with fury and stop at nothing in their unprincipled attempts to alarm and enrage the people.

"...they are irreverent to the gods and disobedient to our edicts, lenient as they are. For we allow none of them to be dragged to the altars unwillingly... It is therefore my pleasure to announce and publish to all the people by this edict, that they must not abet the seditions of the (Christian) clergy ... They may hold their meetings, if they wish, and offer praryers according to their established use ... and for the future, let all people live in harmony ... Men should be taught and won over by reason, not by blows, insults, and corporal punishments. I therefore most earnestly admonish the adherents of the true religion not to injure or insult the Galilaeans in any way ... Those who are in the wrong in matters of supreme importance are objects of pity rather than of hate ... " Some suggest that, if Julian had not died so early in his reign, he might well have succeeded in the accomplishment of his religious objectives. He certainly believed that the failure of Hellenism was primarily a matter of organization. No particular religious belief was imposed by the Romans on unwilling persons, although certain rites were supported by the state (and sometimes heavily enforced) since they involved the genius of Rome as a political entity. Rome was, therefore, truly eclectic, giving all religions equal status. At the same time, no attempts were made to "organize" religious worship as an integral part of the function of the state as was done under the Christian emperors. No attempt was ever made, for example, to coordinate the worship of Jupiter on the Capitol with the Vestals who kep the sacred fire in the old Forum. Julian’s intent was essentially to imitate the organization of the Christians in order to defeat them. A world priesthood under the PONTIFEX MAXIMUS would be created, dividing the world into administrative units, with each diocese having its own hierarchy of priests. He saw three strata of religious experiences, each inter-relating:

• the ancient rites, essentially propitiatory in nature;
• the mysteries, serving to purge the soul and allow a glimpse of eternity;
• philosophy, defining the material world and the good life as well as attempting to synthesize all religion in a single comprehensive system. Planning and implementation, hardly begun, ended with his sudden death. Julian is known to both contemporary and modern critics as The Apostate since he denied the Christian faith in which he was forcibly raised. Those who judge him less harshly call him a philosopher-Emperor, perhaps the equal of Marcus Aurelius.

In either event, his coinage clearly bears the stamp of his personality and beliefs and offers a unique point of beginning for a study of the man and a critical period in world history.