Chapter 8 Jovian, an Emperor Who Did Not Bow to Heretics and Infidels? A Critical Reading of the Petitiones Arianorum
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Abstract
The Arian controversy was a series of religious disputes that shook the Christian Church and Roman Empire during the 4th century AD. The dispute was conducted by theologians, lay people, and even emperors. Leading bishops therefore not only tried to refute false doctrine, but also to win public opinion. In this endeavour, Athanasius of Alexandria, who spent years in exile, was particularly successful and reckless. The so-called Petitiones Arianorum, which are transmitted among his writings, take the polemics to the extreme: they depict Emperor Jovian, who had just taken office, not only rejecting the ‘Arians’ from Alexandria, who beg him not to pardon Athanasius, but also asking them to convert to the bishop’s doctrine. This little studied and even less understood document is not an authentic protocol of an actual encounter, as has sometimes been assumed, but a masterpiece of negative campaigning. As Athanasius was about to reclaim his see, the document was to make clear who enjoyed imperial support and who did not. Jovian’s alleged siding is however highly dubious. This topic is indebted to recent scholarship on Athanasius and his polemics, which it hopes to complement by bringing Jovian, a ‘good’ emperor, into the picture.