The Last Pagan

Jules, Congratulations on your Julian bronze . Julian died like a true warrior instead of watching the action from the back ranks . The secondary title on Murdoch's book is a major statement. With the growing domination of Christianity followed by Islam, the doors of paganism pretty much closed. The coin picture below was expensive when I bought it 16 years ago & today nice looking coins of Julian are still expensive .

 

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I have quite a few Julian coins, lacking the gold. I will buy one someday, though, since I respect the emperor so much my eldest child is named Julian. Btw, Jude is also short for Julian, as in "Hey Jude", a song written to a young Julian Lennon when his parents were going through a divorce.

 

My father's middle name was Jules, named after his recently-deceased paternal grandfather, whose first name (in this country) was Julius. I very much doubt, however, that my great-grandfather was thinking of the Emperor Julian when he selected that name circa 1888! (The Yiddish/Hebrew first name he was given when he was born in Lithuania was Yehuda [Judah, Judas], and it was common at the time to adopt a new, "secular" first name upon arrival in this country that began with the same letter or sound as one's original first name.)

 

The photo I posted of my Julian bull coin is from the seller, and I've never been happy with it because it makes the coin appear as if it has large shiny white areas on both sides -- which it doesn't. I assume that the seller used a flash or did something else with the light to try to make the details on the coin, especially the outline of the bull on the reverse, look sharper than they really are. I think these photos show the coin's actual appearance a bit more realistically, even if you can tell that it's more worn than the seller's image might lead one to believe:





I went ahead and ordered the "Last Pagan" book on Amazon. @JulesUK, where should I tell them to send your commission?

 

Here's a Julian coin. Hadn't posted one yet. But first, an omen in the sky, which Julian saw one evening outside of his tent in Persia.

"Once when in the darkness of night he was intent upon the lofty thought of some philosopher, he saw somewhat dimly, as he admitted to his intimates, that form of the protecting deity of the state which he had seen in Gaul when he was rising to Augustan dignity, but now with veil over both head and horn of plenty, sorrowfully passing out through the curtains of his tent. And although for a moment he remained sunk in stupefaction, yet rising above all fear, he commended his future fate to the decrees of heaven, and now fully awake, the night being now far advanced, he left his bed, which was spread on the ground, and prayed to the gods with rites designed to avert their displeasure. Then he thought he saw a blazing torch of fire, like a falling star, which furrowed part of the air and disappeared. And he was filled with fear lest the threatening star of Mars had thus visibly shown itself."

Ammianus, Book XXV, section II

 

Wow, grandfather born in 1888. You got me beat, (1892), which is usually hard since I am from a Quaker family. My great grandfather was born in 1834 and was a Civil War soldier, (quartermaster of course due to religion). I followed in his footprints and was quartermaster in the Gulf War, (though war has changed, no longer in the "rear with the gear" as they say). Two more generations back and I have Revolutionary soldiers in the lineage.

My mother was proud of our family heritage which is why I know this. I guess I am following in their footsteps, with a daughter to be born next week.

 

Congratulations on the imminent blessed event!

Actually, my grandfather was born in April 1887 in Paris, where my great-grandparents met while they were living there after leaving Lithuania and Poland, respectively. They came to New York in July 1888, which is when my great-grandfather started using the name Julius instead of Jules (which is what he called himself in France) or his original first name. I have no idea why my grandparents gave my father the middle name "Jules," instead of "Julius," when he was born in New York City in 1920. (My great-grandfather Julius had died in 1915.) Perhaps they just liked the sound better.

My first direct ancestor to arrive in the USA came here in 1883. The most recent to arrive was my mother, who was born in Berlin and came to the USA in 1943 from England, where she had been since her parents sent her there on the first Kindertransport in December 1938. (I would say that genealogy has always been my primary "hobby"; I've been interested in it since I was a child and have traced my ancestors in some branches as far back as the early 1500s.)

 

Mine arrived over the weekend. Will start it this week sometime. Thanks again

 

My copy of "The Last Pagan" arrived yesterday!

 

It's a good read. I stumbled across my copy 8 years ago at a book swap meet. Hard to put down.

 

I read it (Julian) when I was 11 years old. Quite a page-turner.

 

Thanks to this thread and your post I now have a copy of the Browning book winging it's way to me. Unfortunately I didn't realise I was buying from an American marketplace seller, so it may take a while...

 

I looked for this also but it was fairly expensive unless buying from the USA. Hope you enjoy, i have the search saved as an alert.

 

I think it came to around £8 including postage, so a short wait isn't the end of the world.