The myth as allegory in the Juliano’s work, the apostate

Abstract

The roman emperor, Juliano II (331-363), reigned between 361 and his death in 363. He is called “the Apostate”, because of his decision of getting away of his Christian formation and his project of giving away to the pagan tradition. His period of government was characterized by various conflicts, mainly religious, between Christianity and Paganism. As emperor, Juliano will carry out a religious policy which main objective was the restoration of the traditional religiousness, setting out measures against the Christians, situation that will finish with his early death. In his life´s works, he appeals in many occasions to myth concept, developing it and characterizing it. Juliano sets out a neoplatonic way of looking of myth, like a created tale, full of exaggerations, improbabilities, contradictions, excesses and paradoxes. Specially, he develops the idea of myth as an allegory, that maintains hidden certain truths to the eyes of who are not prepared to know them. About this point this work is centered, the characteristics of myth, and mainly, the myth as allegory, just like Juliano develops it in his life´s works. For it, we have turned to the Salustio´s work, Juliano´s prefect, in order to enlarge our way of looking about the context in which his ideas were developed