The political philosophy of the roman emperor Flavius Claudius Julian: at the origins of byzantinism (historiographical aspect)

The article is devoted to the philosophical views and religious policies of the writer, rhetorician, philosopher, the last pagan emperor of the Roman Empire Flavius Claudius Julian (331-363), who in the Christian historiography was nicknamed Julian the Apostate. A brief review of the most significant publications is given, in which his biography, written heritage and various aspects of state religious policy are examined. Also, some studies are noted, where special attention is paid to the religious-philosophical context of the epoch, which influenced Julian’s worldview. It is shown that being a man of his era and even partly defining it, the emperor influenced the formation of the future paradigm of Byzantinism by his activity. It is established that in the letters of Julian the Apostate the theme of the relation of religion and state power is revealed through the vision of future pagan faith. Examples of the epistolary heritage are analogies with the ideas of Christianity and the norms of moral behaviour inherent in them. It is concluded that the model of the religious policy of Julian the Apostate, regardless of the personal convictions of the emperor, stands at the origins of Byzantinism, anticipating its most important element - the symphony of the state and the Church