| dc.description.abstract | The image of Gratian as christianissimus princeps, which emanates above all from
the promulgation of Cod. Th. 16.5.5 of 3 August 379, from the well-known episode of
the Altar of Victory, from the renunciation of the title of pontifex maximus and from the
emperor’s decision to withdraw financial support from pagan cults, must be downsized. In fact, on the basis of the sources it may be asserted that the reign of Gratian actually
would have known a first phase of conscious religious openness in two directions. On the
one hand, the rescript repealed by the final part of Cod. Th. 16.5.5 (antiquato rescripto,
quod apud Sirmium nuper emersit), which would be identified with the proclamation of
tolerance reported by Socrates Scholasticus (Hist. eccl., 5.2), Sozomen (Hist. eccl., 7.1.3)
and Suida (Lexicon, Γρατιανός) and dated in August/September 378, explicitly admitted
interpretations of Christianity other than the Nicene creed. On the other hand, especially
from Themistio’s Ερωτικός ή περί κάλλους βασιλικού (13.14.173a; 13.14.178b,c;
13.14.180a) of 376, from the speech delivered in the same year by Symmachus in the
senate before Gratian (Epist. 10.2) and from some numismatic findings, it can be deduced
that Gratian would have shown availability also towards traditional religion. | it_IT |
