Today in the year 362, the Emperor Julian (nicknamed ‘the Apostate’ by Christians, seen above) issued his Edict on Teaching, which prevented Christians from teaching Greek and Latin literature in the Roman Empire. Julian rejected Christianity (almost 60 years after his uncle Constantine the Great had embraced it) and objected to Christians using classical authors such as Homer to teach their own beliefs, rather than belief in the ancient gods.
‘If, however, they think that those writers were in error with respect to the most honoured gods, then let them betake themselves to the churches of the Galilaeans to expound Matthew and Luke, since you Galilaeans are obeying them when you ordain that men shall refrain from temple-worship.’ Julian, Rescript on Teachers
God and prayer were kicked out of the schools (according to people who liked God and prayer) today in 1963. The United States Supreme Court ruled 8–1 that public schools could not read Bible verses and pray the Lord’s Prayer as part of the school day, because they were a violation of the US Constitution’s First Amendment. Billy Graham, speaking for evangelicals, protested, ‘Eighty percent of the American people want Bible reading and prayer in the schools. Why should a majority be so severely penalized?’
John Wesley, the field-preaching revival king of Britain’s Great Awakening, was born today in 1703. After his conversion at the age of 35, Wesley rode several thousand miles on horseback every year for 50 years, preaching several times a day every day wherever he found himself, to crowds of up to 20,000. After the change in the dating system introduced in Britain in 1752 (when 11 days were skipped for the switchover from the Julian to the Gregorian calendars), Wesley celebrated his birthday on 28 June each year.
‘I have this day lived fourscore years; and, by the mercy of God, my eyes are not waxed dim. And what little strength of body and mind I had thirty years since, just the same I have now.’ John Wesley, Journal entry for 28 June 1783
Servetus, the trinity-denying heretic who later made his name by being executed in Calvin’s Geneva, was sentenced to be burnt at the stake in Vienne, France, on this day in 1553. As he had broken out of prison, he was burned in effigy by the Catholic Inquisition.
It is the feast of St Hervé, the much-loved Breton saint of the 6th century. Hervé, who lived as a hermit, was born blind and instead of a guide dog had a guide wolf. Sadly, the wolf ate the donkey Hervé used for ploughing, so for punishment, brother wolf had to listen to a sermon which proved so persuasive that he repented his wolfish ways and took over ploughing duties. True story.