JOVIANUS, jo"vi-d'nus, FLAVIUS CLAUDIUS:
Roman emperor; b. at Singidunum (the modern
Belgrade, Servia) about 331; d. at Dadastana,
Bithynia (125 m. e.s.e. of Constantinople) in the
night between Feb. 16 and 17, 364. Taking part
in the campaign against the Persians, as ranking
officer of the palace troops, in the crisis following
the death of Julian he was hastily elected emperor
by the army in sight of the enemy, June 27, 363.
The fact that Jovian was a Christian and had withstood
attempts during the reign of Julian to render
him apostate seems to have played no part in his
election. The newly elected emperor, in view of
the military and political situation of the time, was
induced to conclude an inglorious peace with the
Persians, giving up to them the eastern outskirts
of the empire, including the important city of Nisibis.
On his return from the East at Antioch Jovian
publicly stated his attitude in regard to the
controversies in the Church. He took the side of
the Nicene party and their leader Athanasius, urging
the latter in a written appeal to resume his
episcopal see at Alexandria and asking to be remembered
in his prayers. He commanded Athanasius,
who visited him at Antioch, to issue a new
statement of the orthodox creed, and thus his authority
certainly influenced the controversies regarding
the nature of Christ, although he tried to
hold aloof from them officially. His aim was to
restore matters as they were before the reign of
Julian, and so he replaced on the army standards
and on the coins the monogram of Christ, recalled
the bishops from exile, renewed the privileges of
the Church and of the clergy, widows, and virgins,
and restored the donations of corn. He imposed
the death penalty on whosoever married a virgin
or a widow who had taken the vows, even with the
woman's consent, and forbade the inheritance of
their parents' property by the children of such an
union. Yet he also showed much tolerance toward
pagans.
VICTOR SCHULTZE.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
V. Schultze, Geschichte des Unterganges des
griechisch-römischen Heidentams, i. 176 sqq., Jena. 1887;
H. Richter, Das weströmische Reich, pp, 168 sqq., Berlin,
1865; H. Schiller, Geschichte der römischen Kaiserzeit, ii.
344 sqq., 1887; Gibbon, Decline and Fall, ii. 506, 517 sqq;
Neander, Christian Church, ii. 87-89 et passim; Schaff,
Christian Church iii. 60; the literature under
JOVINIANUS,
and De la Bleterie, Hst. de l'empereur Jovien, 2 vols..
Amsterdam, 1740.
