The Arguments of the Emperor Julian Against the Christians

This 1873 reprinting of translated fragments of the Roman Emperor Julian's arguments against Christianity, edited by Willis Nevins and published by Williams and Norgate, is not itself a penny dreadful but rather a serious theological work. The volume presents Julian's criticisms of Christianity preserved through quotations in Cyril of Alexandria's writings. The editor argues that examining Julian's objections—despite their antiquity—serves Christian apologetic purposes by demonstrating their inherent weakness. The extended preface defends publishing anti-Christian material, citing Cardinal Wiseman's reasoning that educated readers should encounter and refute such arguments rather than imagine lost criticisms as more formidable than they are. The editor also critiques contemporary religious skepticism drawn from anonymous newspaper articles, advocating instead that doubters consult serious theological scholars like Newman or Jesuit theologians to resolve their difficulties rationally.