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196 king caught him around the chest and squeezed him so hard that blood spurted out from his eyes. He raised him high in the air and, with a mighty swing, sent him crashing to the ground, where he lay dead, which made the king laugh. Julian had a brother, who secretly sent for his men. Very soon five thousand of them and more answered his call. The king knew nothing about this—until the unwelcome guests came crashing into his tower singing their battle song. King Helius defended himself until all his men had fallen. Nothing was of any use. He could no longer offer resistance. They cut off his head, and other Romans carried him to his grave. He judged over the Empire seven months and five days more. XXIII Helius Adrianus (Hadrian) Hadrian (r. 117–138) was Trajan’s adopted son and designated successor. He is ranked with the “five good emperors,” who headed honest and efficient governments for most of the second century. In early Christian history, Hadrian’s fame was linked to his rebuilding of Jerusalem far more than to his building his namesake Hadrian’s Wall, more or less between England and Scotland. He renamed Jerusalem “Aelia Capitolina” after his own name, Aelius (modified to “Helius” by our author). He adopted Lucius Ceionius Commodus, probably the inspiration for our author’s “Lucius Accommodus,” whose story follows in the next chapter. This successor-designate, however, died shortly before Hadrian himself. Hadrian then adopted the man who succeeded him—Antoninus Pius. 197 helius Adrianus then judged over the Roman dominions. Jerusalem , that city of marvels, was lying wasted and empty. The heathens had destroyed it, tearing down every bit of its walls. King Cosdras was responsible for that, but Eraclius was to take vengeance upon him for it. King Helius Adrianus had plans for Jerusalem. He had begun to love that city, and he restored it with magnificent buildings that may be admired to this day. He changed its name into one based on his own. According to him, it was to be called “Helia,” but God soon avenged his wonton pride. He was killed at Damascus, and Jerusalem took back the same name again that it had before. Damascus paid dearly for his death. The Romans avenged the loss of their ruler. They ravaged the territories ruled from Damascus with their armies, which destroyed their crops and left their landscape desolate —so that they soon regretted that the king had been killed in their city. Then the Romans entered the city of Jerusalem. XXIV Lucius Accommodus This chapter contains many historical names, sometimes with hints of their actual place in Roman history, sometimes without even those. While Hadrian had originally named Lucius Coeionius Commodus to succeed him—and that may have suggested our author’s name for Hadrian’s successor—it is also true that Lucius Commodus Antoninus (r. 186–192), famed for his devotion to the gladiator’s art, may be intended. Antoninus Pius (r. 138–161), the grandfather of that Commodus, makes a vignette appearance in one of the battle scenes below, although not as emperor. Alaric, king of the Visigoths, led forces that besieged and then sacked Rome much later in 410, an important episode in the ...

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