Edward Gibbon, an English historian, published The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in six volumes between 1776 and 1788. This is Chapter 23 of that work. He follows Rome from the prosperous age of Trajan and the Antonines, around the year 100, through the fall of the West and on to the Ottoman capture of Constantinople in 1453.

Chapter 23 takes up the religion of Julian—Universal toleration—He attempts to restore and reform the pagan worship—To rebuild the temple of Jerusalem—His artful persecution of the Christians—Mutual zeal and injustice. The footnotes are not in this reading; what you have is the narrative.