The Letter Collection of the Emperor Julian

The letters of the emperor Julian have received surprisingly little scholarly attention in their own right, given that this is one of the, if not the most comprehensive extant collection of letters by a ruling Roman emperor. His original collection may have been made by Libanius, among others, but it has undergone significant reshaping at the hands of modern critical editors, for whom issues of authenticity and biography played a prominent role in their presentation of the collection. Libanius suggests that publishing Julian’s letters shortly after his demise may not have been a wise move, and yet they did enjoy a wide circulation.