For a ruler to be successful, certain characteristics must be present in that specific person. There are many variations on the cookie-cut emperor, although they all share similar passions. For example, while one ruler emphasizes trade routes and trading power for the expansion of their legion, another may emphasize war and destruction only to rebuild their own version of their legion in the place it was conquered. Although both rulers have very different ways and ideas on how to expand their empire, they both have the same desire to fulfill. This kind of contradiction between power and reason is very much implemented in Julian's plot. Between Julian and Constantius, both attempt to reform the state religion, but are at opposite ends of the spectrum in what they believe. While both have some success during their turn as emperor, they both have very distinct ways of unveiling their respective successes. Starting with Constantius, his rule is the foundation of the success of Christianity. By making various changes to the structure of government and deliberately attacking those who opposed him, the rise of Christianity as the state religion of Rome came to light. One of Constantius' most important strategies involved eliminating those who showed signs of threatening his authority. Among those eliminated were Julian's father, and finally Julian's brother [with whom he technically did not have a close relationship] [pp 16]. Constantius not only instilled fear in the hearts of his people, but also placed bishops and those holding similar positions at the heart of government. Constantius granted them power and luxuries that would further promote the Christian faith, so the image of... middle of paper... empire became a Christian state. Probably due to the lack of force used by Julian, they left spaces open for fear of being installed by another ruler more similar to that of Constantius. Although a valiant effort was made to restore the ancient Roman Empire, the impending doom of the empire soon takes hold after Julian's death. Works Cited Vidal, Gore. Julian. Boston: Little Brown, 1964. Print.Cook, Jeremy. "Review of "Julian" by Gore Vidal." We are entertained. Np, 28 March 2011. Web. 04 April 2012. .tristaprez, . "Julian-Gore Vidal Christianity versus Paganism". Hubpages. Np, 10 August 2006. Web. 01 April 2012. .Author unknown. "Julian | Summary." BookRags. Np, nd Web. 04 April 2012. .