Greetings all,
Today we commemorate the passing of the Emperor Heraclius on February 11th in 641 AD:
He is best remembered for his military victories which returned the True Cross to Jerusalem. As Edward Gibbon said of him:
"Of the characters conspicuous in history, that of Heraclius is one
of
the most extraordinary and inconsistent. In the first and last years of a
long reign, the emperor appears to be the slave of sloth, of pleasure,
or of superstition, the careless and impotent spectator of the public
calamities. But the languid mists of the morning and evening are
separated by the brightness of the meridian sun; the Arcadius of the
palace arose the Caesar of the camp; and the honor of Rome and Heraclius
was gloriously retrieved by the exploits and trophies of six
adventurous campaigns. [...] Since the days of Scipio and Hannibal, no
bolder enterprise has been attempted than that which Heraclius achieved
for the deliverance of the empire."
Even
today he is remembered with both pride and tratitude, so let our
reflections be happy ones of his victories and amazing story!
Marcus Cassius Julianus
