Gratianus emperor of Rome, son of Valentinian I, was born in 359, and on the death of his father, A.D. 375, succeeded to a share of the Western Empire. On the death of his uncle Valens, A.D. 378, he obtained control of the whole empire; but in 379 he appointed Theodosius his colleague, giving him the Eastern provinces. He was killed A.D. 383, in a revolt in Gaul. Gratian was tolerant towards the various sects which divided Christianity, but he displayed a stern determination against the remains of the heathen worship. At Rome he overthrew the altar of Victory, which continued to exist; he confiscated the property attached to it, as well as the property belonging to the other priests and the Vestals. He also refused to assume the title and the insignia of Pontifex Maximus, a dignity till then considered as annexed to that of emperor. These measures gave a final blow to the old worship of the empire; and although the senators, who for the most part were still attached to it, sent him a deputation, at the head of which was Symmachus, they could not obtains any mitigation of his decrees. Engl. Cyclopaedia; Mosheim, Church Hist. cent. 4, part 2, chapter 5, § 15.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More