ABSTRACT
The Syriac and Arabic tradition concerning Themistius is examined here in general, but especially in relation to that of Julian and the role allegedly played by the two of them in supporting philosophy against Christian attempts to suppress it. It leads to the conclusion that while in Arabic Themistius and Julian were seen as having worked together in restoring the teaching of the philosophers against the Christian emperors who were opposed to philosophy and had banned it, in the Syriac Christian tradition Themistius was seen as an enlightened and tolerant thinker who had endeavoured to promote a philanthropic political philosophy akin to that of the fourth century patristic theologians against the intolerant ‘Julian the Apostate’.
