In Eurasia at that time, the Roman Empire and the Sassanid Empire of Persia were the two most powerful states.
During this period, a Roman emperor was faced with a major decision: should he go to war against the Sassanids?
This emperor, named Julian, personally led his army and prepared to attack the Sassanids eastward.
The Sassanid Empire was a predominantly Zoroastrian pagan state that had a long confrontation with the Christian Roman Empire.
Emperor Julian believed that the seizure of Sassanid territory through war would expand the Christian faith into Persia and raise the Roman Empire to new heights of status and power.
However, just as the emperor was leading his army to the east, a Mongol cavalry attacked the borders of the Roman Empire from the north.
The emperor had to stop the expedition and lead the army back to Europe. When Julian heard the news, he was furious, believing it to be a punishment from the gods, and vowed to conquer the cavalry before the Roman Empire could take the victory.
However, Julian's plan did not succeed.
A few months after defeating the cavalry, he was wounded and died. His death plunged the Roman Empire into turmoil.
One possibility is that the Roman Empire would have been preserved without expeditions, especially since the defenses in the north had been strengthened.
However, if he had not personally led the war against the Sassanids, would the Roman Empire usher in an era of pagan revival?
During the reign of Emperor Julian, Christianity had spread throughout a large part of the territory of the Roman Empire.
This faith was also very popular around the young emperor, who warmly welcomed people from all religions and beliefs.
However, sectarian disputes between the Roman Empire and the Sassanid Empire of Persia made relations between Christianity and Zoroastrianism even more strained.
If Julian had not taken the initiative to conquer the Sassanid Empire, then all other pagan religions in Asia could have begun to develop again.
This meant that Christianity and the Roman Empire would face denominations from Asia that could be deeply loyal to their faith.
If this happens, there is a risk that the status of the Roman Empire and Christianity will be lowered, and the Knights of Law will be given to the French Templars.
Historically, it was the great influence and military power of these knights that helped Christianity resist the attacks of Islam.
In Europe, on the other hand, the Orthodox Church has always maintained a strong position.
If the Roman Empire had allowed a pagan revival without conquering the Sassanids, it would well have been possible for the Orthodox Church to further strengthen itself and compete for more adherents.
This would lead to greater tensions between the Roman Empire and the Orthodox Church, and could even lead to a conflict between secular and religious rights.
Of course, this is just one of many possibilities.
The development of history is an intricate process that is influenced by many factors. Even if Emperor Julian had not died on the battlefield, the future of the Roman Empire would still be conditioned by circumstances and people's choices.
In reality, there is no direct evidence to support the causal relationship between Emperor Julian's expeditionary wars and the pagan revival.
However, history has taught us that the relationship between religion and politics is extremely complex, and the future development is difficult to determine.
In any case, for those who believed in Christianity, the efforts of Emperor Julian and the doctrinal development of the Roman Empire played a positive role.
The Christian faith in the Roman Empire gradually spread throughout continental Europe and the Mediterranean, becoming an important part of Western culture and history.
Emperor Julian's influence on the Roman Empire and Christianity was profound, whether he died on the battlefield or not.
His efforts and support for Christianity helped lay the foundations for the Christianization of the Roman Empire. His time was a turning point in the history of Christianity and had a profound impact on later medieval Europe.
So, while we can speculate whether Emperor Julian's non-Sasanian death would have led to a pagan revival, the fact is that the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire and Europe had enough momentum and influence that would not have changed as a result of Julian's military campaigns.
In any case, the Roman Empire had taken a solid step forward in the development of Christianity and further shaped the religious, cultural, and historical landscape of Europe.