Tomorrow is the feast of the Transfiguration – one of my personal favourites. Jesus goes up a mountain, glows like a power plant, and we realise the important spiritual value of the “uncreated light” – all very cool, very mystical . . .but that’s tomorrow.

Today we commemorate Eusygnius a soldier exectuted by Julian the Apostate in 361 for chastising the Emperor for having abandoned the faith (and ostensibly betraying his family honour in so doing). Julian the nephew of a saint, and the fellow student of another (Basil & Gregory) abandoned Christianity and tried to re-invigorate classical Paganism (which – strictly speaking had never actually gone away in the first place). Julian was mortally wounded fighting the Persians in 363.

Julian is interesting for those interested in the emergence of Marian cult & devotion for his complaint that the Christians are “always calling her [Mary] Theotokos”. This is an early witness to the common use of the title before the controversy of AD 328-331.