# The Beard Hater



## Scott (Jul 25, 2005)

Historical pop quiz. Which Roman Emperor wrote a polemical work entitled "The Beard Hater?" No online searching.

First with right post wins something the rich want and the poor have. 



[Edited on 7-25-2005 by Scott]


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## crhoades (Jul 25, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Scott_
> First with right post wins something the rich want and the poor have.
> [Edited on 7-25-2005 by Scott]



Rich people want - nothing
poor people have - nothing...

Better sweeten the deal...


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## Bladestunner316 (Jul 25, 2005)

At first I thought it said the beer hater. It must be the vicaden :bigsmile:


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## Ex Nihilo (Jul 25, 2005)

Just a guess... Hadrian?


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## Peter (Jul 25, 2005)

marcus aurelius?


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## Bladestunner316 (Jul 25, 2005)

Constantine


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## PuritanCovenanter (Jul 25, 2005)

Can I google it now?


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## Puritan Sailor (Jul 25, 2005)

I think it was Julius Ceasar. He was beardless wasn't he?


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## Abd_Yesua_alMasih (Jul 25, 2005)

I thought most emperors up to a certain point were beardless as it was a sign of barbarity 

While this is a guess I am going to go with someone later than Julius Caesar. That sounds too obvious to me. I might go with Augustus Caesar.


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## Richard King (Jul 25, 2005)

was he an apostate who idolized Alexander the Great? 
( Alexander was an anti-beard guy... who reportedly liked men to look pretty)


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## Scott (Jul 26, 2005)

All guesses are wrong (Richard's is too vague - I need names  ). I will keep my prize, although Chris did penetrate its mystery.

The answer is Julian the Apostate, who was emperor from 361-363. He was the only emperor to revert to paganism after Constantine's conversion. Julian tried to force paganism back on the Empire. He died in battle with the Persians and was killed by a spear. Christians later claimed credit, suggesting that a Christian in the army had done it. Pagans denied this, suggesting that it was a Persian spear or accidental friendly fire.

As a visible expression of his paganism Julian wore a beard in imitation of pagan philosophers like Socrates. He was ridiculed by both Christians and pagan Romans (who were typically beardless). He was sensitive to the issue and wrote a polemical treatise, the Beard Hater. It was a satire on himself. I learned about this yesterday and though it was funny.

As a side note, the term "barbarian" comes from barbar, a term meaning "beard." Not completely related but indicative that even ordinary pagan Romans did not have a high opinion of beards generally (sorry, Andrew, but what did the Roman know anyway?).

[Edited on 7-26-2005 by Scott]


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## PuritanCovenanter (Jul 26, 2005)

Oh NO! I am a barbarian!


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Jul 26, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Scott_
> As a side note, the term "barbarian" comes from barbar, a term meaning "beard." Not completely related but indicative that even ordinary pagan Romans did not have a high opinion of beards generally (sorry, Andrew, but what did the Roman know anyway?).
> 
> [Edited on 7-26-2005 by Scott]



 Yep, what did they know? Hanun and the children of Ammon were real barbarians (see 2 Sam. 10). As for me and my beard, I stand in good company. Besides which, I hate to shave.


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## Richard King (Jul 26, 2005)

that is the apostate I was refering to. 
He thought he was Alexander the Great re-incarnated. 

(I have a friend who is the world's expert on beards who teaches me these things and he used to chide me about shaving being less than manly, he is the one who told me that Alexander the Great was not exactly a manly man and he liked men who shaved their faces. )

It guess it worked. I grew a beard as fast as I could!


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## Scott (Jul 26, 2005)

"that is the apostate I was refering to."

I will take your word for it and you may have the prize.


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## smallbeans (Jul 26, 2005)

It's actually not correct that the term "barbarian" is related to the word for beard. I refer you here:

http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20010423


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## Scott (Jul 26, 2005)

"It's actually not correct that the term "barbarian" is related to the word for beard."

My source is Tulane's Kennth Harl's lecture series Rome and the Barbarians, which is quite good and I highly recommend it. He is an expert in the barbarian peoples that Rome encountered.


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## smallbeans (Jul 26, 2005)

The Random House researchers' explanation gives an argument for why it is unrelated to the word for beards. Does Harl provide an argument for why it is or does he just say so? I'm sure, as a professor, that I'll say a lot of things wrong too - the thought of the Teaching Company selling my lectures is enough to keep me up at night!


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## Scott (Jul 26, 2005)

I don't recall him giving an explanation. In my mind, I will just leave it to the scholars to discuss (and I will follow Harl's lead to gig my friends who have beards.  )


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## Richard King (Jul 26, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Scott_
> "that is the apostate I was refering to."
> 
> I will take your word for it and you may have the prize.




Ahhhhh, I can't receive the prize in good conscience. I couldn't remember the name of the apostate. I could only remember that my friend told me something along those lines. So...I will just stroke my beard, take a deep draw on my pipe and look pensive.


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