Julian's level of subtlety was hard to sustain, and subsequent tradition packed the Apostate's reign with dozens of invented martyrs to make his persecution less "gentle". Historians should take none of this at face value. In Christian texts, "tyrant" and " "persecutor" are technical terms for rulers of a different theological persuasion, regardless of their actions. In many contexts, Christians called it a "persecution" when they were mere merely expected to tolerate the existence of people who disagreed with them.

— New Roman Empire by Anthony Kaldellis (Page 163)