Why did Julian prohibit Christians from teaching classical literature and philosophy?

Emperor Julian, often called "the Apostate," prohibited Christians from teaching classical literature and philosophy as part of his broader determination to revive paganism and establish it as the official religion of the Roman Empire.1

Julian, who was a devoted Neoplatonist, viewed Christianity as a collection of "fables and irrational falsehoods" that lacked divine truth. By barring Christians from the teaching profession, he aimed to weaken the intellectual influence of the church and prevent Christian educators from interpreting the classical literature and philosophical texts that were central to the Hellenic heritage he sought to restore.1

This policy was a significant departure from the earlier practice where Christians, despite their religious differences, were deeply integrated into the traditional educational system. Julian’s actions were widely viewed as inhumane, even by his contemporaries like the historian Ammianus Marcellinus, who admired many of the emperor's other virtues but censured this specific suppression of professional and academic freedom.21