Help me with this "What if"

[Peter Knutsen]

Originally Posted by combatmedic

If Julian had succeeded in severing the relationship of the Emperor and the Church, he might have helped to cause a somewhat earlier breakup of the Empire, weakened the Orthodox/Catholic (exactly the same thing at that point)in regards to various movements of heretics, and given ‘breathing room’ to pagan traditions and philosophies.

Wasn't Julian's goal to set up a pagan state religion, complete with a hierarchy of pagan bishops? Not so much sever the relationship, as creating a replacement for the Church.