TIME TO FIND OUT ABOUT CHRISTAINS

Overview :

Christians: a fifth column? :

A Christian Rome makes Christians in Persia into enemies - although, once it has declared independence from Constantinople, the Church of the East, with its more humanistic beliefs, begins to win hearts and minds throughout Asia.

Constantine's letter :

The text of this letter is preserved by Eusebius of Caesarea, the first historian of the Christian church, in his Life of Constantine.

Bishop of Ctesiphon :

There was a second bishopric at Gondeshapur in Khuzistan, a city founded by Shapur I with Christian deportees from Syria. It later became a centre of learning with its own medical school.

Merv :

Missionaries from Merv were probably already taking Christianity further east along the Silk Route. There's a story that Shapur's sister Shirahan was cured and converted by a Christian, who was then appointed bishop of Merv. He took Shirahan with him, and she built several churches there.

Chalcedon :

A city conveniently opposite Constantinople on the other side of the Bosporus. The council's decisions are still accepted today by Catholic, Greek and Russian Orthodox, and all Protestant churches.

Ongoing problems had been caused by the incompatibility of Jewish monotheism with a belief in God the Father and God the Son. If there's only one God, where does Christ fit in? Chalcedon said that Christ was one person with two natures, simultaneously God and man. The churches who rejected Chalcedon were either the Miaphysites, (also called Monophysites - Christ is one person, with one nature, which is a blend of God and man) or Dyophysites (Christ has two separate natures - God and man). It all sounds trivial and obscure, but remember that those arguing were educated in Greek philosophy - where everything had to be looked at according to the rules of logic. And, as a Christian, your eternal life might depend on whether your beliefs were correct. Today Armenians, Copts, Ethiopian and Syrian Orthodox follow the Miaphysite line. The Church of the East (which had already proclaimed independence in AD 424 and was not even present at Chalcedon) is the lone representative still of the Dyophysites.

But most importantly, the "non-Chalcedon" churches represented a breakaway from the Greek dominance of the church. The Chalcedon churches went on to become associated with Europe, and the ruling establishment. The Church of the East, in particular, was always a minority, and frequently persecuted: it's unfortunate that Islamic regimes today are replaying the old Sasanian line: Christians who've lived in the east for two millennia are being assumed to be American fifth-columnists, and equated with a western branch of Christianity who have wanted nothing to do with them since Chalcedon in AD 451.

Jacobites and Melkites :

Both were Miaphysite churches - the Jacobites rejected Chalcedon, while the Melkites (Melchites) accepted it. The Jacobites (their name derives from James, the brother of Jesus) look to the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch as their head - and today has a following in Kerala, India, whose congregation claim St Thomas the apostle as their founder in AD 52.

Christian quarrels :

Argument and debate had always been part of Christianity - right from AD 48 when Paul argued that you didn't have to be a Jew to be a Christian - and you could become one without a painful circumcision.

The Creed of the Church of the East contains the words :

Begotten by the Father without beginning before time; born of Mary in his humanity.

Orthodox :

Here simply means the rest of the church - the split between Roman Catholics and Greek Orthodox didn't happen until 11th century AD. The easterners had a cool argument to dismiss the Trinity. If Mary was the mother of God, and God is the Trinity, Mary is the mother of God the father, too, and Jesus is also her grandson.

Egyptian monk :

was Cosmas Indicopleustes ("sailor to India"), an Egyptian merchant turned monk, who wrote a long work called Christian Topography. Like many early geographical works much of it now seems so silly as to be amusing (eg his belief that the sun went to bed every night behind a mountain), but unique scraps of useful information are hidden among the pious pages. The full text is available on the internet - and a TABLE OF CONTENTS will give some idea of the scope of the work. The section on Indian plants and animals and Sri Lanka (Book 11), which mentions the Christian Persian settlers, is surprisingly accurate (his descriptions of rhinoceros, giraffe and coconuts for example).

Jews :

There were Jews settled in Assyria and Mesopotamia long before the Achaemenid conquests, and before the deportations under Nebuchadnezzar II (they are mentioned in cuneiform documents dated to Sargon (722 BC). In the Book of Esther, Xerxes (or more probably Artaxerxes I - appearing as Ahasuerus) chose the Jewish beauty Esther (=sitara,"star" in Persian) to replace his disobedient queen Vashti. Unfortunately no other sources confirm this tale. Babylon became a Jewish centre, and the Mishna and Talmud were written there, to consolidate oral traditions.

CHRISTIANS: THE ENEMY WITHIN?

Rome's adoption of Christianity

The first Christian country? :

The legendary visit of the Persian Magi to Bethlehem (Matthew 2. 1) does not appear to have led to immediate further contact between Persia and the first Christians.

For the spurious claim of Abgar V of Edessa (Osrhoene) to have been the first Christian king SEE HERE. Tiridates III of Armenia may have a slightly better claim, but the main source is so full of nonsense it's hard to be entirely convinced - SEE HERE. But it was the Edict of Milan in AD 313, which permanently established religious toleration within the Roman empire, as a result of an agreement between Constantine and his pagan ally Licinius, attempting a moral blackmail of their rival emperor Maximin, who was still allowing Christians to be abused. The Edict of Milan allowed freedom of worship: the Roman empire did not adopt Christianity as its official religion until the Edict of Thessalonica in AD 380.

The emperor Constantine :

Shapur sent gifts to Constantine and suggested an alliance. CONSTANTINE WROTE BACK that he'd heard there were many churches in Persia with large congregations, and had this suggestion :

Concerning this category of people - Christians I mean (that's who this letter is all about), how delighted do you think I am to discover that - just as I'd have wanted - the lovely land of Persia is a showcase for them? May you bring them as much blessing as they bring you. You will find the Lord of All gentle, kind and sympathetic. And so I hand them over to you, powerful as you are and famous for your piety, to look after. Love them in accordance with your love for humanity. Through this act of faith, you will be doing a great service to yourself and to me.

How do you imagine Shapur II reacted?

The adoption of Christianity as the state religion of the Roman empire had a an unexpected effect on the Christian communities in the Sasanian empire. Persecution stopped within the Roman area (where it had been widespread before), but began in the Persian empire (where religious tolerance had been normal since the days of the Achaemenids, and where many refugees from Roman persecution had come for safety). Another irony was that Shapur I, who'd wanted to promote the Mazdaean religion and associate it with Eranshahr (ie with "being an Iranian") had imported many thousands of Christians - as prisoners of war and deportees from Syria.

Spread of Christianity in the Persian empire :

First Christian communities :

There were probably small numbers of Christians arriving along trade routes from the west in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, but the main influx is usually dated to Shapur I's deportations. Christianity, too, easily found a home within the already large Jewish community in Iraq. Archaeology has revealed evidence of Christianity in the 3rd century from Kharg island in the Persian Gulf (60 tombs - which may have been of martyred victims of Kerdir), and Dura Europos. KERDIR'S boasts of persecuting Christians along with Jews, Manichaeans and Buddhists suggest that there was already a significant presence in the second half of the 3rd century.

The Church of the East :

Gradually, the Christian communities scattered in cities throughout Iran (though especially in Mesopotamia) got themselves organised: in AD 315 a bad-tempered meeting of leaders ended with recognition of the bishop of SELEUCEIA-CTESIPHON as head of the "Church of the East" (which is its official name today). But Shapur II was not pleased when the newly appointed Christian leader refused to collect a special tax which he'd imposed on Christians in Mesopotamia. They'd refused to help in the SIEGE OF NISIBIS - and the tax was a punishment :

"We are in a state of war; they are in a state of joy and pleasure. They live in our land but are of like mind with the emperor, our enemy."

Bishop Shimun replied :

"We will not agree to to collect taxes so that we may murder our brothers."

Shapur II (according to Christian writings) offered Shimun the opportunity to renounce his beliefs and worship the sun and fire: when he went on refusing, Shapur arrested 100 priests and had them beheaded in front of him, before Shimun was executed himself. There followed wholesale denunciation and slaughter of Christians throughout Persia, many of whom willingly accepted torture and death - by a variety of original and sadistic methods, according to the Syriac Christian Acts of the Martyrs. The persecution was sanctioned by Shapur II and carried out by the the Magi.

The Magi, as well as regarding Christians as un-Iranian, disapproved of their mission to convert Mazdaeans to their religion. For the next 50 years those Christians who survived understandably kept a low profile, though there is archaeological evidence that there was less persecution in the east. MERV HAD A BISHOP, and remains of a church, monastery and Christian burials have been found dating from this period.

Eastern Christian beliefs :

The Church of the East (sometimes called the Assyrian church and - inaccurately - Nestorian) had since earliest times been cut off from the western branches of Christianity by the Euphrates frontier with the Roman empire. It took no part in the great church pow-wow at CHALCEDON in AD 451 where QUARRELS WERE SETTLED, and what you had to believe to be a Christian was (to some extent) stabilised.

The Church of the East was free to continue in its own way. It avoided the Manichaean influence of Augustine which convinced the Orthodox church that man was naturally evil, as a result of the "original sin" of Adam. For the eastern Christians, man was basically good - although he could still choose to do evil. The emphasis was on the HUMANITY OF CHRIST. There was none of the ORTHODOX obsession with suffering. Their cross was not originally a symbol of the crucifixion, but an ancient symbol of the sun, source of all life (as found in Elamite carvings from 4000 BC). In AD 424 it proclaimed its complete independence from Orthodox Christianity - who of course immediately condemned it as heretical. There were also other Christian sects within the Sasanian empire - there were JACOBITES, or Syrian Orthodox, for example, and MELKITES.

Tombstone of Elizabeth, Christian wife of a Chinese official 14th century AD

It was much easier after that for Christians in Persia to be accepted - because they were also enemies of the Orthodox emperor in Constantinople. Eastern missionaries took Christianity to India, Tibet and China along the Silk Route; the Church of the East was bigger than the Roman Catholic church until the 16th century (when forcible conversion of "heathens" in the New World began to boost its numbers). In AD 522, an EGYPTIAN MONK reported Christian churches and communities, and a bishop consecrated in Persia, in his travels along the south west coast of India as far as Sri Lanka (Taprobane). And this without ever being sponsored by a government, or using any means other than persuasion to promote their beliefs. By AD 400 the Church of the East was fully recognised by the Sasanians, with its patriarch resident in Ctesiphon. Its first synod was convened in AD 410, during the reign of the "friendly and peaceable" Yazdegird I, followed by 10 more synods up until AD 775.

In 1281 a Mongol was elected to the office of Catholicos: supreme patriarch of the Church of the East.

Other religions under the Sasanians :

MANICHAEANS were banned, not just persecuted. Buddhists were persecuted, like Christians. Jews were generally tolerated, though - and king Yazdegird I was said to have married a Jewish woman, Susannah. Bahram V (if he was her son) would therefore himself have been Jewish. THE JEWS, through their Bible, had knowledge of the Achaemenids - and particularly of CYRUS and could remind the Persians of his generosity to Judaean captives in Babylon. Jewish academies in Mesopotamia produced the Talmud during the Sasanian period. By around AD 400, during the reign of Yazdegird I, a Jewish exilarch, as well as a Christian bishop resided in Ctesiphon: they paid their taxes, and enjoyed security in return.

Mazdaism: becoming a church? :

After the energetic promotion of Mazdaean religion by the priest Kerdir, this question seemed to expect the answer yes. But in fact it was still no. Individual kings could show greater or lesser enthusiasm. State and religion supported each other - but Mazdaism/Zoroastrianism was never the "state religion" (as Christianity became in Byzantium). Nevertheless, Mazdaean priests became more powerful, and fire temples became wealthy and important. Christians, Manichaeans, Buddhists and even Jews were persecuted from time to time - but always for political reasons (although the Magi would have had strong religious reasons for approving of attacks on rival religions). Persecution of Christians always reflected current relations with Constantinople. By the sixth century, Christians were probably in the majority, at least in Iraq.

Stung by criticism from Manichaeans that they had no "book", the collection of writings (begun under the Parthian VALAKSH I) that became the Avesta was continuing, though not completed for another two centuries. It's worth noting that there is no mention yet of Zarathushtra or Zoroaster by the Sasanians - they're still really Mazdaeans rather than "orthodox" Zoroastrians. At the same time, Anahita and Mithra were becoming more important, and more closely associated with Ahura Mazda.

Just as Christians were growing in number within Eranshahr, so smaller numbers of Mazdaeans were spreading westward into Anatolia. In Armenia, despite its ruler's conversion to Christianity, there was still a significant Mazdaean presence.

Christianity v Mazda-worship :

Each community had reasons for disapproving of the other: Christian sexual obsessions (virginity; celibacy) shocked Mazdaeans who were happy to marry their sisters (and vice versa).

Mithraism (has to be mentioned) :

The men-only cult of Mithras, though taking its name from Mithra, the Iranian deity, seems to me to have no serious connection with Mazdaism or any Persian religion. It was extremely popular in the Roman army, and its underground chapels have been found all over the Roman empire. I would compare it to cults like Scientology in the modern world - an invented religion using familiar and exotic elements taken from the substrate of popular religions (eg, like Christianity it has a virgin birth, shepherds, baptism, communion and Satan). Its inventor/s - probably somewhere between 50 BC and AD 50 - were familiar with Indian scriptures and Greek philosophy - especially Plato's Timaeus. The earliest Roman inscription referring to Mithras is from AD 194. No Mithraeum has been found in Persia, "and probably never will be" - the nearest was in the Roman garrison town of Dura-Europos.

Remains of a Mithraeum at Carrawburgh, near Hadrian's Wall

Source :

https://www.the-persians.co.uk/
christianity.htm