The Edessa Scroll: Christians, Zoroastrians, and the Shah Who Chose Both

In the 5th century, the Sasanian Empire faced a religious crisis that pitted Christians against Zoroastrian mobads, and the shah against his own clergy. This episode dives into the reign of Yazdegerd I, the 'sinful' king who tried to balance the two faiths, and the Edessa Scroll — a Syriac account of persecution, politics, and a Christian bishop who dared to build a church in the heart of Iran. We follow the story of Marutha of Maypherqat, a diplomat and physician who mediated between the shah and the Roman emperor, and the violent backlash that erupted when Zoroastrian priests accused Christians of desecrating fire temples. We explore how the Sasanian state used Christianity as a political tool against Rome, and how the church's internal divisions — between Nestorians and Orthodox — shaped its fate. With a focus on Yazdegerd's edict of toleration, the martyrdom of Bishop Abdas, and the synod of 410 that established the Church of the East, this episode reveals how faith and empire clashed in a struggle that would echo through the Middle East for centuries. #YazdegerdI #EdessaScroll #SasanianEmpire #ChurchOfTheEast #MaruthaOfMaypherqat #Zoroastrianism #ChristianityInPersia #Nestorian #Syriac #Mobad #MartyrdomOfAbdas #SynodOf410 #SasanianPersecution #5thCentury #Iran #Rome #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo