The Forgotten Church: Christianity in Sassanid Iran

When we think of early Christianity, we often picture the Roman Empire. But east of Byzantium, the Church of the East flourished under the Sassanid dynasty in Persia. This episode explores how a faith born in Roman Palestine found a second home in the Zoroastrian heartland — and how it survived cycles of persecution and patronage. Lucas and Luna trace the story from the early Christian communities in Mesopotamia to the synod of 410 that formally organised the church under Mar Isaac, with the reluctant blessing of Shah Yazdegerd I. They discuss the role of Nisibis as a theological centre, the influence of Syriac language and culture, and the tensions between Nestorian and Monophysite factions. They also touch on the church's missionary reach eastward — a preview of the later mission to China. This episode offers a nuanced look at religious pluralism in a pre-modern empire, showing how faith and politics intertwined in ways that still resonate today. #ChurchOfTheEast #SassanidEmpire #NestorianChristianity #MarIsaac #YazdegerdI #Nisibis #Syriac #PersianChristianity #Zoroastrianism #Ctesiphon #LateAntiquity #ReligiousPluralism #PersianEmpire #ChristianHistory #Mesopotamia #FexingoHistory #WorldHistory #ReligionAndEmpire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo