The Status of the Christians and the First Synods in the Early Period of the Sasanian Empire

Christianity expanded and institutionalized in the Sasanian Empire since 5th century. Covered mainly in this study are the growing Christian population in Īrānshahr, i.e., the land of the Sasanian land, the Sasanian Empire’s varying perceptions of Christians, and the reactions of the Christians to these perceptions. The scope of the study is confined to such early institutions of Christianity as the Mār Ishaq (410), Mār Yahballaha (420), and Mār Dadisho (424) Synods and the attitude of the Sasanian state towards this institutionalization. Within the same framework, the extent to which religion influenced politics with respect to the relationship between the Roman and Sasanian Empires is sought.