The “Great Persecution” of the Christians in Ērānsahr 340 CE Targets, Persecutors, and Causes Hans Kristian Drangsland Master thesis in history Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History University of Oslo Spring 2018 II The “Great Persecution” of the Christians in Ērānsahr 340 CE Targets, Persecutors, and Causes III © Hans Kristian Drangsland 2018 The “Great Persecution” of the Christians in Ērānsahr 340 CE Targets, Persecutors, and Causes Hans Kristian Drangsland http://www.duo.uio.no Trykk: Webergs Printshop IV V Abstract The thesis looks at the so-called Great Persecution of the Christians in the Sasanian Empire, Ērānsahr, which begun about 340 CE. Current Sasanian historiography interprets the event as a result of Constantine the Great’s conversion to Christianity. That view is challenged herein. Instead of looking to the Roman Empire, the thesis places the locus of explanation internally to the Sasanians. Three primary questions are asked: (1) Who were the persecuted Christians? (2) Who were the persecutors? And (3) why were the Christians persecuted? The thesis argues that there were effectively two Christian communities in the empire, one that is difficult to define and identifiable as syncretistic, and the other which has been called ascetic Christianity. It is also suggested that the 4th century persecution primarily targeted the latter community, particularly because the ascetic Christians adhered to the martyrdom ideal. Historiography also proposes that the event was spearheaded by the Sasanian priesthood, who represented religious interests and found their authority usurped by the Christians. That view is also investigated, and the thesis argues that the persecution was carried out by Shapur II, the nobility and the priesthood in concerted efforts because the native religion, Mazdaism, was institutionalized in the empire. As a result, the violence was limited to ascetic Christians of some status or peers of the elite communities of the Sasanian Empire. As for the causes of the event, the thesis looks at socio-economic and religious incentives. Admittedly, the evidence for socio-economic motivations is inconclusive, as there is no data that directly corroborates the claim – although it can be surmised. As for religious incentives, the thesis argues that Mazdaism operated with an ethical dualism in which all human behavior could be judged according to two binary principles, one good and the other evil, with nothing in between. As such, the thesis proposes that the ascetic Christians were perceived as disruptive and diametrically opposed to Mazdaism, which meant that they were effectively juxtaposed as contributors to the evil cosmic principle, as opposed to supporting the good cosmic principle, which was an ethical imperative from the Mazdean perspective. But it must be noted, that given the paucity of sources it is hard to arrive at any incontrovertible conclusions. VI VII Acknowledgements I began working on the thesis in spring 2016. It turned out to be a far more challenging undertaking than I had imagined, and it has been difficult to fit all the fragmentary pieces. But it is with some relief that it is finally completed. The thesis has been written under the guidance of Knut Ødegård and Eivind Heldaas Seland. I want to thank both of them for their invaluable contributions and feedback. And I want to thank my wife Sharada for all the support. Hans Kristian Drangsland Oslo, May 2018 VIII IX Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ______________________________________________________________________________ 1 METHODOLOGY AND SOURCES ___________________________________________________________________ 1 OVERVIEW ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 6 2 A ROMAN CONNECTION? ____________________________________________________________________ 8 THE ROMAN ASSOCIATION THESIS ______________________________________________________________ 8 EUSEBIUS’ LETTER, ROME AND CHRISTIANITY ______________________________________________ 10 THE ISSUE OF TAXATION ________________________________________________________________________ 12 PERSECUTIONS IN TIMES OF WAR? ____________________________________________________________ 14 APHRAHAT AND THE ACTS OF MARTYRS ______________________________________________________ 14 OTHER QUESTIONS _______________________________________________________________________________ 17 CONCLUDING REMARKS _________________________________________________________________________ 17 3 PRELIMINARIES AND MAZDAISM ________________________________________________________ 19 THE RELEVANCE OF RELIGION __________________________________________________________________ 19 INSTITUTIONS, BINARY TAXONOMIES AND VIOLENCE _____________________________________ 20 RELIGION AND VIOLENCE ________________________________________________________________________ 22 MAZDEAN THEOLOGY: COSMOGONY___________________________________________________________ 23 MAZDEAN THEOLOGY: PROBLEMS AND AIMS ________________________________________________ 24 MAZDEAN THEOLOGY: SALVATION ____________________________________________________________ 25 MAZDAISM AND BINARY TAXONOMIES _______________________________________________________ 26 KERDIR AND THE SUPPOSED TRIPARTITE TAXONOMY ____________________________________ 27 CONCLUDING REMARKS _________________________________________________________________________ 31 4 THE SCOPE OF THE PERSECUTION _______________________________________________________ 32 PERSECUTIONS WITHIN ĒRĀNSAHR ___________________________________________________________ 32 APHRAHAT AND THE ONGOING PERSECUTION ______________________________________________ 34 MAZDAISM AND VIOLENCE ______________________________________________________________________ 37 CHRISTIANITY, VIOLENCE AND MARTYRDOM _______________________________________________ 39 SCOPE, TARGETS AND SYNCRETISM ___________________________________________________________ 42 CONCLUDING REMARKS _________________________________________________________________________ 45 5 THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF MAZDAISM __________________________________________ 46 POLITICS AND RELIGION IN ĒRĀNSAHR _______________________________________________________ 46 THE INSTITUTION OF KINGSHIP ________________________________________________________________ 48 THE MAZDEAN PRIESTHOOD ___________________________________________________________________ 50 X THE SASANIAN NOBILITY ________________________________________________________________________ 52 PERSECUTOR AND PERSECUTED _______________________________________________________________ 54 SOCIO‐ECONOMIC AND RELIGIOUS MOTIVATIONS __________________________________________ 59 CONCLUDING REMARKS _________________________________________________________________________ 61 6 XWĒDŌDAH, MARRIAGE AND PROCREATION __________________________________________ 62 MAZDAISM AND THE MERITS OF PROCREATION AND XWĒDŌDAH ______________________ 62 SASANIAN ELITES AND VARIATIONS OF MARRIAGE ________________________________________ 64 CHRISTIAN VIEWS ON XWĒDŌDAH ____________________________________________________________ 67 CHRISTIAN VIEWS ON MARRIAGE AND PROCREATION _____________________________________ 70 CONCLUDING REMARKS _________________________________________________________________________ 73 7 SANCTITY OF THE SUN, FIRE AND EARTH ______________________________________________ 75 THE ACTS OF MARTYRS: THE SUN AND FIRE __________________________________________________ 75 THE MAZDEAN REVERENCE OF THE SUN AND FIRE _________________________________________ 77 THE ACTS OF THOMAS, EPHREM AND APHRAHAT: THE SUN AND FIRE __________________ 79 THE MAZDEAN REVERENCE OF THE EARTH __________________________________________________ 83 MAZDAISM AND THE DISPOSAL OF THE DEAD _______________________________________________ 84 CHRISTIANS, INHUMATION AND EXHUMATION _____________________________________________ 86 OTHER BURIAL PRACTICES _____________________________________________________________________ 90 CONCLUDING REMARKS _________________________________________________________________________ 91 8 EPISTEMIC APPROPRIATION AND FALSE TEACHINGS _______________________________ 92 THE EPISTEMIC HOMOLOGY IN THE ACTS OF MARTYRS ____________________________________ 92 THE EPISTEMIC HOMOLOGY IN MAZDAISM __________________________________________________ 93 THE EPISTEMIC HOMOLOGY IN EARLY SYRIAC LITERATURE ______________________________ 95 RELIGIOUS TEACHINGS AND THE “LAW OF ZARATHUSTRA” ______________________________ 98 FALSE TEACHERS AND SORCERERS ___________________________________________________________ 101 THE ACTS OF MARTYRS: SORCERERS AND HERETICS _______________________________________ 103 CHRISTIAN HEALING POWER AND EXORCISM ______________________________________________ 104 SORCERY FROM THE MAZDEAN PERSPECTIVE ______________________________________________ 104 SORCERY AND THE CASE OF HANANYA _______________________________________________________ 106 CONCLUDING REMARKS ________________________________________________________________________ 109 9 CONCLUSION _______________________________________________________________________________ 110 WHO WERE THE PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS? _______________________________________________ 110 WHO WERE THE PERSECUTORS? ______________________________________________________________ 111 WHY WERE THE CHRISTIANS PERSECUTED? ________________________________________________ 111 Primary material _______________________________________________________________________________ 115 Secondary