State of Mixture Christians, Zoroastrians, Iranian Political Culture in Late

Christian communities flourished during late antiquity in a Zoroastrian political system, known as the Iranian Empire, that integrated culturally and geographically disparate territories from Arabia to Afghanistan into its institutions and networks. Whereas previous studies have regarded Christians as marginal, insular, and often persecuted participants in this empire, Richard Payne demonstrates their integration into elite networks, adoption of Iranian political practices and imaginaries, and participation in imperial institutions.

About the author

Richard E. Payne is Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Ancient Near Eastern History at the University of Chicago.

Summary

Christian communities flourished during late antiquity in a Zoroastrian political system, known as the Iranian Empire. In placing the social history of East Syrian Christians at the center of the Iranian imperial story, this book helps explain the endurance of a culturally diverse empire across four centuries.

Additional text

"Situating itself mostly on Christian sources in Syriac and Arabic from the Sasanid and Islamic periods, but including discussion of seals, bullae, and other artifacts, this text utilizes all three means in its attempt to depict the political culture of the Sasanid period."

Product details

• Authors: Richard E. Payne, Payne Richard E.
• Publisher: University Of California Press
• Content: Book
• Product form: Paperback / Softback
• Publication date: 31.08.2016
• Subject: Humanities, art, music > History > Antiquity; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political theories and the history of ideas
• EAN: 9780520292451
• ISBN: 978-0-520-29245-1
• Pages: 320
• Series: Transformation of the Classical Heritage; Transformation of the Classical Heritage; Transformation of the Classical Heritage (CAUP); Transformation of the National Heritage (CAUP)
• Subjects: Iran, HISTORY / Ancient / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / History & Theory, POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / Middle Eastern, RELIGION / Christianity / Denominations, Political science & theory, Christian Churches & denominations, Christian Churches, denominations, groups, Ancient History, c 500 to c 1000 CE, Political science and theory, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, BCE to c 500 CE, C 500 CE To C 1000 CE, BCE period – Protohistory, RELIGION / Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism