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Spread of Nestorian Christianity in Persia

Type Event Region Asia Time 501–600

In the 6th century, the Eastern Church (Nestorianism) expanded throughout Sasanian Persia, building a diocesan network along the Silk Road and a patr…

Timeline

  1. 501–530Sasanian Empire · West AsiaAfter the Persian Church declared independence from the Western Church in 424 CE, Sasanian rulers treated Nestorian Christians differently from Byzantine Orthodox, allowing them to preach and build churches within the empire to weaken Byzantine religious influence and absorb Christian communities in Syria and Mesopotamia.
  2. 531–570Ctesiphon · MesopotamiaDuring the reign of Khosrow I, the Eastern Church consolidated the authority of the patriarchate at Ctesiphon, established multiple dioceses in Persia, eastern Syria, and Mesopotamia, compiled church canons, and trained clergy, forming a complete ecclesiastical hierarchy independent of the Byzantine papacy.
  3. 571–600Along the Silk Road · Central AsiaIn the late 6th century, Nestorian missionaries traveled east along the Silk Road, establishing church outposts in places such as Merv and Herat, and extending influence further toward Central Asia and even China, laying organizational and theological foundations for the spread of Nestorianism in the Tang dynasty during the 7th to 8th centuries.

Sources