II. Ecclesiastical History. — When the Sassanidas, by restoring the Zoroastrian mode of worship, had over- thrown the empire of the Parthians, the previous good understanding came to an end, as they required theirs to be not only the predominant, but the only religion of the empire. Yet the later rulers of this dynasty ap- pear to have cared more for politics than for religion, and the Christians, i. e. the Nestorians, were left in peace, except in times of war against the Greek emperors. Pherozes (or Feroze or Firuz), as we have seen above, had been well disposed by Barsumas in favor of the Nes- torians, but he had bitterlj- opposed the Eoman Catho- lics, and persecuted them. Cavades, or Cobad, his suc- cessor (448-531), after he came back from the land of the Huns, whither he had fled out of prison, commenced against the Greek empire a war which lasted four years, and which led to a persecution of the Christians. (He had commanded the community of women. This led to an insurrection of the nobility, and Cavades was thrown into prison, whence his sister managed to help him es- cape and flee the coimtry. His brother, Jamapes, who
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was appointed in his place, recalled the obnoxious law; and as it had probably had also a deraoralizini; ettect on the Christians, Badajus, tiien patriarch of the Nestorians, with the assent of this new and more liberal ruler, held a synod to remedy the evil.) Accordinj; to Harhebranis (Bibl. Or. ii, 409), Cavades reascended the throne with the aid of the Greeks, and sought to force the Nestorians to unite again with the Komish Church. Tliis, how- ever, does not appear trustworthy. About the end of Cavades's reign a schism took place among the Nesto- rians, v.liich is said to have lasted twelve years, and dur- ing this time two patriarchs, Nerses and Klisteus, were elected by the opposing parties, each of which in turn appointed bishops from among his followers. After Nerses had died in prison and IClisasus had been deposed l)y a synod, the bishops elected Paulus, who however filled the office but a few months, and was succeeded by Mar Aba I, or " the Great" (536-5o2), a Magian con- verted to Christianity. He translated the liturgy of the Nestorians from the Greek into Syriac; and this version continues in use at the present day among the Nestorians. Mar Aba I showed also great activity in restoring order and discipline in the Church, visiting the different dioceses, sending pastoral addresses to dis- tant cliurches, and holding in 544 a synod in which it was declared that neither patriarchs nor bishops should thencefortli be allowed to marry — a regulation which has ever since been observed in the Nestorian Church. He also contH-med the former canons, and ordered that, while adliering strictly to the Nicene Creed, the system of Theodore of Jlopsuestia should form the basis of the Scripture exegesis. On account of the previously men- tioned schism, when there were often tw(j bishops ap- pointed to the same see, Mar Aba I deposed the unworthy dignitaries; and in cases where two equally deserving filled the office, he retained the oldest, and the other had to return to his former condition until the office became vacant again. Patriarch Ezechiel (577-580), as soon as he entered into office, held a synod (Feb., 577), whose principal result was the promulgation of an edict against the Messalians. As the Monophysites had made great progress in Persia under Cavades, and especially under Chosroes I (531-579) [see Kiiosiiuj, Jacob Baradajus appointed as cecumenical metropolitan, in the place of tlie imprisoned patriarch, a metropolitan of the East, Achudemes, whom Barhebneus considers as the first maphrian (q. v.) of the East. Chosroes, according to popular tradition, became a Christian in the latter part of his life, and recommended his successors to avoid war with Greece. As for himself, he seems to have been often at war with that country, and to have on those occasions persecuted the Christians. His son, Hormuzd IV, as also Chosroes H, proved more friendly to the Nestorians, especially the latter, who compelled all Christians in the empire to join them. He afterwards, however, persecuted them on account of their having elected Grcgorius as patriarch against his will; and after Gregorius's death, in G08, lie forbatlc their ap- pointing another. Tlic office remained vacant for twenty j'ears, until Shiruje (Siroes), the son of Chos- roes H, ascended the throne. He proved favorable to the Christians of all denominations. His successors also left them in peace, being too weak and too much occujiieil in preserving their position and life to do otherwise.
Under the caliphs the Nestorians were seldom perse- cuted; on the contrary, tlu-y claim that they received several charters, the authenticity of some of wliich, how- ever, is doubted. Tlie first, tiiey say, was obtained by patriarch Jesujab of (Jadala ((i28-()47 ), who saw the last Persian kings. He went himself to iSIohammed, and asked him for it. It was printed by Gabriel Sio- nita ( Paris. 1(;:!0). Indeed, ^lohammed is supposed to owe liis im])CTfect knowledge of Christianity to a Nes- torian monk, Sergius; and it is therefore but natural to suppose that from liini the sect received many privi- leges, so that it obtained great consideration among the
I Arabians, and exerted an influence upon their culture, and thus upon the develspment of philosophy and sci-