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  • The Great Church of the East: Inside the Synod of 410

    The Great Church of the East: Inside the Synod of 410
    2026/06/08
    In 410 CE, a remarkable gathering took place in the Sassanid capital of Ctesiphon: a synod that would define the shape of Christianity in Persia for centuries. Under the patronage of Shah Yazdegerd I and led by Catholicos Mar Isaac, the Church of the East—often called the Nestorian church—formalized its hierarchy, canon law, and theological stance. This episode takes you inside the Synod of 410: the political maneuvering between bishop and emperor, the delicate balance with Zoroastrian state religion, and the decisions that set this church on a path to becoming the most geographically widespread Christian tradition before the modern era. Drawing on Syriac records like the Synodicon Orientale, Lucas and Luna explore how a minority faith navigated persecution, imperial favor, and schism. They also touch on the church's mission networks that would eventually reach India, Central Asia, and China. For listeners who enjoyed earlier episodes on the Sassanid Church and the Nestorian Stele, this one fills in a critical missing piece—the foundational moment when a persecuted sect became a structured, state-recognized institution. #SynodOf410 #ChurchOfTheEast #MarIsaac #YazdegerdI #SassanidEmpire #Ctesiphon #SyriacChristianity #Nestorian #Zoroastrianism #Catholicos #CouncilOfSeleuciaCtesiphon #PersianChristianity #SynodiconOrientale #LateAntiquity #ChurchHistory #ChristianityInIran #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    9 分
  • The Forgotten Church: Christianity in Sassanid Iran

    The Forgotten Church: Christianity in Sassanid Iran
    2026/06/07
    When we think of early Christianity, we often picture the Roman Empire. But east of Byzantium, the Church of the East flourished under the Sassanid dynasty in Persia. This episode explores how a faith born in Roman Palestine found a second home in the Zoroastrian heartland — and how it survived cycles of persecution and patronage. Lucas and Luna trace the story from the early Christian communities in Mesopotamia to the synod of 410 that formally organised the church under Mar Isaac, with the reluctant blessing of Shah Yazdegerd I. They discuss the role of Nisibis as a theological centre, the influence of Syriac language and culture, and the tensions between Nestorian and Monophysite factions. They also touch on the church's missionary reach eastward — a preview of the later mission to China. This episode offers a nuanced look at religious pluralism in a pre-modern empire, showing how faith and politics intertwined in ways that still resonate today. #ChurchOfTheEast #SassanidEmpire #NestorianChristianity #MarIsaac #YazdegerdI #Nisibis #Syriac #PersianChristianity #Zoroastrianism #Ctesiphon #LateAntiquity #ReligiousPluralism #PersianEmpire #ChristianHistory #Mesopotamia #FexingoHistory #WorldHistory #ReligionAndEmpire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 分
  • The Sassanid Zoroastrian Orthodoxy Under Khosrow I

    The Sassanid Zoroastrian Orthodoxy Under Khosrow I
    2026/06/07
    This episode explores how the Sassanid Empire under Khosrow I (531–579 CE) enforced Zoroastrian orthodoxy through the priest Kartir and the fire temple of Adur Gushnasp, impacting religious minorities like Christians and Manichaeans. It also covers the role of the Zoroastrian clergy in state affairs, the compilation of the Avesta, and the complex relationship between church and state in late antiquity. Drawing on recent scholarship, Lucas and Luna discuss the political motivations behind religious persecution and the resilience of minority faiths within the empire. This episode builds on previous discussions of the Church of the East and the Sassanid dynasty, offering a fresh perspective on the intersection of religion and imperial power. #SassanidEmpire #KhosrowI #Zoroastrianism #AdurGushnasp #Kartir #Avesta #MobadanMobad #Ctesiphon #Manichaeism #ChurchOfTheEast #Persecution #FireTemple #Mazdak #SassanidDynasty #ReligiousOrthodoxy #LateAntiquity #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 分
  • The Sassanid Church Under Khosrow I: A Delicate Balance

    The Sassanid Church Under Khosrow I: A Delicate Balance
    2026/06/06
    In the aftermath of the Council of Chalcedon and the Nestorian schism, the Church of the East found itself navigating a precarious existence under Sassanid rule. This episode focuses on the reign of Khosrow I (531-579 CE), a period of relative stability and cultural flourishing in the Persian Empire. We explore how Khosrow's policies towards Christians shaped the church's structure and theology. The synod of 544 convened by Patriarch Mar Aba I attempted to reconcile the church with Zoroastrian authorities, while Khosrow's wars with Byzantium forced Christians to prove their loyalty. We delve into the life of Mar Aba, a convert from Zoroastrianism who became patriarch, and his efforts to preserve Nestorian orthodoxy without provoking persecution. The episode also touches on the role of the church in translating Greek philosophical works into Syriac, a project supported by Khosrow himself. This is a story of survival and adaptation, where faith and empire coexisted in constant negotiation. #ChurchOfTheEast #SassanidEmpire #KhosrowI #MarAba #Nestorian #Syriac #Zoroastrian #ByzantineEmpire #PersianChurch #SynodOf544 #6thCentury #Ctesiphon #Nisibis #SchoolOfNisibis #History #FexingoHistory #ReligionAndEmpire #WorldHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 分
  • The Edict of Milan: When Rome Made Christianity Legal

    The Edict of Milan: When Rome Made Christianity Legal
    2026/06/06
    In 313 CE, two Roman emperors met in Milan and issued a decree that would change the course of Western history. The Edict of Milan granted Christians freedom to worship openly, restored confiscated property, and ended centuries of sporadic persecution. But what actually happened at that meeting between Constantine and Licinius? How different was the edict from earlier toleration orders like Galerius's edict of 311? And did it really make Christianity the official religion of Rome? In this episode, Lucas and Luna unpack the politics behind the famous edict, the role of Lactantius and Eusebius in shaping our understanding of it, and how the document survives today only in a letter from Licinius to provincial governors. They explore the power struggle between the two emperors, the Battle of the Milvian Bridge that preceded it, and the careful wording that stopped short of establishing a state church. This is the nuanced story of a turning point that was more pragmatic than pious. #EdictOfMilan #Constantine #Licinius #RomanEmpire #Christianity #Lactantius #Eusebius #MilvianBridge #Galerius #Nicomedia #Tetrarchy #Persecution #LateAntiquity #ChurchHistory #FreedomOfWorship #History #FexingoHistory #ReligionAndEmpire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    10 分
  • How the Church of the East Reached China: The Nestorian Stele Story

    How the Church of the East Reached China: The Nestorian Stele Story
    2026/06/05
    In 1625, Jesuit missionaries in Xi'an unearthed a black limestone stele dating to 781 CE, inscribed in Chinese and Syriac. It told the story of a Christian monk named Alopen who arrived in Chang'an in 635, welcomed by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. This episode explores the remarkable journey of the Church of the East across Asia, from its origins in Persia to its establishment in China as the 'Luminous Religion.' Lucas and Luna discuss the stele's discovery, its theological content, and the political factors that allowed Christianity to flourish under the early Tang emperors who valued cultural exchange on the Silk Road. They also examine the role of Buddhist and Daoist influences in shaping Chinese Christian texts, and the eventual suppression of foreign religions under Emperor Wuzong in 845. The conversation sheds light on a little-known chapter of global religious history: how a branch of Christianity thrived in the heart of China for over two centuries, leaving behind a monument that still stands in the Stele Forest of Xi'an. #NestorianStele #ChurchOfTheEast #TangDynasty #Alopen #ChangAn #SilkRoad #XiAn #Jingjiao #EmperorTaizong #EmperorWuzong #ChristianityInChina #Syriac #PersianChristianity #LuminousReligion #History #FexingoHistory #WorldHistory #ReligiousHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 分
  • The Church of the East's Mission to China: Nestorian Stele

    The Church of the East's Mission to China: Nestorian Stele
    2026/06/05
    In 781 CE, a remarkable stone monument was erected in the Tang Dynasty capital of Chang'an. The Nestorian Stele, or Xi'an Stele, tells the story of how a branch of Christianity—the Church of the East—traveled the Silk Road and established a foothold in imperial China. Lucas and Luna explore the stele's bilingual inscription in Syriac and Chinese, the monk Alopen who led the mission in 635 CE, and how Emperor Taizong officially tolerated the 'Luminous Religion.' They discuss the delicate balance Nestorians struck between preserving their theology and adopting Buddhist and Daoist vocabulary to explain their faith. The episode also touches on the later persecution of foreign religions under Emperor Wuzong in 845 CE, which buried the stele for centuries. Rediscovered in the 1620s, the stele sparked intense debate among European Jesuits and remains a key artifact of global religious history. #NestorianStele #ChurchOfTheEast #TangDynasty #SilkRoad #ChristianityInChina #Alopen #EmperorTaizong #LuminousReligion #XiAnStele #Syriac #ChineseHistory #ReligiousTolerance #Persecution #Jesuits #WorldHistory #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 分
  • The Sassanid Empire and the Birth of a Persian Church

    The Sassanid Empire and the Birth of a Persian Church
    2026/06/04
    Before the Arab conquests, the Sassanid Empire was a world power, and within its borders, a distinct Christian tradition emerged. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Church of the East, a community that navigated persecution and patronage under Zoroastrian rulers. They discuss how Shah Yazdegerd I granted tolerance to Christians in 410 CE, the Council of Seleucia-Ctesiphon that organised the church under Catholicos Isaac, and the role of the school of Nisibis in preserving Greek learning. The episode also examines the legend of Mar Aba, a convert from Zoroastrianism who became a patriarch and reformed the church. How did a minority faith survive and thrive in the shadow of an empire that saw it as a foreign religion? And what did the Sassanid state gain by allowing it? #SassanidEmpire #ChurchOfTheEast #MarAba #YazdegerdI #SeleuciaCtesiphon #CouncilOfSeleucia #Nisibis #Zoroastrianism #PersianChristianity #Nestorianism #ByzantineEmpire #LateAntiquity #ReligiousTolerance #HistoryOfIran #Christianity #Persecution #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 分