A Light Shines East: The World of a Christian Persia

[Merovingian]

From “History of the Apostolic Church” by Afshin Khorrami

Even after the death(and some say resurrection) of that certain man from Nazareth, the young religion of Christianity continued to gain new members in spite of official persecution. The young church ran into increasing issues with its new converts; chief among them being whether or not they should be required to follow the laws of the Torah. In the year 50 AD, the Council of Jerusalem was called among the Apostles do decide this issue, among others.

Although it was not the main issue of the council, it was decided that the city of Ctesiphon, then capital of the Arsacid or Parthian Empire. The exact details of this particular discussion are lacking in primary sources and rely primarily on apocrypha, but, regardless, it was decided that Ctesiphon would serve as the basis for future conversion efforts. Ctesiphon was likely chosen because it was along the caravan routes.

It was Saint Peter who would establish himself in Ctesiphon. His conversion efforts were initially focused on the local Jewish population, but later came to include the Persian and Mesopotamian populations. He was eventually martyred at the hands of practitioners of Parthian polytheism[1], angered by his proselytization among their community. Coincidentally, Saint Paul was in Ctesiphon at the time as a missionary, having previously proselytized throughout the Roman Empire, as well as allegedly in Arabia and possibly Ethiopia. He would then become the second Patriarch of Ctesiphon.

As Paul was already in his old age, his time as Patriarch would only last ten years, with his earlier theological writings generally being considered more important. However, in a letter to the church in Antioch over a minor dispute in which he stated “the successorship of Saint Peter has been passed on to me”, which is taken by the Apostolic Church as evidence for their direct descent from the early church. Upon Paul’s death, he would be succeeded as Patriarch by Saint Kaveh.

Saint Kaveh was a convert to Christianity from Zoroastrianism, who according to tradition saw a vision of the Virgin Mary while on route to Babylon. Under Kaveh’s leadership, the church would take on a distinctly Persian character. While Persecuted in Rome, in Parthia Christians were allowed the freedom to practice their religion so long as they did not cause trouble with the authorities. As such, Ctesiphon would become the center of the church, which would steadily grow amongst the people of Parthia. Although the day had not come yet, and would not for a long time, the process in which a Christianized Persia could be born had begun.



[1]Syncretic Greco-Persian-Mesopotamian polytheism was relatively common in the Parthian Empire.

 

[Merovingian]

From “History of the Apostolic Church” by Afshin Khorrami

The early Apostolic Church was not unchallenged during its early years. The earliest disputes within the church were over whether Christianity should continue to use Jewish law or not, and what to do with new converts. Once that dispute had been settled, debates emerged over Christological matters. The Apostolic Church in Ctesiphon adopted the position that Christ was both fully man and fully God, and that he was part of the Trinity. Other positions emerged, however, that rejected the concept of the Trinity and had differing opinions on Christology.

Some heresies lasted longer than others. The schismatic Marcion, who claimed to be a follower of Saint Paul, founded the heresy that would bear his name. He claimed that the God of the New Testament was separate from that the Old, with that of the New being the benevolent true God and the Old being a malevolent false god. While Marcion’s heresy would not last, his ideas would. While the Apostolic Church came to dominate in Parthia, in the lands of the Romans, the heresy of Valentinus dominated. The Valentinian heresy was persecuted by the Romans, as were all Christians, but the heresy of Valentinus would thrive elsewhere. The Syrian-born Valentinian who would come to be known as Abu Majid, whose real name is lost to history, would spread his heresy among the Arabs. Thus would ultimately become the permanent schism between the Apostolic and Gnostic Churches[1].

The Apostolic Church, however, would gain a sizable following in Mesopotamia. The Apostolic Church would gain its own unique place in Parthian society. The Epistle to the Persians, written by Saint Kaveh, claimed that the Zoroastrian Ahura Mazda was the same as the Judeo-Christian Yahweh as he was known to the Persians, and that only through Christ could salvation be reached. The Church would continue to grow throughout the Second and Third Centuries until the day finally came; the day when Christianity would become the state religion in Persia.


[1]I know the Gnostics never actually called themselves that, but they eventually adopted the term ITTL after being called that enough times

 

[Merovingian]

From “History of the Apostolic Church” by Afshin Khorrami

Under the Parthians, the Apostolic Church had gained a considerable following in Mesopotamia, and was making inroads in Persia. Under the new Sassanid Empire, founded by King Ardashir of Pars, Zoroastrianism enjoyed a revival as the new state religion. The primary affect of Ardashir’s Zoroastrian revival was the decline of polytheism within Persia, while Christians and Jews were largely left untouched. In the year 240 AD, Shapur I outdated succeed Ardashir as Shah of Persia.

Shapur, like his father before him, was a Zoroastrian, however, he would eventually come into contact with the Patriarch of Ctesiphon, Mar Mani[1] of Babylon. Mar Mani would become an important member of the Sassanid court. Mani would write the Shabuhragan, or Book for Shapur, explaining the already established Church doctrine that Ahura Mazda was simply the Christian God as known to the Persians, and how Cyrus had freed the Jews from captivity in Babylon and how the three Zoroastrian Magi cisited the baby Jesus. Therefore, Mani argued, Christianity was simply a continuation of Persia’s ancient history, and that conversion to Christianity would be the logical endpoint of the Persian revival that began under Ardashir.

Shapur would finally be convinced after seeing a vision of the cross after his victory against the Romans at the Battle of Rasaena[2]. Shapur would then be baptized by Mani by the waters of the Jordan River, giving himself the title “King of Kings by the Will of God.” Although Shapur himself wa now Christian, he declared that Christianity, Judaism, Mandaeism, and Zoroastrianism would all have co-official status under the Sassanids. In Shapur’s mind, all four of these religions could trace their origins to the same God, and thus all deserved to be recognized by the Persian state. However, heretics of all four religions were brutally persecuted. Now that Shapur had converted, the world would never be the same again.




[1]Looks like I’ve found a use for Mani ITTL

[2]IOTL, the battle wa a Roman victory

 

[Merovingian]

“Ego Odaenathus, imperator et vivi incarnationis Mithrae.”
”I am Odaenathus, emperor and living incarnation of Mithras.”
—Emperor Odaenathus

From “Historia Imperatorum Romanorum”, author unknown

Alone among the Romans was the lord of Palmyra Odaenathus, who did resist the accursed Galilean[1] Shapur’s assault against the empire. The forces of Odaeathus did beat back the Persian invaders. Bolstered by his victory, Odaenathus did proclaim himself as Emperor of the Romans, and revolted against the authority of the Severan dynasty. The forces of Odaenathus did conquer from Palmyra the provinces of Syria and Egypt, and in Anatolia and Thrace. With his authority in the east consolidated, Odaenathus did begin his reform of the lands of the empire under his control.

The cult of Mithras, which was popular amongst the legions, was incorporated into the Roman state religion under Odaenathus, with Mithras being elevated to one of the more important gods of the pantheon, syncretized with both Mars as Mithras Invictus and Sol as Mithras Luminosi. Towards the end of his reign, Odaenathus would proclaim himself “the living incarnation of Mithras.” Also given new importance was the goddess Isis, protrayed as the wife of Mithras and associated with Odaenathus’ wife Zenobia. Following the death of Odaenathus, he would be succeeded first by his wife Zenobia as regent, and then by his son Vaballathus the Great.


[1]Pejorative Roman name for Christians, derived from Jesus’ home region of Galilee

 

[Merovingian]

From “History of the Apostolic Church” by Afshin Khorrami

The Academy of Ctesiphon was founded under the reign of Shapur I “the Pious”, and was a major center of learning under the Sassanid Empire. Although the Academy was a fundamentally Christian institution, believers of other religions were allowed to argue their positions. Indeed, the Academy would become famous for theological debates. As a result, it would develop a somewhat unfortunate reputation as a bastion of heresy. One such “heretic” who would make his presence made at the Academy was a man from Istakhr by the name of Pabag, known to many Apostolics as “the Accursed” and to members of the Nazarene Church as a theologian and a Saint.

While Pabag originally followed the orthodox teachings of the Apostolic Church, at the age of twenty-five, he believed that he saw a vision of the Virgin Mary. According to Pabag, the Holy Virgin told him that the church had strayed from its roots by adopting too many “pagan” influences. Chief among these “pagan influences”, according to Pabag, was the Church’s understanding of the problem of evil. Pabag rejected the Apostolic doctrine of God and Satan as opposing forces locked in an eternal battle[1], which he believed elevated Satan to the position of a god.

Instead, Pabag proposed his own doctrine that humans were inherently fallen as a result of Adam’s fall from Eden. In Pabag’s mind, all people were born fallen and sinful, and that only through baptism could we return to God[2]. Pabag would preach his ideas at the Academy for twelve years, and would gain many followers, until he was charged and convicted for heresy and sentenced to death by stoning. Pabag’s followers would proceed to suffer from persecution by the Sassanid state. Following his death, Pabag’s followers would be immediately excommunicated, and would form their own church. This new church would be called the Nazarene Church, since Pabag believed “Nazarene” had been the original name of Christ’s followers.

Following Pabag’s execution, his followers would declare that the Patriarch of Ctesiphon at the time, Kartir[3], was the Antichrist, and elected their own Patriarch, who took the name Peter II. Peter II would flee Persia due to the ongoing persecution of his church, and would wind up in the city of Yathrib[4], which remains the seat of the Nazarene Patriarchate. The Arab tribes would eventually be converted to the Nazarene Church, and would centuries in the future avenge the death of Pabag under their leader Abu Yusuf during the Arab Conquests.




[1]Think of the Zoroastrian position on Ahura Mazda and Ahriman

[2]Similar to the OTL concept of the original sin

[3]Yes, that Kartir

[3]OTL Medina

 

[Merovingian]

The year is 265 AD, and the world has begun to change considerably from OTL. In Persia, the new Sassanid Empire has forged a place for itself on the world stage. The empire recently adopted Christianity as its state religion, and the new religion has forged itself its own distinct place in Persia’s culture. The Sassanids have emerged as the dominant power in the region under their King of Kings Shapur I, and have entered a new age of peace and prosperity.

To the west, Persia’s traditional rivals, the Romans, aren’t doing quite as well. The once-mighty Roman Empire finds itself divided between the Palmyrene Empire of Odaenathus in the east, the Gallic Empire of Postumus in the west, and Gallienus ruling what remains of Rome in between. It seems that the legacy of Caesar and Augustus dies here, with the Romans joining the long list of empires that failed to stand the test of time.

In Odaenathus’ Palmyrene Empire, the Roman Imperial Cult has begun to take on a unique new character; in addition to the pre-existing Greco-Roman pantheon, a combination of imported eastern gods and Neoplatonic philosophy has given Roman Hellenism a new character. The originally Iranic god Mithras, worshipped as a god of war, statesmanship, and the legions, has begun to replace Jupiter as head of the pantheon. Revered as the wife of Mithras is the originally Egyptian goddess Isis, worshipped as a goddess of femininity, motherhood, wisdom, and fertility. The concept of emanations[1] came to be adopted, with Serapis, Jupiter, and Sol Invictus being emanations of Mithras and Juno, Vesta, Minerva, Magna Mater, and Venus being emanations of Isis. According to the philosophy being developed, Mithras and Isis were themselves emanations of the primordial deity Aion. A sort of reincarnation was also introduced, with Odaenathus believed to be the reincarnation of Alexander the Great and his wife Zenobia that of Cleopatra.

In the Horn of Africa, the new empire of Axum is on the rise. While still not as powerful as the Sassanids or Palmyrenes, it was clear that they were carving a place for themselves in the world. Far to the east, China is going through a similar crisis as Rome, divided between the warring dynasties of Wei and Wu(and oreviously Shu). India remains divided between numerous Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms, as it has since the fall of the Maurya Empire, but the Sassanids have a growing presence in the region.



[1]Think Hindu avatars

 

[Merovingian]

The world has entered a new era as traditional pagan religions decline in favor of newer ones. In Persia, the new religion of Christianity has been given institutional support. The Apostolic Church, led by the Patriarch of Ctesiphon, has adopted its institutional structure to that of the Sassanid Empire’s administrative divisions. Beneath the Patriarch, the Church’s bishops each have jurisdiction over a shahr[1] roughly corresponding to the Empire’s satrapies, which could be itself subdivided into parishes. The Apostolic Biblical Canon ins similar to the OTL Catholic or Orthodox Canons, but with a few major differences; the Acts of the Apostles are significantly different, and the Epistle to the Persians written by the Church’s third Patriarch, Saint Kaveh, is included, as is Ezra-Nehemiah. The Bible is always written in Aramaic, which is treated as a holy language[2]. The Emerging Nazarene Church uses the same Canon that the Apostolics do.

While the Apostolic Church rises to dominance in the Persian east, in the Roman west, the various Gnostic churches have become the most prominent sect. In addition to the four canonical gospels, the books of Judas and sometimes Thomas are also used. The Old Testament is also significantly altered, portraying the God of the Old Testament as a malevolent being inherently inferior to that of the New. The Palmyrene Emperor Odaenathus has allowed Gnostics to freely practice their religion so as to weaken Apostolic presence in his empire.

Odaenathus has sought to reform the traditional Greco-Roman religion to better compete with Christianity. In the emerging Palmyrene state religion, the primordial deity Aion, or the Monad, was the first thing to exist. From Aion emanated Mithras, the Celestial Demiurge, and his wife Isis. Mithras slew a primordial bull to create the world. Odaenathus and his wife Zenobia were worshipped as the earthly emanations of Mithras and Isis, setting the precedent for future emperors to proclaim themselves as living gods. In addition to Mithras and Isis, the old Dodekatheon are also worshipped, as well as the originally Syrian gods Atargatis and Hadad, the Phrygian Cybele/Magna Mater, and the Greco-Egyptian god Serapis. In addition to the gods worshipped as part of the state religion, various local deities were also worshipped, often as emanations of the official pantheon.

Traditionally, the Greco-Roman aristocracy would pursue one or both of two pursuits; the military and politics. However, the Palmyrene Empire was an absolute monarchy run by an all-powerful god-emperor, thus strangling the aristocracy out of their traditional senatorial careers, and the military consisted largely of conscripted barbarians who were commanded by Semitic Palmyrenes, thus strangling them out of any military career. The end result of this was a class of wealthy landowners who had nothing to do but think[3]. This ended up benefiting Odaenathus’ religious experiment, as it led to a flourishing of Neoplatonic philosophy. The new philosopher class would develop their own ideas that would effect Palmyrene society.

The Palmyrenes would adopt Plato’s Republic as their basis for an ideal society, and as a result, Palmyra would become about as socially stratified as you would expect. A sort of caste system would develop, with the emerging landowner-philosopher class on top, then the temple priests, then the legionaries, then the free citizens, and finally the slaves. It was the last who would make up the majority of the population, and the Neoplatonic renaissance would lead to a flourishing of slavery in Palmyra, backed up by the writings of Plato and Aristotle. A distinct set of rules developed surrounding social interactions between different castes. The Emperor was viewed as being outside of the emerging caste system due to being seen as a semi-divine being. Among many lower-caste Palmyrenes, the mere presence of the Emperor was seen as a religious experience, and custom dictated that one would avert their eyes when in his presence(although this wouldn’t develop until later).





[1]Middle Persian for “province”

[2]Think like Hebrew in Judaism or Arabic in Islam. The use of a holy language is part of the influence of the local culture. The choice of Aramaic is because it was both the lingua franca in the Middle East at the time and the language spoken by Jesus.

[3]This happened to the traditional Persian aristocracy IOTL after the Islamic conquest, leading to the Islamic Golden Age

 

[Merovingian]

From “Hispania: History of the Land at the Edge of the World[1]” by Geão Alfureç

Hispania can trace its origins to the Crisis of the Third Century which brought down the Roman Empire. The Roman province of Hispania was conquered by the Gallic Empire of Postumus. Postumus had two sons, his elder son Postumianus and his younger son Cnaeus[2]. While Postumius would be trained to succeed his father as Gallic Emperor, Cnaeus would be raised by the exiled Palmyrene philosopher Tellias of Caesarea. It is believed that Tellias would have a very strong influence on Cnaeus. When Postumus ordered Tellias executed in 1020 AUC[267 AD], Cnaeus reportedly refused to eat or drink anything for a month.

Cnaeus would eventually come to embrace the ideas of the Cynics, who believed in the rejection of worldly splendor and the flaunting of social customs, with the Cynic ideal being the Ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes of Sinope[3]. Cnaeus, however, would take things a step further. He would begin to develop his own philosophy after seeing how the Gallic imperial family’s slaves were abused. Building off the pre-existing a cynic glorification of poverty, Cnaeus would come to view wealth as something inherently corrupting and evil.

Postumus would eventually tire of Cnaeus’ increasingly fanatical worldview, and would appoint him the regional governor of Hispania, simply to get him out of Colonia Agrippina[4]. This would backfire immensely, as Cnaeus would wind up running Hispania as his own personal domain according to his own philosophical ideals. Cnaeus would create what he called the “three principles”, those being; all land is stolen, all kings are usurpers, and that all citizens are slaves. Cnaeus would run Hispania according to these principles, and imprisoning anyone who opposed.

Postumus would order Cnaeus called back to Colonia Agrippina after his administration in Hispania proved increasingly disastrous, only for Cnaeus to declare an independent Res Publica Hispanica, with him taking the title Dux Hispanicum, leader of Hispania. Cnaeus was able to force his father’s legions out of Hispania, and embark on a wide range of social reforms, almost none of which would survive past his death. Just two years into his rule over Hispania, Cnaeus was placed under house arrest by his own armies, who used him as a figurehead while quietly undoing his reforms.

During his two years in power, Cnaeus would have Hispania’s entire landowning class arrested and put to hard labor. He would establish a philosophical academy to create a new philosophical class, who he would then crack down on once they turned against him. He instituted a wide range of sweeping cultural reforms, with temples to the old gods and monuments to the great leaders of history destroyed. The excesses of Cnaeus’ cultural reforms would lead to angry mobs marauding and looting throughout the streets a common occurrence. Cnaeus would unsuccessfully attempt to control the problem was what would ultimately lead to his house arrest, as his solution was to simply depopulate those cities that had a particularly bad looting problem. The worship of the traditional Roman pantheon, who Cnaeus ironically saw as tyrants, was forbidden, with emphasis instead placed on man and man alone. And yet, even in spite of the anarchy and mass deaths that Cnaeus caused out of sheer incompetence, even today in Hispania he is remembered fondly as a benevolent “father of the nation.”






[1]Popular nickname for the Iberian kingdom of Hispania

[2]Little is known of Postumus’ children IOTL, if he even had them. Both of these characters were invented by yours truly.

[3]The guy who lived naked in a wine barrel

[4]The Gallic Empire’s capital

 

[Merovingian]

From “Rome: Rise and Fall” by Æthelred Ædelbertson

Having secured a dominion for himself in the Roman east, Odaenathus began to dream of further expanding the borders of his new empire. Odaenathus would seek to accomplish the same thing that the Alexander the Great, the man whom Odaenathus was convinced that he was the spiritual heir to, had accomplished; he would conquer Persia. Odaenathus would ally himself with Armenia, who were still ruled by the Arcasid dynasty which Persia’s ruling Sassanids had overthrown[1]. Odaenathus would claim two goals; the restoration of the Arsacids to the Persian throne, and the restoration of Zoroastrianism as the state religion of the Persians. The Romans had a complicated relationship with Christianity, having executed Jesus and brutally persecuted the religion within their empire, and this animosity carried on to the Palmyrenes. Thus, Odaenathus was able to present his attempt to turn Persia into a Palmyrene vassal state as a heroic quest to liberate the Persians from a dangerous cult.

Odaenathus, and the Armenian King Tiridates II, would gather their forces as they prepared for their campaign in Persia. Odaenathus’ forces would meet Shapur’s at the ancient city of Niveneh. During the course of the battle, Odaenathus was fatally shot by one of his own legionary’s stray arrow. The Battle of Niveneh is considered to be one of the most decisive battles in history. Had the Palmyrenes won, it is very possible that Christianity would not have survived as the religion of the Persians, as the new faith was in a very volatile position during the years after Shapur’s conversion. It was Shapur’s victory at Niveneh that truly solidifpied the position of Christianity in Persia, as Odaenathus’ death at the hands of a stray arrow made it seem to the Persian people that God was rewarding them for their conversion. The death of Odaenathus would also force the Palmyrenes to turn inwards and postpone any ambitions of conquest until Odaenathus‘ son Vaballathus would make himself known to the world.



[1]Armenia at this point is still pagan and likely won’t become Christian ITTL, since they converted IOTL partially to escape Sassanid influence

 

[Merovingian]

From “History of the Sassanids” by Yohanan Khanzadeh

Following his decisive victory at Niveneh, Shapur continued to expand westward. The Christian Shah would set out on a campaign to liberate Jerusalem from the murderers of Christ[1]. Along the way, he reached the capital city of Palmyra. The Palmyrenes fought to the very end to protect their city, although by the time Shapur had arrived, Queen-Regent Zenobia and the young new King Vaballathus had already fled to Alexandria. After a long and casualty siege, Shapur’s forces took the city. After his victory at Palmyra, Shapur would take most of the Levant, briefly stopping in Jerusalem where he ordered the creation of a Church at the site of Jesus’ exection[2], before setting his eyes towards the Palmyrene remnant of Egypt.

Shapur would gradually but surely trudge his way through Egypt before reaching Alexandria. He would take the city, and capture Zenobia in the process. Zenobia was brought before Shapur’s court in Ctesiphon. Even as a prisoner, Zenobia was reportedly indignant. Shapur, however, offered Zenobia: “accept the noble teachings of Christ, submit before the King of Kings, and I shall make you the Satrap of Ctesiphon. You will continue to rule over the lands of Palmyra and Egypt, but under the suzerainty of the crown of Eranshahr.”

Zenobia is said to have initially replied “who are you, o King of the Persians, to give such demands to me, whose lineage is of Ptolemy and of Alexander”, to which Shapur replied “I am Shapur, son of Ardashir, descended from Pabag’s son Sassan, whose lineage is of the Achaemenians and the Kayanids. My ancestors have been kings long before the Accursed’s[3] hordes first crawled out of Greece. Your fathers have usurped mine, they have executed the Son of God, and now He has sent me as punishment for their crimes. Repent, sinner, and you shall be given your rightful place.” Zenobia then acquiesced to Shapur’s demands, reportedly forever bitter about her defeat. She would raise her son Vaballathus to avenge her and his father, but for now, Shapur had accomplished what had been the dream of every Persian ever since Gaugamela; he had restored Persia to the glory of the Achaemenids.




[1]The deicide canard used against the Jews IOTL is instead applied to the Romans and their successor states

[2]The site of the OTL Church of the Holy Sepulchre

[3]Name by which Alexander is known in Iran ITTL and IOTL

 

[Merovingian]

From “History of the Sassanids” by Yohanan Khanzadeh

Following his conques of the First Palmyrene Empire, Shapur’s reign would be mostly peaceful until his death in 270 AD, after which he was succeeded by his son Hormizd. Zenobia, whom Shapur had retained as the satrap of Palmyra and Egypt under the condition that she become a Christian, would quickly renounce her new faith and rebel against the Sassanids, re-establishing the Palmyrene Empire. Hormizd would unsuccessfully attempt to retake Palmyra, before he was overthrown by his brother Narseh. Narseh would reign for twelve years, before his brother Bahram would overthrow him with the assistance of Hormizd’s son, Ardashir II, who after seven years of Bahram’s reign took power for himself.

As Shapur’s sons competed for the throne, Zenobia was able to secure her position so as to prevent another Persian conquest. Zenobia would reign as queen-regent of Palmyra until her son Vaballathus became old enough to rule on his own. Vaballathus never forgave the Persians for his father’s death, and sought to finish what his father started and incorporate Persia into the Palmyrene Empire. First, however, he wished to retake all of Palmyra’s former territories.

His attention would first turn to Anatolia, where he went to battle against the Romans. Vaballathus’ troops fought with extreme zealotry, sacking any villages that refused to submit to the Palmyrene king. One local Roman governor is said to have implored to Vaballathus to control his legions saying “we shall submit to your will, o oriental king, but please spare us if your armies! This is not the behavior of men, but that of savage beasts!”, to which Vaballathus responded “I am no man, but a god[1].” After reconquering Anatolia, Vaballathus would set out towards Persia. The God-King of Palmyra’s assault would finally stop when his forces were defeated at the Sassanid capital of Ctesiphon, after which Vaballathus would spend the rest of days in his palace in Palmyra drinking copious amount of wine. Vaballathus’ alcoholism would cut his life short, after which he would, like Alexander before him, die without an heir. Unlike Alexander he nonetheless had a clear successor in the form of the Priest-King of Emesa. Palmyra would then be ruled by the Emesene dynasty, who served in the Palmyrene state religion as mediators between the people and the divine triad of Mithras, Isis, and Vaballathus the Great.




[1]Since Odaenathus was worshipped as the earthly incarnation of Mithras, and Zenobia that of Isis, Vaballathus logically concluded that if both of his parents were divine emanations, than he must be fully god

 

[Merovingian]

From “A Brief Introduction to Christianity” by Abdul-Yasu ibn Shabur

While their are many different Christian denominations, the two largest are the Syriac Apostolic Church and the Restored Nazarene Church. The Syriac Apostolic Church is so named because it claims succession from the Apostles, Jesus’ original followers. The Apostolic Church is strongest in Persia, Turkestan, parts of India[1], parts of Nusantara, some of China’s westernmost provinces, and Mesopotamia(which holds a particular reverence among Apostolics due to the Mesopotamian capital city of Ctesiphon being the seat of Apostolic Patriarchate). The Apostolic Church rejects the doctrine of original sin a argued for by Saint Pabag, instead adopting a quasi-dualistic position which has been criticized by some Nazarene writers as indicative of remnant crypto-Zoroastrianism.

The other main Christian denomination is the Restored Nazarene Church, so named because it considers itself to be a restoration of Jesus’ ministry in Nazareth. The Restored Nazarene Church was founded by followers of Saint Pabag(known as “Babak[2]” among Arabs), who argued for a position of original sin as a consequence of Adam’s fall, and that humans have free will to do good or evil. The Nazarene Church is strongest in the Arab countries(sans Mesopotamia), in Egypt, in Kurdistan, and in the Christian parts of Africa. The Nazarene Patriarchate inhabits the city of Yathrib on the Arabian peninsula.

In addition to the Apostolic and Nazarene denominations, also of note are the various “Gnostic” churches. Gnosticism is not a singular movement, but all Gnostics share a few common doctrines; Gnostics view the material world as sinful, wishing to return to a more morally pure spiritual world. Gnostics also generally believe that the physical world was not created by god, but by an inferior evil deity. Many Gnostics identify the inferior evil deity with the Yahweh of the Old Testament, with the benevolent God of the New Testament is identified with the creator of the spiritual world. While various small Gnostic communities exist scattered throughout the deserts of Egypt, the Levant, and the Arabian peninsula, by far the largest Gnostic denomination is the Church of Christ the Illuminator, the state church of Armenia. The Armenians adopted Gnosticism as a reaction to the Sassanid Persian dynasty’s attempts to force Apostolicism upon them.




[1]India ITTL is likely not a united country, but since I have yet to figure out how its history will develop over the course of this TL, I’m listing it together as one region

[2]The Arabic language lacks both the “p” and “g” sounds, so they would likely pronounce Pabag’s name this way

 

[Merovingian]

From “Religion Among the Ancients” by Ragnar Thorvaldsson

The deified Emperor Vaballathus served as the patron god of Palmyra. Palmyrene Emperors would always offer a sacrifice to Vaballathus before battle, and Palmyrene coins bore Vaballathus’ image on one side, with that of the reigning Emperor on the other. Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great were also worshipped as Vaballathus’ previous lives, while Vaballathus’ parents Odaenathus and Zenobia were worshipped as emanations of Mithras and Isis. Vaballathus based his claims of godhood on those of his parents, and future Palmyrene Emperors based their claim to the throne off of succession from Vaballathus, and so Odaenathus’ and Zenobia’s status as emanations was strongly promoted by the Palmyrene priestly class. During the height of the Palmyrene Empire, the names “Odaenathus” and “Zenobia” weren’t even used, with all official documents referring to the Empire’s first and second rulers as “Mithras” and “Isis” as if the gods had descended onto the Earth and founded the Palmyrene Empire.

The Palmyrene religion began to adopt traits from Egyptian religion. Isis, one of the primary deities of Palmyra, was of Egyptian origin, and the relationship between Isis, Mithras, and Vaballathus in Palmyrene polytheism mirrored that of Isis, Osiris, and Horus in Egyptian polytheism. Of all the gods of the Palmyrenes, Isis was the most popular with the common people. The cult of Isis uniquely appealed to all aspects of Palmyrene society, from the slaves to the aristocrats. In addition to Egyptian influences, the Palmyrenes also adopted strong Semitic influences[1], most prominently the goddess Atargasis and her husband, Hadad. The Palmyrene religion would also be heavily influenced by Neoplatonism, adopting an essentially Neoplatonic cosmology. The religion of the Palmyrenes was syncretic, bearing Greek, Roman, Semitic, and Egyptian influences, but it would come together to form something that could only be described as “Palmyrene.”



[1]Not all that unsurprising since the Palmyrenes technically are Semitic, albeit Hellenized and ruling over a predominantly Greek and Egyptian populace

 

[Merovingian]

The year is 300 AD, and the world has changed considerably since the days of Shapur and Vaballathus. In the east, the Sassanids and Palmyrenes have emerged as the dominant powers in the region, and bitter rivals. Persia at this point is majority Christian, and wishes to expand their faith. Meanwhile, Palmyra’s Emesene dynasty has blurred the lines between religious and political authority, establishing a de facto theocracy. Every Palmyrene Emperor dreams of succeeding where Odaenathus and Vaballathus failed and conquering Persia, while every Sassanid Shah dreams of liberating the Holy Land and restoring Persia to the glory of the Achaemenids.

Bitter schisms have emerged within Christendom. The Apostolic Church has gained prestige as the state religion of the Persians, and has attained a majority within the Sassanids’ borders. However, two rival sects have emerged in Arabia and Armenia, respectively. In Arabia, the Restored Nazarene Church based out of Yathrib has converted a majority of the peninsula, with only some Apostolics in the east and pagan holdouts in Palmyrene and Axumite territories remaining. Meanwhile, the Gnostic Church of Christ the Illuminator has been adopted as the state religion of Armenia.

In the south, a new empire emerges in the form of Axum. Based out of Ethiopia, the Axumites have established a presence on the Arabian Peninsula and have begun to establish a trading empire. The Axumites are still largely pagan, but with a not insignificant Jewish presence and a few Christians. The Axumites are largely neutral in the conflict between the Sassanids and Palmyrenes. While as of right now, the Axumites are still beginning to make their presence known, time will tell if they will be able to bring themselves to the level of Persia or Palmyra and become a third power in the region.

To the west, the glory days of the Roman Empire are gone and will never return. The once-mighty empire is a shadow of its former self, controlling only Italy and North Africa[1]. The Gallic Empire, controlling Gaul and Britannia, has begun to eclipse what’s left of the Roman Empire to its south. Faced with Germanic attacks from the east, they have moved their capital from Colonia Agrippina to the more easily defensible Lutetia[2]. The Gallic Empire has seen something of a revival of Celtic culture as the memory of being “Roman” becomes more distant and the Celtic language of the locals begins to gradually but surely replace Latin as the language of administration[3].

To the south of the Gallic Empire, the Hispanian Republic is recovering from the insanity of Cnaeus’ reign under the leadership of what is essentially a glorified military dictatorship. The title of Dux Hispanicum is theoretically given to the wisest and most capable man in Hispania, but in all actuality is given to whoever has the biggest army. The state religion of the Hispanians reveres Cnaeus, Diogenes, Prometheus(respected for given fire to humanity), and Hercules(who was held in high esteem by the Cynics IOTL). Although Hispanian society has a strong taboo against the accumulation of wealth and power, several prominent generals have secretly been doing just that as Cnaeus’ failed utopia gradually turns into what he hated most[4].




[1]Not all of North Africa, either. Egypt is Palmyrene while Mauretania has largely been overtaken by Berber tribes

[2]Modern-day Paris

[3]The people of Roman Gaul would continue speaking Celtic languages long after Caesar’s conquest, with dialects of Latin really only becoming spoken in the countryside with the advent of Christianity

[4]I imagine the Hispanians are a frequent subject of mockery ITTL

 

[Merovingian]

From “Solomon’s Sons: A History of Habesha[1]” by Moshe Dawit

It is unknown exactly when Judaism arrived in the Axumite Empire, but it has gained a sizable presence by the Third Century of the Christian calendar. In the year 315 of the Christian calendar and 4075 of the Jewish calendar, the Axumite Emperor Zaqarnas would marry a Jewish woman named Gudit. While Zaqarnas would remain pagan his whole life, his and Gudit’s children were legally Jewish under Halakhic law. Unser Zaqarnas’ and Gudit’s son Mehadeyis, Judaism would gradually become the established religion in Axum.

Axum’s conversion to Judaism led to an increased attention towards the faith in Christian Persia. While the Persians saw Judaism as preferable to paganism, they saw it a simply a step before the Axumites became Christian, something that never happened. As Axum developed its trading empire, Persian Jews came to be viewed with increasing suspicion. Despite this, the Axumite and Sassanid Empires generally maintained good relations.

From “A Guide to Christian Iconography” by Shapur Zahedi

God in Christianity is frequently portrayed as a faravahar, a symbol of Zoroastrian origin. The Aramaic word “‘‘Elaha”, simply meaning “God”, is also used. Jesus is frequently portrayed as a shepherd. In many traditional depictions, Jesus’ face is not shown. The Aramaic name “Yeshua” is also frequently used. The name “Yeshua” is also rendered as “Yesu” in Persian, Armenian, and most Turkic languages. In Arabic, it is rendered “Yasu”, while in Greek and Coptic, it is “Iesous.” In general, Christianity, like other Abrahamic religions, has iconoclastic tendencies.



[1]Roughly OTL Ethiopia

 

[Merovingian]

From “The Death of Rome: A Slow Tragedy” by Marius de Cartago

The infamous sack of Rome by the Gallic Emperor Ambrosius, known today in Gallia as Embrys the Great and in Romania as Ambrosio the Terrible, simply accelerating the process of Roman decline which began when the Gallic and Palmyrene Empires went their own ways. Ambrosius’ reasons for attacking Rome are unknown, but it is generally believed that he sought the wealth of the city. Though the Roman Empire had declined, the city of Rome remained a major center of wealth within the declining empire.

Ambrosius’ Gallic forces entered the city largely unopposed. The Roman legion was a shadow of its former self, it had been rendered little more than a joke in which Ambroius’ sack was the punchline. The Gallic legions looted everything that wasn’t chained down, and all the treasures of Rome’s golden age were taken to Lutetia, where many remain today. Centuries after Caesar crossed the Rubicon, the Gauls had now taken Rome. Then-ruling Emperor Marcus Severanus was deposed, and a Gallian puppet by the name of Aurelianus was installed[1].

With Ambroius’ sack of Rome, the Gallic Empire had solidified itself as a major power, while the Roman Empire had entered what were to be its final days. The city once proclaimed to be eternal would, like the Empire for which it served as capital, fall into decline. The Gallic sack would leave Rome open for the later Gothic sack which would deal the final blow to the empire of Caesar and Augustus. Yet, even as the old Roman Empire would fall, it’s legacy would survive.



[1]Who would, in turn, be removed by the Praetorian Guard not too many years later

 

[Merovingian]

From “Infopedia: The Online Encyclopedia”

Hellenism

Hellenism is a polytheistic and henotheistic religion based on the writings and teachings of various philosophers throughout history. Hellenism has been called one of the world’s oldest religions, dating back to the Minoan and Mycenaean periods in Greece during the Bronze Age[citation needed]. The first major Hellene writings were the Iliad and the Odyssey, both attributed to the semi-legendary poet Homer. The Greek city of Athens, regarded as holy by Hellenes, would see a flourishing of philosophy later in Ancient Greece’s history. It was during this time that the philosophy of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle would develop, becoming a fundamental aspect of Hellene theology.

The rise of the Roman Empire would bring further developments to the Hellene religion, perhaps most importantly by creating the concept of an emperor, or a semi-divine absolute monarch who combines religious and secular leadership[citation needed]. Hellenism would undergo a major reform in reaction to the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity. It was around this time that Hellenism would begin to take on its modern form[citation needed].

Hellenes believe that all reality originates with a divine principle known as the Monad, personified as the deity Aion, that simultaneously is the universe and is above it. Emanating from Aion is Mithras, the demiurge, who created the world and represents the divine masculine principle. Also emanating from Aion is Mithras’ wife, Isis, who represents the divine feminine principle. According to some forms of Hellenism, the two are simply the masculine and feminine aspects of the same divinity, although they are almost always worshipped as separate and are likewise almost always portrayed as being married and having separate personalities[citation needed].

Beneath Aion, Mithras, and Isis, are the Dodekatheon, a group of twelve deities forming the “official” Hellene pantheon[1]. The Dodekatheon feature in numerous traditional myths. It is common for Hellenes to take one of the twelve as a “personal god”, who they hold a special devotion to and worship above all others. Bellow the Dodekatheon are various regional deities and lesser gods. Also worthy of mention are deified humans, including Homer, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Augustus, and the mythical Herakles, Romulus, Aeneas, Achilles, and Oddyseus[citation needed]. Most Hellene families have an altar to deified ancestors.

Hellenism features a complex afterlife that is central to its theology. The Hellene god of the afterlife is called Pluto, who is the ruler of an underworld called Hades. According to Hellene theology, all dead souls go to Hades, and stay for as many years as sins they had committed in life. Once the soul has stayed in Hades for long enough, it is reincarnated. The ultimate goal of Hellenism is to escape from the cycle of death, Hades, and rebirth, in some ways similar to the Dharmic religions[citation needed]. Unlike Hinduism, Hellenism does not believe in reincarnation from human to animal(or vice versa), only from human to human.

Hellenes believe that they can escape from this cycle by following the teachings of Hellene philosophy, worshiping the gods, and living a moral life. Once a soul had broken from this cycle, it goes not to Hades upon death, but to the paradisiacal realm of Elysium, where it remains eternally. In addition to Elysium, Hellenes also believe that humans can achieve apotheosis, or become gods. Apotheosis is traditionally reserved for those who had accomplished great feats in life. The vast majority of Hellenes do not seek apotheosis[citation needed].

“Hellene” and “Hellenism” are exonyms. The word “Hellene” was originally used by the Ancient Greeks as an ethnic rather than religious identifier, however, with the rise of Christianity, “Hellene” became increasingly used to signify a religious identity. The cities of Athens and Rome are regarded as sacred by Hellenes, as is Mount Olympus in Greece. The Ancient Greek and Latin languages are both used as liturgical languages by Hellenes, with Latin traditionally having been used as a lingua franca in the Hellene world. The majority of Hellenes live in Western and Southern Europe, with minorities in Egypt, North Africa, the Levant, and Angland.




[1]”Official” in that these are the twelve that everyone agrees on, but there are hundreds of thousands of local village and family gods

 

[Merovingian]

I’m still working on the centuries-long conflict between Palmyra and Persia, the rise of the Gallic Empire, and some other stuff yet to be revealed. Until then, here’s three important events in TTL’s future.

Ctesiphon, 620 AD

Abu Yusuf stood content with himself. He had been born a simple desert shepherd, and had now become the single most powerful man in all of Christendom. He had been in the right place at the right time, and had unified the divided Arab tribes under a single banner. He struck forth at the heathen Palmyrene Empire, and liberated Jerusalem from the pagan yoke. He likewise captured all of Egypt and Syria, including the capital city of Palmyra, and forced the heirs of Odaenathus all the way to Anatolia. He then turned his eyes to the heretical empire of the Sassanids. His armies overwhelmed the dying carcass of Persia, with the hope that he would bring the true Restored Nazarene Church to the land of Cyrus and Shapur, extinguishing the Apostolic heresy.

Now he stood in the old Sassanid capital of Ctesiphon[1], in the same palace that the Sassanian Shahs had stood before him. He looked down upon a coin that bore his visage, alongside the words in Arabic and in Persian[2] “ABU YUSUF, KING OF KINGS” and on the other side bore a cross alongside the words in Aramaic “JESUS CHRIST, LORD AND SAVIOR.” To the Arabs, he would be remembered as a hero of their culture who brought them to their people’s golden age. To the Egyptians and Syrians, he would be remembered as the man who liberated them from the Hellenes yoke. To the Persians, he would be known as a second Alexander, a foreign conqueror who attempted to eradicate their Apostolic identity. Regardless of how he would be remembered, he would have the single greatest influence on the history of the Middle East to come since the days of Shapur and Vaballathus.

Southern Scandinavia, 713 AD

Ragnar Haraldson returned to his village after having been previously outlawed[3] and exiled. Under normal circumstances, he would not have been allowed to return, but he was not returning under ordinary circumstances. Ragnar had at first been a drunk who spent his days picking fights with fellow drunks until he picked a fight with someone respectable, which was what got him outlawed in the first place. He had travelled for to the north, where he experienced an Óðr[4]. He had been visited by the wandering Allfather, Odin, who came bearing a message. Norse society before Ragnar’s Óðr had been divided into three classes; aristocratic jarls, free karls, and enslaved thralls. Ragnar preached that the jarls had grown corrupt and disregarded religion in favor of earthly wealth, angering the Æsir.

As a result, the Æsir had sent him, the Óðri, to establish a new theocratic order among the Norse. Ragnar also taught that, once the new theocratic order had been established, the gates of Valhalla would be opened not just to those who died in battle, but to all those who lived righteous lives. This particular teaching endeared many to Ragnar’s cause, and he gathered many converts as he traveled throughout Scandinavia. Now, he and his faithful were returning to his old village. Ragnar’s forces overran the city’s defenses, and it was renamed Óðrigard, the city of the Óðri. Ragnar would continue to rule Óðrigard until his death, when his last dying commandment being that the Sagas of the Æsir, as well as his own life, be written down. The foundations had been laid for the Óðri’s teachings to expand to Scandinavia and beyond.

Cape of Good Hope, 1385

Shahin Marashi and his crew had been sailing for days now. How many days he had lost track of, but it had been long enough that they had begun to get restless. They set out from Persia on the eve of Easter, sailing forth to the isle of Zangistan[5], which had until then been the furthest south that swore fealty to the Shahanshah. After a brief stay on Zangistan, Marashi and his crew continued to sail southwards until they found land. Marashi and his crew named this new land “Farokhistan”, after their homeland’s ruler, Shah Farokh II. They established an outpost, which they called Paygah-e Mariam or Mary’s Outpost after the Virgin Mary, before returning to Persia.

Marashi and his crew would return to Paygah-e Mariam several times again throughout his life, and it would begin to grow into a city in its own right, eventually being renamed from “Paygah-e Mariam” to “Shahrestan-e Mariam” and eventually “Mariamshahr” to signify its change from an outpost to a city. As Mariamshahr grew, Persian settlers would begin to expand further into Farokhistan. Shahin Marashi would die a wealthy man, and would become well-known and respected in Persia for his discovery of Farokhistan, and history would remember him as the man who brought forth the beginning of a new era.




[1]”Taysifūn” to Abu Yusuf

[2]Both Arabic and Persian are written in Aramaic script ITTL

[3]Outlawry was a Norse custom in which those who had broken the law could be banished

[4]An Old Norse word that has no real equivalent in English, but roughly translates as an epiphany or religious experience.

[5]OTL Zanzibar

 

[Merovingian]

From “A History of the Zoroastrians” by Rostam Farokhzadeh

In the centuries after Shapur‘s conversion to Christianity, Zoroastrianism was gradually reduced to a minority in the Sassanid Empire. Initially, Christianity dominated in the cities, while Zoroastrianism was predominant in the countryside, giving rise to the stereotype of the backwards, uneducated Zoroastrian[1]. However, as Christianity began to take hold in the countryside as well as the cities, Zoroastrians were forced to flee to urban ghettos to escape from pogroms. Despite their newfound minority status and increasing persecution from their Christian neighbors, Zoroastrians were able to find a new niche in society.

Christianity strictly prohibited usury, and as a result, Zoroastrians came to dominate banking institutions. After Abu Yusuf’s conquest of Persia, Zoroastrians would begin to spread to urban centers throughout the Arab Empire. After the fall of the Arab Empire, the Zoroastrians had come to similarly dominate the banking institutions throughout the Christian world. This came with drawbacks, however. Zoroastrians were stereotyped as greedy bankers and merchants trying to take advantage of hardworking Christians. In addition to the already existing stereotype of Zoroastrians as backwards and superstitious, the popular conception of Zoroastrianism in Christian culture was broadly negative. It became increasingly common for Christian kings to scapegoat Zoroastrians whenever their kingdoms were in turmoil.



[1]Similar to how IOTL the word “pagan” originally meant a rural person

 

[Merovingian]

Arabian Desert, circa 640 AD

Majid ibn Abdul-Yasu stared at the night sky with his son, Yusuf ibn Majid, standing beside him. “Abbi”, his son asked, “why are the stars there?” Majid initially responded “because our Lord put them there”, only for Yusuf to ask “but why did He put them there”, to which Majid had no answer. This conversation between father and son was interrupted by cries of panic and calls to battle. Another Bedouin tribe had raided their encampment. A great battle ensued, and Majid’s tribe(the Banu ‘Alaa) had emerged victorious. Majid would return to his tribe’s encampment.

He called out for his son, but it would be to no avail. He would soon realize, but take much longer to accept, that his son had died in the fighting. This event would live with him for years to come, and he would take “Abu Yusuf”, or “father of Yusuf”, as the title by which the world would know him. He would nevertheless continue on, eventually becoming the sheikh of the Banu ‘Alaa tribe. His story had only just begun.

From “History of Arabia” by Abdul-Yasu ibn Ismail

After becoming the sheikh of the Banu ‘Alaa, Abu Yusuf set out to unify the Arabian peninsula under his rule. This would take five long years to accomplish, but it happened nevertheless. Abu Yusuf’s unification of Arabia took place within the context of the larger war between the Palmyrenes and Sassanids. The Sassanid Shah, Ardashir III, had taken Palmyra and forced Palmyrene Emperor Antiochus II to flee northwards, establishing his capital at Byzantion[1]. Despite the Persians’ initial successes, the Palmyrenes would ultimately retake Palmyra and sack Ctesiphon, winning the war.

Having defeated the Persians’ Arabian proxies, Abu Yusuf prepared for a full invasion of the Sassanid Empire. Ardashir III had died in the conflict, and his young son Yohnan II was placed on the throne, with his brother Shapur made regent. Abu Yusuf’s armies would successfully sack Ctesiphon, holding the Shah and regent captive, and continued to march further into Persia. Persia was in a succession crisis, as Ardashir’s brother Kurush claimed that Yohnan was illegitimate and thus he should be Shah. Abu Yusuf’s forces would finally defeat Kurush’s at the Battle of Hamadan, ending the Sassanid Empire. With Persia fully incorporated into Abu Yusuf’s burgeoning empire, he turned his eyes west; to the holy land, occupied by the pagans whose ancestors had murdered Christ.



[1]I might or might not have OTL Constantinople become a major city ITTL. It’s at an ideal location, and is much more easily defensible than Palmyra, but without Constantine it’s still a small-ish city away from the centers of power