Constantine and the Captive Christians of Persia : Martyrdom and Religious Identity in Late Antiquity / Kyle Smith.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smith, Kyle, Author.

Series:

Transformation of the classical heritage ; 57.

Transformation of the Classical Heritage ; 57

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Constantine I, Emperor of Rome, -337.

Constantine.

Church history--Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600.

Church history.

Syriac Christians--History--To 1500--Sources.

Syriac Christians.

Syriac Christians--Iran--History--To 1500.

Syriac Christians--Iraq--History--To 1500.

Iran--History--To 640.

Iran.

Iraq--History--To 634.

Iraq.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (255 p.)

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, CA : University of California Press, [2016]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

It is widely believed that the Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity politicized religious allegiances, dividing the Christian Roman Empire from the Zoroastrian Sasanian Empire and leading to the persecution of Christians in Persia. This account, however, is based on Greek ecclesiastical histories and Syriac martyrdom narratives that date to centuries after the fact. In this groundbreaking study, Kyle Smith analyzes diverse Greek, Latin, and Syriac sources to show that there was not a single history of fourth-century Mesopotamia. By examining the conflicting hagiographical and historical evidence, Constantine and the Captive Christians of Persia presents an evocative and evolving portrait of the first Christian emperor, uncovering how Syriac Christians manipulated the image of their western Christian counterparts to fashion their own political and religious identities during this century of radical change.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction: Constantine and the Writing of Fourth-Century History

Part One. The Roman Frontier and the Persian War

Part Two. Roman Captives and Persian Envoys

Appendix A. Constantine's Letter to Shapur: Eusebius's Life of Constantine IV.8-14

Appendix B. Martyrdom of the Captives of Beth Zabdai

Appendix C. Martyrdom of Abbot Barshebya, Ten Fellow Brothers, and One Magus

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

9780520964204

0520964209

OCLC:

932625504