Abstract

The Sasanian king Yazdgard I (399– 420 ce ) is the subject of a complex, millenium-long historical tradition, spanning a multitude of languages and literary traditions over a millennium. Whereas later Persian and Arabic historians reviled Yazdgard as “the Sinner” and celebrated his death, Christian writers developed a complex relationship with the memory of the Sasanian king. Yazdgard’s legalization of public Christian worship in Iran and sponsorship of the first synod of the Church of the East were embraced hopefully by Christian writers as the actions of a “second Constantine.” But the persecutions of Christians that marked the end of Yazdgard’s reign challenged this benign image. Over time, the dualities of Yazdgard’s actions were ignored, rationalized, and ultimately embraced by Christian writers in Syriac and Greek. These writers transformed the actions of Yazdgard, “sinner” and “second Constantine,” into a study of the promise and perils of non-Christian rule.

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