ABSTRACT
With Adiabene as a possible refuge for Christians under persecution in the Roman Empire, their numbers grew markedly from AD 190-250, with the building of many churches, so that by AD 235 they had more than 20 bishops and some 18 dioceses. 7 By that time the Arsacid dynasty had been replaced by that of the Sasanians who were more firmly devoted to the Zoroastrian cause. In the latter they believed that they had a genuine Iranian answer to the intransigent religious dogmatism of both the Christians and the Manichaeans. However, that ancient Zoroastrian faith
Near the outset of the long reign of Shapur II (AD 309-379) two events, significant for Christians in the Sasanian Empire, occurred. In AD 311 Galerius (d. AD 311) promulgated an edict which put an end to the persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire. In AD 312 Constantine (d. AD 337) declared himself to be a Christian just before the battle which made him Emperor of the West. By AD 324 he was sole emperor and was showing consistent favour towards Christianity.
