ABSTRACT
Aphrahat's Demonstrations, in particular his twenty-first ‘On Persecution,’ offers an interesting insight into the challenges of a persecuted Christian minority in fourth-century Persia. While Christians fell victim to the Great Persecution by state-supported Zoroastrian fanatics, some of the Jews – who lived in (relative) peace – may have taken advantage of this situation by attacking Christianity's truth claims and proselytizing. This explains why Aphrahat is not so much concerned with the persecutors, but with the Jews. Facing this threat of Christianity's religious competitor, Aphrahat endeavours to spiritually equip his community by arguing both the falseness of Judaism and the meaning of suffering. The unfolding of this case study further shows that external factors may catalyze a polarization between religious minorities.
