Dmitry E. Mishin Patriarch Papā Bâr ˁÂggay and the Rise of Seleucia-on-Tigris as the Centre of Christianity in the Sasanian Empire (3rd century – beginning of the 4th century)

Abstract

The rise of the initially peripheral chair of Seleucia-on-the Tigris is largely due to the activities of Papā Bâr ˁÂggay ordained its bishop in 246/7. Being closer to the Sasanid king than any other bishop, Papā became a representative of the whole Christian community before the government. That gradually made Papā the manager of the affairs of the whole Church. Papā's rise met with the opposition of a number of bishops, of whom some disapproved of his acts as interference into their affairs and others considered the primacy of the Seleucian chair as unfounded. At some stage in 313 to 318, Papā's opponents, at a meeting with him, dismissed him and replaced him with his archdeacon, Simeon Bâr ṣâbbaˁē. Papā appealed to the Western church fathers. Those, in their answer, described any opposition to the church leader as inacceptable, but did not restore Papā in his position. Either party interpreted that answer as its victory and so long as Papā stayed alive (till about 325 to 330) the church had two leaders. But the head of the Seleucian church remained on the top of the church hierarchy because the necessity to deal with the government was always extant.

Keywords

Sasanids, Ctesiphon, Papā Bar ˁAggay, Simeon Bar ṣabbaˁē

For Citation

Mishin D.E. Patriarch Papā Bâr ˁÂggay and the Establishment of Seleucia-on-the Tigris as the Centre of Christianity in the Sasanid Empire (3rd century — early 4th century) // The Historical Reporter. 2025. Vol. 53. P. 196–231. DOI: 10.35549/HR.2025.2025.53.004

Dmitry E. Mishin

C.Sc. (History), Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences. Moscow, Russian Federation.
e-mail: d.mishin@ivran.ru
SPIN-код: 1783-3113
AuthorID: 111810

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