Middle East (909 BCE – 819 CE) Early Iron and Antiquity — Urartu, Achaemenids, Parthians, Sasanian Frontiers

Geographic and Environmental Context

• Anchors: the Tigris–Euphrates alluvium and marshes; the Zagros (Luristan, Fars), Alborz, Caucasus (Armenia–Georgia–Azerbaijan); northern Syrian plains and Cilicia; Khuzestan and Fars lowlands; the Arabian/Persian Gulf littoral (al-Ahsa–Qatar–Bahrain–UAE–northern Oman); northeastern Cyprus and the Lebanon coastal elbow (north).

Climate & Environment

• Continental variability; oases survived by canal upkeep; Gulf fisheries stable; Caucasus snows fed headwaters.

Societies & Political Developments

• Urartu (9th–6th c. BCE) fortified Armenian highlands;

• Achaemenid Persia (6th–4th c. BCE) organized satrapies across Iran, Armenia, Syria uplands, Cilicia; Royal Road linked Susa–Sardis through our zone.

• Hellenistic Seleucids, then Parthians (3rd c. BCE–3rd c. CE) and Sasanians (3rd–7th c. CE) ruled Iran–Mesopotamia; oases prospered under qanat/karez and canal regimes.

• Transcaucasus (Armenia, Iberia/Georgia, Albania/Azerbaijan) oscillated between Iranian and Roman/Byzantine influence; northeastern Cyprus joined Hellenistic–Roman networks.

• Arabian Gulf littoral hosted pearling/fishing and entrepôts (al-Ahsa–Qatif–Bahrain).

Economy & Trade

• Irrigated cereals, dates, cotton, wine; transhumant pastoralism; Gulf pearls and dates.

• Long-haul Silk Road and Royal Road flows; qanat irrigation expanded in Iran.

Technology & Material Culture

• Iron plowshares, tools, and weapons; fortifications; qanat engineering; road stations (caravanserais earlier variants).

• Arts: Urartian bronzes; Achaemenid stonework; Sasanian silver; Armenian and Georgian ecclesiastical arts (late).

Belief & Symbolism

• Zoroastrianism, Armenian/Georgian Christianity, local cults; Jewish and early Christian communities in oases/ports; syncretism in frontier cities.

Adaptation & Resilience

• Canal/qanat redundancy, pasture–oasis integration, distributed entrepôts (northeastern Cyprus, Gulf) hedged war and drought.

Transition

By 819 CE, the Middle East was a layered highland–oasis–Gulf system under Sasanian–Byzantine frontiers giving way to Islamic polities.

The Growth of Christianity in the Roman Empire and Its Relationship with Judaism

During the early centuries of the Common Era, Christianity gradually gained a foothold in the Roman Empire, evolving from a small sect of Judaism into a distinct religious movement. As Christianity spread, its leaders sought to establish a universal message that appealed to a wider audience beyond the Jewish community.

Christianity’s Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible

• Early Christian theologians reinterpreted the Hebrew Bible (which they termed the “Old Testament”) as a precursor to the New Testament, claiming that:

  • The laws and prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled through Jesus Christ.
  • Christian believers—both Jews and Gentiles—represented the new Israel, spiritually and physically.

• This reinterpretation positioned Christianity as the continuation and fulfillment of Jewish tradition, differentiating it from Judaism, which maintained its adherence to Mosaic Law and awaited a different messianic fulfillment.

Christian Views on Jewish Exile and Survival

• Many early Christians interpreted the Jewish exile as a divine punishment, believing it was a consequence of:

  • The Jews’ rejection of Jesus as the Messiah.
  • Their perceived role in his crucifixion, an accusation that contributed to Christian anti-Judaism in later centuries.

• At the same time, the continued survival of Judaism, despite exile and persecution, puzzled many early Christians.

  • Some saw Jewish endurance as stubborn defiance of divine will.
  • Others, such as Augustine of Hippo, later argued that the Jewish people were preserved by God as “witnesses” to the validity of Christian prophecy, even in their dispersion.

Impact on Christian-Jewish Relations

• As Christianity became the dominant religion of the Roman Empire, tensions with Jewish communities intensified.

• Christian leaders sought to differentiate their faith from Judaism, leading to:

  • Theological disputes over the interpretation of scripture.
  • Legal restrictions on Jewish practices under Christianized Roman rule.
  • The development of Christian supersessionism, the belief that Christianity had replaced Judaism in God’s covenant.

• Despite opposition, Judaism survived and continued to develop, leading to a complex and often strained relationship between the two religious traditions throughout Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages.

Conclusion: Christianity’s Rise and Its Effects on Jewish Identity

The early growth of Christianity in the Roman Empire involved reinterpretations of Jewish scripture, shaping its self-identity as the “new Israel”. However, Jewish persistence despite exile challenged Christian theological narratives, leading to centuries of debate, tension, and periodic persecution. This dynamic profoundly influenced religious thought and interfaith relations throughout history.

Constantine's conversion to Christianity brings a new era of prosperity to Palestine, which attracts a flood of pilgrims from all over the empire.

As a geographic unit, Palestine extends from the Mediterranean on the west to the Arabian Desert on the east and from the lower Litani River in the north to the Gaza Valley in the south.

Named after the Philistines, who occupied the southern coastal region in the twelfth century BCE, the name Philistia was used in the second century CE to designate Syria Palestina, which formed the southern third of the Roman province of Syria.

The End of Christian Persecution and the Reforms of Constantine (311–313 CE)

By the early 4th century CE, the Roman Empire witnessed a major shift in religious policy. After decades of Christian persecution under Diocletian (303–311 CE), Emperor Galerius officially ended the repression of Christians in 311 CE, signaling a significant turning point in imperial attitudes toward Christianity.

1. The Edict of Toleration (311 CE) and the End of Persecution

• Galerius, once a strong opponent of Christianity, issued an edict of toleration, acknowledging that:
  • The persecution of Christians had failed to eradicate the faith.
  • Christianity should be tolerated, provided its followers prayed for the empire’s well-being.
• While this edict ended official state persecution, it did not fully legalize Christianity.

2. The Edict of Milan (313 CE) and the Full Legalization of Christianity

• Two years later, in 313 CE, Constantine the Great and Licinius issued the Edict of Milan, which:
  • Granted Christians full legal status in the Roman Empire.
  • Guaranteed religious tolerance for all faiths.
  • Restored confiscated Christian properties, further legitimizing the Church.
• The Edict of Milan marked a decisive shift in imperial policy, paving the way for Christianity to become deeply intertwined with Roman governance.

3. Constantine’s Gradual Personal Conversion

• While Constantine became a protector of Christianity, his personal conversion unfolded gradually:
  • He continued to patronize both Christian and pagan traditions, maintaining political flexibility.
  • His famous vision of the Cross before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge (312 CE) strengthened his faith in Christianity.
  • He was only baptized on his deathbed in 337 CE, reflecting a slow transformation rather than an abrupt conversion.

4. The Reforms of Diocletian and Constantine: Temporary Stability, Long-Term Challenges

The combined reforms of Diocletian and Constantine temporarily strengthened the Roman Empire by:

• Reorganizing the administration through the Tetrarchy and later centralized rule.
• Reforming the military, reinforcing the empire’s defensive capabilities.
• Stabilizing the economy, although Constantine’s introduction of the solidus (gold coin) had mixed long-term effects.

However, despite these efforts, chronic governance challenges persisted, including:

• Internal power struggles, leading to civil wars even after Constantine’s reign.
• Frontier pressures, as Germanic and Persian threats continued.
• Economic difficulties, as taxation and inflation weakened Rome’s financial stability.

5. Conclusion: The Transition to a Christian Empire and the Road Ahead

• The legalization of Christianity marked the beginning of a new era, leading to its eventual status as the official state religion under Theodosius I (381 CE).
• Constantine’s reforms prolonged the empire’s survival, but deep-seated issues remained, foreshadowing the eventual decline of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century.

Though imperial stability was temporarily restored, the challenges faced by Rome would continue to evolve, shaping the empire’s fate in the centuries to come.

The Eusebians, now that Eustathius has been removed, proceed against Athanasius, a much more dangerous opponent.

Athanasius has devoted the first years of his episcopate to visitation of his extensive patriarchate, which includes all of Egypt and Libya.

During this time, …

…Athanasius has established important contacts with the Coptic monks of Upper Egypt and their leader Pachomius.

Soon began the struggle with imperialist and Arian churchmen that will occupy much of his life.

Athanasius is in 334 summoned before a synod in Caesarea; he does not attend.

He uses political influence against the Meletians, followers of the schismatic bishop Meletius of Lycopolis, who have gone back on the plans made at Nicaea for their reunion with the church; but …

…he refutes specific charges of mistreatment of Arians and Meletians before a hostile gathering of bishops, over which Eusebius of Caesarea presides, at Tyre (in modern Lebanon) in 335, which Athanasius refuses to recognize as a general council of the church.

Foreseeing the result, he goes to Constantinople to bring his cause before the emperor.

Emperor Theodosius, residing chiefly in Thessalonica, seeks first to rebuild the imperial army, the discipline of which is considerably impaired, and to consolidate Rome's position on the Balkan peninsula.

Military unpreparedness cannot be overcome by conscription alone, which applies only to certain classes.

Theodosius therefore directs that the army accept large numbers of Germans, who had been barred from military service.

Foreigners have by 379, however, already intermingled extensively with the rest of the army, both among the troops and in all ranks of the officer corps, so Theodosius does no more than many of his predecessors to encourage this process.

Both Romans and Germans are among the leading generals in Theodosius' provinces, in contrast to the West.

Theodosius' situation is complicated by the sharp antagonism that arises around 379 between disciples of the Nicene Creed (according to which Jesus Christ is of the same substance as God the Father) and several other Christian groups in his part of the empire.

Ambrose, in confronting the Arians, seeks to theologically refute their propositions, considered as heretical.

The Arians appeal to many high level leaders and clergy in both the Western and Eastern empires.

Although the western Emperor Gratian holds orthodox belief in the Nicene creed, the younger Valentinian II, his colleague in the empire, adheres to the Arian creed.

Ambrose has not swayed the young prince's position.

In the East, Emperor Theodosius likewise professed the Nicene creed; but there are many adherents of Arianism throughout his dominions, especially among the higher clergy.

In this contested state of religious opinion, two leaders of the Arians, bishops Palladius of Ratiaria and Secundianus of Singidunum, confident of numbers, prevail upon Gratian to call a general council from all parts of the empire.

This request appears so equitable that he complies without hesitation.

However, Ambrose fears the consequences and prevails upon the emperor to have the matter determined by a council of the Western bishops.