AHC: Christian Iran

Given the way Christianity spread through the seventh century, missionaries could have also moved east and "beat" the Islamic faith to Persia. An issue might be how well the faith could remain "tied" to the Greek and Latin roots, not to mention control by the Vatican. Given the distances, there might be another break similar to the separation of the Orthodoxy.
 
Before the Islamic conquests? Seems easy enough, though I am not an expert in Iranian history.

After the Islamic conquests? That seems more tricky. Perhaps a world where Genghis Khan or a successor adopts some version of Christianity and imposes it upon the lands conquered by the Mongols?
 
Nestorianism can possibly gain traction in Iran simply because the Ephesian Schism left it disconnected from Rome. If Iran becomes Nestorian in the fifth or sixth century, this has a major impact on the dynamic between Constantinople and Ctesiphon. Wars of religion between the two empires would be over who had the right brand of Christianity. The butterflies are potentially enormous.
 
Some form of Miaphysite/Oriental Orthodox Church could have been seen as distinct enough from the Roman/Greek variety that the Persians may have been more eager to adopt. You could also take Armenian missionaries and have them spread Christianity and convert the empire. Or one could change Muhammad's vision from God and have it so that he interprets it as a call to convert the Arabs to Christianity and subsequently spread east to complete an Arab Christian conquest of Persia.
 
Some form of Miaphysite/Oriental Orthodox Church could have been seen as distinct enough from the Roman/Greek variety that the Persians may have been more eager to adopt. You could also take Armenian missionaries and have them spread Christianity and convert the empire. Or one could change Muhammad's vision from God and have it so that he interprets it as a call to convert the Arabs to Christianity and subsequently spread east to complete an Arab Christian conquest of Persia.
That would butterfly out of control.
 
A Christian Persia probably means that many of the steppe nomads the Persians were always struggling against probably convert to Christianity eventually, while Christianity also gains more of a foothold in India as well. Maybe even more so.
 
How can Iran become a majority-Christian nation at any point before or after the rise of Islam? What would the ramifications of such a state be?

After Islam it is out of question to turn ChristiN. It either remains Islamic, or Zoriastrian as they are likely to turn hostile to outside powers experiencing the threat. Depending on the time. And the East Romans are in no position to conquer Persia assuming Arab armies conquer Levant and Egypt anyway.

Before Islam it depends on some factors:
- did the East Roman Empire turn West yet?
- how strong is Persia?

If Persia is as weak as post-war but the Roman Empire being still strong, it has to conquer Persia to turn it Christian. Islam grew with 200 years of Arab Rule and later Islamic Persian rulers. Odds are the same the very same can happen in a Christian scenario. Roms does not have to permanently rule Persia. Just long enough to make it turn the ruling elite Christian. The natives will do the rest.

Another option is for the Göktürks to convert to Christianity and let them conquer Persia. Afterwards, the same route like the East Romans can be followed.
 
After Islam it is out of question to turn ChristiN. It either remains Islamic, or Zoriastrian as they are likely to turn hostile to outside powers experiencing the threat. Depending on the time. And the East Romans are in no position to conquer Persia assuming Arab armies conquer Levant and Egypt anyway.

Before Islam it depends on some factors:
- did the East Roman Empire turn West yet?
- how strong is Persia?

If Persia is as weak as post-war but the Roman Empire being still strong, it has to conquer Persia to turn it Christian. Islam grew with 200 years of Arab Rule and later Islamic Persian rulers. Odds are the same the very same can happen in a Christian scenario. Roms does not have to permanently rule Persia. Just long enough to make it turn the ruling elite Christian. The natives will do the rest.

Another option is for the Göktürks to convert to Christianity and let them conquer Persia. Afterwards, the same route like the East Romans can be followed.

Why would the Celestial Turks convert to Nestorianism for no reason? There is no benefit this religion offers for them that their traditional religion doesn’t provide. At least at this date. Also according to what we know of Celestial Turk markings and iconography, the ruling Ashina clan were nearly worshipped, adopting nestorianism, endangers this position as absolute lords over the steppe.
 
I can't see Christians becoming a majority post-Islam even if the rulers, say the Mongols become Christian.

Pre-Islam seems also hard. First thought would be to wank Trajan then make Hadrian and his successors hold them long enough. Fast forward when Rome loses these territories, I could see the richest parts of the Persian Empire be Christian majority and might make the sitting dynasty convert. IMO if you want Persia to become thoroughly Christian, you have to wank Rome, which still doesn't guarantee that the eastern parts become Christian.

Nestorianism can possibly gain traction in Iran simply because the Ephesian Schism left it disconnected from Rome. If Iran becomes Nestorian in the fifth or sixth century, this has a major impact on the dynamic between Constantinople and Ctesiphon. Wars of religion between the two empires would be over who had the right brand of Christianity. The butterflies are potentially enormous.

It would be interesting what script this version of Christianity would use. Aramaic? Farsi with no Arabic influences? If so I could see another schism occurring, heteredox versions of Christianity with Zoroastrian, Manichean, and maybe even Buddhist influences.

Also it would be hilarious if ever an HRE-esque emerge and the schism happens. You now have arguably three empires with their own religious leaders. Now add the Oriental Orthodox Churches and sprinkle some Reformations over northern Europe. Religious wars would be even more ridiculous that it would make Christ himself roll in his grave.
 
Easiest PoD (IMO) would be to prevent the rise of Phocas and keep Maurice as Emperor. This keeps Rome and Persia at peace, keeps them both strong - and crucially makes being Roman or Persian less of a thing to be hostile about. This means that other sects than just Nestorianism can flourish, but I expect Nestorianism can grow even more. If we assume this makes no impact on the events in Arabia (or not enough to butterfly Mohammed) then Rome and Persia as friends can easily pen in the Caliphate unless something drastic happens. I mean, IOTL Persia and Rome had beaten the snot out of each other, and both had civil wars prior to the invasion. Remove those and you've got a completely different balance of power.

If that peace can last, it isn't impossible that a Nestorian Shah could emerge - and potentially create a sort of Christian Brotherhood feel between the two Empires.
 
Maybe Antony and Cleopatra succeed in breaking away from the Roman Republic to form their own eastern empire during the time of Jesus's ministry. Might make it less of a "Rome" thing to the Persians so whoever replaces the Parthians don't suppress them.
 
I would opine that a Christian Persia just means any ATL Arabic invasion leads to the conversion of the Arabs to Christianity.
 
Khosrow I's illness results in his death and Noshzad seizes the throne. With the help of the Armenians he maintains control and promotes Nestorian Christianity. Please note that the whole debacle surrounding Noshzad's rebellion and supposed Christianity remains kinda sketchy and disputed. But it's a fun take on it, methinks.

I would opine that a Christian Persia just means any ATL Arabic invasion leads to the conversion of the Arabs to Christianity.

Why? The Arab conquests were to some degree very much only possible thanks to the unifying message of Islam.
 
Why? The Arab conquests were to some degree very much only possible thanks to the unifying message of Islam.

There's considerable thought around here - at least from folks I've seen - that Islam or no Islam, an Arabic demographic explosion outward was inevitable. I would add that Islam worked especially in the religious diverse/contentious lands they conquered. If they're all Christian, it would make sense for them to adopt Christianity, no? That's how it worked with basically every other nomadic conquest
 
There's considerable thought around here - at least from folks I've seen - that Islam or no Islam, an Arabic demographic explosion outward was inevitable. I would add that Islam worked especially in the religious diverse/contentious lands they conquered. If they're all Christian, it would make sense for them to adopt Christianity, no? That's how it worked with basically every other nomadic conquest

That’s of course a credible point, but I would argue that the reason the Arabs united at all was on account of Muhammad. Granted, there were other monotheistic strands present in the peninsula at the time, but I don’t see the Arabs shredding those beliefs. Furthermore, Islam’s tolerance of the conquered people was a main reason for why they managed to keep their conquests at all. Whilst the patriarch was hostile towards the various smaller versions of Eastern Christianity who differed in dogmatics from Constantinople, the Rashidun just considered all of them Christians and let them in peace.
 
Christianity was quite popular among the Iranian lower classes (and even some sympathisers in the nobility), particularly in its political and economic heartlands in Mesopotamia. Sassanid rulers were generally quite happy to give it patronage, particularly the Nestorians who were disconnected from Rome who regarded them as heretics, and there were plenty of Sassanid Shahs who were very sympathetic to it and may have even been crypto-Christians. If the Arab conquests are prevented somehow, either by giving the Iranians a stronger position or butterflying the population boom in the penninsula that preceded it, then it's likely that a later Shah might embrace Christianity openly further down the line, probably some form of Nestorianism so they can keep up the pissing contest with Rome.
 
I'm kinda flying blind here as I don't know a ton about the era but isn't a possible POD to have Muhammad be a Christian and conquer Persia like OTL only as a Christian?
 
I'm kinda flying blind here as I don't know a ton about the era but isn't a possible POD to have Muhammad be a Christian and conquer Persia like OTL only as a Christian?

Some form of Miaphysite/Oriental Orthodox Church could have been seen as distinct enough from the Roman/Greek variety that the Persians may have been more eager to adopt. You could also take Armenian missionaries and have them spread Christianity and convert the empire. Or one could change Muhammad's vision from God and have it so that he interprets it as a call to convert the Arabs to Christianity and subsequently spread east to complete an Arab Christian conquest of Persia.

If a Christian Arab conquest is as thorough and extensive as the OTL Islamic conquest, most certainly. St. Muhammad, patron saint of Arabia, Iraq, and Persia, is a pet ATL scenario of mine I'm wanting to explore more, and I'm sure there may already be timelines exploring that on this forum.
 
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