WI: Nestorian Christian Persian Empire

Some historical sources claim that Nestorian Christians were actually outnumbering Zoroastrians in the Sassanian Empire by the time it fell to the Arabs.

So, given that the Sassanian Empire would have survived the surge of Islam (maybe if no war with the ERE had happened), I think it is not ASB to foresee that Nestorian Christianity would had finally imposed to Zoroastrianism if the Empire would have lasted some centuries more.

Which could have been the consequences for the ERE and the rest of Europe if a strong Persian Empire would have survived and later officially convert to Nestorian Christianity as the state religion?
 
Given that the Nestorian heresy was often chalked up to being due to translation difficulties, it would be interesting to see how that influences diplomacy.

On the one hand, it might smooth relations between the two Christian Empires if they can declare communion between their Churches.

On the other hand, fighting against evil heretics is easier to pitch to the people. Plus, the Persians would have interest in not feeling too tied to Rome.
 
One of the main things you'd probably see is an even wider distribution of Christianity than OTL. The Mongols, Turks, etc would probably convert to Nestorianism.

I'm not sure what cultural impacts it would have, but we'd probably see Christianity in Arabia take over. The Arab world fails to succeed outwardly with Islam, discrediting it, and providing more credit to Christianity and Zoroastrianism. The latter is falling to Nestorianism, and I can see that leading to successful conversions or a restructuring of Islam to being a Christian Heresy.

This changes trade in the Indian Ocean, perhaps leading to Indonesian Christianity, or Arabian Hinduism.

The big question is whether or not the New World becomes a thing, as trading via/through/with fellow Christians could be seen as preferable to Heretics, leading to less need to discover the new World.
 
Given that the Nestorian heresy was often chalked up to being due to translation difficulties, it would be interesting to see how that influences diplomacy.

On the one hand, it might smooth relations between the two Christian Empires if they can declare communion between their Churches.

On the other hand, fighting against evil heretics is easier to pitch to the people. Plus, the Persians would have interest in not feeling too tied to Rome.
The bigger question other than doctrine is how they see themselves. If they see their style of Christianity as different than that of the ERE then it is more than plausible that they not only stay separate, but adopt different organizational styles (such as the Pope, vs the Patriarchs) as well as latter doctrinal differences

One of the main things you'd probably see is an even wider distribution of Christianity than OTL. The Mongols, Turks, etc would probably convert to Nestorianism.

I'm not sure what cultural impacts it would have, but we'd probably see Christianity in Arabia take over. The Arab world fails to succeed outwardly with Islam, discrediting it, and providing more credit to Christianity and Zoroastrianism. The latter is falling to Nestorianism, and I can see that leading to successful conversions or a restructuring of Islam to being a Christian Heresy.

This changes trade in the Indian Ocean, perhaps leading to Indonesian Christianity, or Arabian Hinduism.

The big question is whether or not the New World becomes a thing, as trading via/through/with fellow Christians could be seen as preferable to Heretics, leading to less need to discover the new World.
Economic forces would push western Europe to look west. They would get sick of being gorged by the middle men and look to go around Africa, or use the new world for resources. the TL "An age a miracles" as a good part describing the Portuguese V. Rhomanian trade competition with selling spices in Europe
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Given that the Nestorian heresy was often chalked up to being due to translation difficulties, it would be interesting to see how that influences diplomacy.

On the one hand, it might smooth relations between the two Christian Empires if they can declare communion between their Churches.

On the other hand, fighting against evil heretics is easier to pitch to the people. Plus, the Persians would have interest in not feeling too tied to Rome.
A big reason why 'Nestorianism' was as popular as it was in Persian-held territories was its political expedience, ie. it wasn't as strongly tied to Roman organisations. In a Persian empire wherein the elites also turn towards 'Nestorianism', that political side is going to matter even more. A bit like how the Sunni-Shi'a split escalated when it became a part of the Turkish-Persian rivalry.
 
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