The Encounter of Zoroastrianism with the Minority Religions in the Sasanid Period

The diversity of religions in the Sasanid period is one of the most important themes in the history of this dynasty. Sasanid emperors revived and strengthened Zoroastrianism and made it the formal religion of the country. Therefore, this action affected the adherents of the other religions who lived in Iran and brought about contacts and conflicts between the leaders of the state religion and the others. This article surveys the social conditions of the minority religions such as Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity in the Sasanid period and reviews the attitude of the state religion toward them. It also deals with the challenges and the conflicts which the adherents of the minority religions made against the Sasanid government. Beside that, it reviews the religious policies of the government and finally comes to this The religious policies of the Sasanid emperors intensified or sometimes weakened these conflicts. However, these policies in their own turn were taken under the influence of the internal and external forces. The elements which affected the attitude of the Sasanid government toward minority religions were as fallow: The transformation of the international conditions, converting of the states – especially the enemies– into other religions, the power or weakness of the priests and kings, and the activities of the minorities.