The (Political) Eulogies of Xusraw 1st in the Synodal Documents of Mar Aba

The present contribution focuses on the new edition of the Synodal Acts of the Church of the East, and in particular on the documents belonging to the “itinerant” synod of Mar Aba. It strictly concerns the formulas adopted in these texts in order to address king Xusraw I. A careful scrutiny of these sources shows that beyond a simple eulogistic approach, the theological contents of the invocations or the references to the role of the king implies a strategic program of conversion, in which the Persian Šāhān Šāh, despite his “pagan” religion, is presented as a person protected by divine grace, blessed by the saints and inspired by God, or even flanked by the example of Jesus. The analysis of these synodal acts also confirms the willingness of the Christian ecclesiastic authorities of taking aside the positive role of the highest royal power from that of the Persian Magi, so manipulating the historical reality in order to advance in the strategic program of conversion of the royal house.