The status and the Political Role of the Jews during the Reign of Khosrow Parvīz

As a religious minority, Jews used to live in the Middle East for a long time. During the Sassanid era, some of them lived in the territory of Iran and some others in the Byzantine territory. The reign of Khosrow Parvīz is one of the most important parts of the Sasanid history during which the rebellion of Bahrām-i Chūbīn took place. This period also observed twenty five years of war between Iran and The Byzantine Empire; and there are reports of the situation of the Jews during these events. At that time, Jews in the Byzantine territory were under the great religious pressure of the Christian Empire of their time, and they rebelled to liberate themselves from that situation and joined the Iranian armies. They played an important role in conquering Jerusalem. Khosrow Parvīz also contributed them in the administration of some parts of Palestine. Many scholars believe that after several years and seeing the importance of the Christians in the region, Khosrow Parvīz changed his policy towards the Jews and suppressed them. This article re-examines the sources of that era, and has come to a different conclusion; that is, the Jews kept their authority until the end of Khosrow's era, and were in good shape.