An Investigation into khosrow Aparvez Religion andhis Inclination toward Christianity

Since Zoroastrianism was chosen by Ardashir I as the official religion of the Sassanid Empire, the Mobedes (Zoroastrian priests) were highly respected during the rule of this dynasty and the Mobedan Mobed (chief priest) became one of the most powerful figures in the Sassanid court. Nevertheless, some Sassanid kings including Khosrow Aparvez showed inclination towards other religions for political and economic reasons. Khosrow Aparvez converted to Christianity at the beginning of his rule and offered Christians key positions in his court. Christians built numerous churches in the western Sassanid provinces and enjoyed considerable influence in his government. However, this policy changed completely in the last years of his rule. . Findings showed despite the fact that Zoroastrianism was the official religion of the Sassanids and Khosrow Aparvez also believed in it, in order to get political and military advantages and to please Maurice, the Roman emperor, who had helped him to ascend throne, he pretended to be interested in Christianity at the beginning of his rule. That is why after Maurice’s decease, he changed his policy, suppressed Christians, seized their territory, and took several priests as well as the Holy Cross hostage. This paper aims at investigating Khosrow Aparvez religion and the reasons why he converted to Christianity.