{"collection":"chr","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/chr/ecf/202/2020310.htm","path":"chr/ecf/202/2020310.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/chr/ecf/202/2020310.htm","text":"Chapter VIII.\u2014How the Armenians and Persians embraced Christianity.\nSubsequently the Christian religion became known to the neighboring tribes and was very greatly disseminated. 1155 The Armenians, I have understood, were the first to embrace Christianity. 1156 It is said that Tiridates, then the sovereign of that nation, became a Christian by means of a marvelous Divine sign which was wrought in his own house; and that he issued commands to all the subjects, by a herald, to adopt the same religion. 1157 I think that the beginning of the conversion of the Persians 1158 was owing to their intercourse with the Osroenians and Armenians; for it is likely that they would converse with such Divine men and make experience of their virtue.\nThis paragraph is regarded by Valesius as spurious.\n264:1156\nThe source of this chapter certainly is not Moses Chorenensis. Tiridates III. reigned a.d. 286\u2013342. At first a persecutor, through Gregory the Illuminator he became a Christian. Yet parts of Armenia were Christianized much earlier. Dionysius bishop of Alexandria wrote a letter on Repentance to the Armenians in the reign of Gallus. Eus. H. E. vi. 46. Cf. Agathangelas, History of Tiridates the Great, and the preaching of Gregory the Illuminator.\n264:1157\nHere follows in the Greek text a repetition, word for word, of the first two lines of this chapter, which seem to be superfluous, if we do not reject the paragraph above.\n264:1158\nSoz. is wrong in attributing the conversion of Persia to Armenia.","title":"Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Ser. II, Vol. II: The Ecc...","type":"page"}