Religious and Political Perspectives in Sasanian Iran

Abstract

The Sasanian period (224–651 CE) represents the culmination of the interconnection between religion and politics in Iranian history, a period in which religious authority and royal legitimacy shaped the structure of governance within the framework of Zoroastrian teachings and related religious traditions such as Mithraism, Manichaeism, and Mazdakism. Drawing on textual sources (Pahlavi texts, rival religious writings, and classical sources) and archaeological evidence (rock reliefs, numismatics, and architecture), the present study examines the development of the interaction between religion and politics from the beginning of the reign of Ardashir I to the fall of the Sasanian Empire. It demonstrates how conceptions of divine authority and cosmic order, which initially functioned as sources of political unity, contributed in the late Sasanian period to the disintegration of the political structure due to ideological rigidity and socio-religious challenges. This article examines religious and political perspectives during this period and seeks to explain the formation of Sasanian royal ideology on the basis of Zoroastrianism, the role of the concept of “divine glory” (xwarrah) in legitimizing royal authority, and the position of the Zoroastrian priesthood within the political system. In addition, the religious policies of the Sasanians toward religious minorities, including Manichaeans, Christians, and Jews, and the social and political consequences of these policies are analyzed. Finally, the study addresses the religious and political factors that contributed to the decline and fall of the Sasanian Empire. The findings indicate that although the religious legitimation of kingship initially served as a source of stability and cohesion, in the long term it became a factor contributing to the weakening of the empire by imposing social and political constraints and intensifying tensions with religious minorities. Drawing on historical sources and authoritative scholarship, this article provides a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between religion and politics during the Sasanian period.