The early history of
Oriental Orthodoxy on the territory of modern-day Iraq was marked by constant
Byzantine-Sasanian wars during the period between 5th and 7th century. In that period, major part of the
Mesopotamia region was ruled by the
Sassanian Empire (Persia). Since official Persian religion was
Zoroastrianism, all Christian communities in the region were under constant pressure, and suffered occasional persecutions. Also, relations between different Christian communities was marked by frequent theological disputes and constant rivalry.[4]
During that time, Oriental Orthodox Christians in the region kept their traditional ties with the
Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch. In order to consolidate ecclesiastical structure of Oriental Orthodox churches within the Sassanian Empire, the Patriarchate decided to appoint theologian
Marutha of Tikrit as metropolitan over all Oriental Orthodox dioceses in the Empire (629), granting him the title of
maphrian.[5]
O’Mahony, Anthony (2006).
"Syriac Christianity in the modern Middle East". The Cambridge History of Christianity: Eastern Christianity. Vol. 5. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 511–536.
Schmidinger, Thomas (2019).
"Christians in Iraq". Beyond ISIS: History and Future of Religious Minorities in Iraq. London: Transnational Press. pp. 113–124.