Heyden, KatharinaKatharinaHeydenDelgado, MarianoEmmenegger, GregorLeppin, Volker2024-10-092024-10-092021https://boris-portal.unibe.ch/handle/20.500.12422/69666This contribution deals with the Greek fictional text De gestis in Perside which was widely received in medieval Byzantium and beyond, but has been hardly noticed by modern research. The confrontation between Christians, Hellenes, Zoroastrians and Jews at the Court of the Sassanians turns out in favor of Christianity, but peacefully and with a plea for peaceful coexistence by the arbiter Aphroditian. The paper methodically explores the relationship between fiction and facts in three steps. It argues that the anonymous, probably Christian author of this disputation novel chose Persia as the setting for an ideal, peaceful debate in order to express his criticism of Justinian’s religious policy as well as his criticism of the discord among the Christians of his time.debook_section10.48350/168607