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"By the time of [[Trajan]]'s invasion of Adiabene in 115 or 116 CE, the [[satrapy]] had been ruled by a Jewish dynasty for more than 75 years. According to the Chronicle of Arbela, Christianity firmly rooted itself in Adiabene in Trajan's time. This tradition has been rejected by several historians, most notably [[F. C. Burkitt]]."<ref name="Jacob Neusner">{{cite book| last=Neusner| first=Jacob|title=A History of the Jews in Babylonia: From Shapur I to Shapur II| year=1968| publisher=E.J.Brill| location =Leiden, Netherlands}}</ref> Burkitt says a Syriac speaking version of Christianity was in Adiabene and there were bishops in Arbela before the collapse of the Parthian empire, but after the conversion of Abghar in Edessa around 200.<ref name="Jacob Neusner"/>{{rp|356}} Tertullian and others confirm there were Christians in Persia before the Sassanians [in 224] but give no indication how long they might have been there.<ref name="Ian Gillman"/>{{rp|92}}<ref name="Robin Waterfield">{{cite book| last=Waterfield| first=Robin| title=Christians in Persia (RLE Iran C): Assyrians, Armenians, Roman Catholics and Protestants|volume=volume 24| year=2011| publisher=Routledge|location=New York| isbn=978-0-415-61048-3}}</ref>{{rp|16,17}}<ref name="John C. England">{{cite book|last=England|first=John C.|title=The Hidden History of Christianity in Asia: The Churches of the East Before 1500|year=2002|publisher=ISPCK|location=Delhi|isbn=81-7214-242-0}}</ref>{{rp|15}}
"TheBurkitt Chronicleis assumescontradicted Christianityby reachedother theinformation. satrapyEusebius, [ofin Adiabene]''HE by 100 AD,1.13.1-22'' and [[Eduard''HE Sachau]]2.1.6-7'' considerswriting thebefore tradition324 sound."<refAD, name="Jacobrecords Neusner"/>{{rp|354}}''from Accordinga toSyriac Lukesource''s accountthat inThomas Actssent 2:9,Thaddaeus those(in whoSyriac responded'Addai') first"one atof Pentecostthe wereseventy 'Parthiansdisciples" andto Medespreach andin Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia'Edessa."<ref name="IanHarold GillmanW. Attridge">{{cite book|author1editor1-last=GillmanAttridge|author1editor1-first=IanHarold W.|author2editor2-last=KlimkeitHata|author2editor2-first=Hans-JoachimGohei|title=ChristiansEusebius, inChristianity, Asiaand Before 1500Judaism|year=19991992|publisher=RoutledgeWayne State University Press|location=NewDetroit, YorkMichigan|isbn=0-70078143-10222361-18}}</ref>{{rp|109213}} Tradition alsoOthers saysdismiss manythis "fledclaim eastwardsand afterargue for Tatian as the destructionfounder of Jerusalemthe church in 70 AD"Persia.<ref name="JohnSamuel C.Hugh England"/>{{rp|15}}Moffett, "One ofunder the firsttitle Aramaic-speaking"Tatian Christianthe centersAssyrian," mightwrites have been Adiabene...wherethat the localfirst rulingverifiable househistorical hadevidence convertedof toChristianity Judaismis inprovided aboutby 40the AD. This Jewish city-state had regular contacts with Palestine,life and itwork seemsof possibleTatian that(ca.110-180 throughAD) thisafter routethe Christianitymiddle reached Adiabene as early asof the firstsecond century."<ref name="KenGeorge ParryV. Yana">{{cite book| editor-last=ParryYana| editor-first=KenGeorge V.| title=TheAncient Blackwelland CompanionModern toAssyrians: EasternA ChristianityScientific Analysis| year=20102008|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|location=Malden,Xlibris Massachusettescorp.|isbn=978-01-6314363-234231028-4}}</ref>{{rp|25197}} "Whatever conclusions we draw from these and other traditions", not only is there "firm evidence for the existence of Christians in the area by AD 170",<ref name="RobinIan WaterfieldGillman"/>{{rp|16109}} Withthere Adiabeneis asalso a"extensive possibleevidence refuge from persecution elsewhere,for the numbermovement of ChristiansChristianity greweastwards, markedlyin "sothe thatearliest bycenturies, ADfrom 235bases theyin hadArbela morein than 20 BishopsAdiabene and someEdessa 18in diocesesOsrhoene."<ref name="IanJohn GillmanC. England"/>{{rp|10915}}
Eusebius,"The inChronicle ''HEassumes 1.13.1-22''Christianity andreached ''HEthe 2.1.6-7''satrapy writing[of beforeAdiabene] 324by 100 AD, recordsand ''from[[Eduard aSachau]] Syriacconsiders source''the thattradition Thomassound."<ref sentname="Jacob Neusner"/>{{rp|354}} According to Luke's Thaddaeusaccount (in SyriacActs 'Addai')2:9, "onethose ofwho theresponded seventyfirst disciples"at toPentecost preachwere in'Parthians Edessaand Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia'."<ref name="HaroldIan W. AttridgeGillman">{{cite book|editor1author1-last=AttridgeGillman|editor1author1-first=Harold W.Ian|editor2author2-last=HataKlimkeit|editor2author2-first=GoheiHans-Joachim|title=Eusebius,Christians Christianity,in andAsia JudaismBefore 1500|year=19921999|publisher=Wayne State University PressRoutledge|location=Detroit,New MichiganYork|isbn=0-81437007-23611022-81}}</ref>{{rp|213109}} Tradition Othersalso dismisssays thismany claim"fled andeastwards argue for Tatian asafter the founderdestruction of the churchJerusalem in Persia70 AD".<ref name="SamuelJohn HughC. Moffett,England"/>{{rp|15}} under"One of the titlefirst "TatianAramaic-speaking theChristian Assyrian,"centers writesmight thathave been Adiabene...where the firstlocal verifiableruling historicalhouse evidencehad ofconverted Christianityto isJudaism providedin byabout the40 lifeAD. This Jewish city-state had regular contacts with Palestine, and workit ofseems Tatianpossible (ca.110-180that AD)through afterthis theroute middleChristianity ofreached Adiabene as early as the secondfirst century."<ref name="GeorgeKen V. YanaParry">{{cite book| editor-last=YanaParry| editor-first=George V.Ken| title=AncientThe andBlackwell ModernCompanion Assyrians:to AEastern Scientific AnalysisChristianity| year=20082010|publisher=XlibrisWiley-Blackwell|location=Malden, corp.Massachusettes|isbn=978-10-4363631-102823423-4}}</ref>{{rp|97251}} "Whatever conclusions we draw from these and other traditions", not only is there "firm evidence for the existence of Christians in the area by AD 170",<ref name="IanRobin GillmanWaterfield"/>{{rp|10916}} thereWith isAdiabene alsoas "extensivea evidencepossible forrefuge from persecution elsewhere, the movementnumber of ChristianityChristians eastwards,grew inmarkedly the"so earliestthat centuries,by fromAD bases235 inthey Arbelahad inmore Adiabenethan 20 Bishops and Edessasome in18 Osrhoenedioceses."<ref name="JohnIan C. EnglandGillman"/>{{rp|15109}}
After the conversion of King Abgar VIII (r.179-212) of Edessa, the Aramaic language (later called Classical Syriac) spread and became the ''lingua franca'' for a wide variety of Aramaic speakers.<ref name="Ken Parry"/>{{rp|251}} "The revitalization of Zoroastrianism under the Sassanid rulers [in the third century] brought with it a revitalization of the [historic] Pahlavi language of the Persians as well." Whereas the church's established status facilitated their continued use of Syriac instead of Pahlavi."<ref name="Dale T. Irvin">{{cite book| editor1-last=Irvin|editor1-first=Dale T.|editor2-last=Sunquist|editor2-first=Scott| title= History of the World Christian Movement: Volume 1: Earliest Christianity To 1453|volume=volume 1|year=2001| publisher= T&T Clark| location=Edinburgh| isbn=0-567-08866-9}}</ref>{{rp|112,113}}<ref name="Thomas A. Robinson">{{cite book|last=Robinson|first=Thomas| title=Who Were the First Christians?: Dismantling the Urban Thesis|year=2017|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York| isbn=978-0-190-62054-7}}</ref>{{rp|174}} "The Syrian churches of today all trace back their origin to the Christian communities that developed in Syria and Mesopotamia in the second and third centuries, especially to those that in this period used some variety of Aramaic rather than Greek as their primary language."<ref name="Ken Parry"/>{{rp|251}}
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