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Journals / Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi İnsan Bilimleri Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 7 Sayı: 1

PERSIAN MARTYR ACTS AS A HAGIOGRAPHIC GENRE

HAGİOGRAFİK BİR TÜR OLARAK PERS ŞEHİDİ ANLATILARI

Murat Tural(ONDOKUZ MAYIS ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-1361-4656
Pages
87–112
Publication Date
2026-06-30
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The Persian Martyr Acts, with the aforementioned characteristics, appear to be biased examples of the multifaceted rivalry between the two great empires of Late Antiquity as reflected in the literary field.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This study analyses the texts that are known in the literature as the Persian Martyr Acts, taking into account the characteristics of hagiographic writing.
📊
Key Findings & Data:Where the texts were written, who their authors were and above all, why there was a need for this literary endeavour are among the most debated issues.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:The Persian Martyr Acts, with the aforementioned characteristics, appear to be biased examples of the multifaceted rivalry between the two great empires of Late Antiquity as reflected in the literary field.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Sâsânî Şehinşâhlığı · Hristiyanlık · Mecûsîlik

Abstract

This study analyses the texts that are known in the literature as the Persian Martyr Acts, taking into account the characteristics of hagiographic writing. Where the texts were written, who their authors were and above all, why there was a need for this literary endeavour are among the most debated issues. The Persian Martyr Acts are markedly different in language, style and content from their counterparts written within the Roman Empire. Above all, these texts were written in the Syriac language, which made it possible for Eastern Christians to preserve their identity for centuries. These texts, which deal with the bad experiences of Christians living among the Zoroastrian majority in the Sassanid Shahanshah, are far from reflecting the positive aspects of Zoroastrianism. On the other hand, the Persian Martyr Acts almost never mention the blissful times of the Christians, who constituted the overwhelming majority among the minority religions of the Sassanid Shahanshah. In addition, the favorable role assigned to the Roman Empire in these texts suggests that the written form of the narratives may have originated outside the Sassanid borders. The Persian Martyr Acts, with the aforementioned characteristics, appear to be biased examples of the multifaceted rivalry between the two great empires of Late Antiquity as reflected in the literary field.

Özet

Bu çalışma, literatüre Pers Şehidi Anlatıları adıyla geçen metinleri hagiografik yazının hususiyetlerini gözeterek değerlendirmektedir. Metinlerin nerede kaleme alındıkları, yazarlarının kimler olduğu ve her şeyden önce bu edebî iştigale niçin ihtiyaç duyulduğu tartışılan konuların başında gelmektedir. Pers Şehidi Anlatıları dil, üslup ve muhteva bakımından Roma İmparatorluğu içinde kaleme alınan muadillerinden farklılık arz etmektedir. Her şeyden önce bu metinler, Doğu Hristiyanlarının kimliklerini yüzyıllarca korumalarını mümkün kılan Süryani dilinde yazılmıştır. Sâsânî Şehinşâhlığı’nda Mecûsî çoğunluk içinde yaşayan Hristiyanların kötü deneyimlerini konu edinen mevzubahis metinler, hâliyle Mecûsîliğin pozitif yanlarını yansıtmaktan uzaktırlar. Pers Şehidi Anlatıları’nda, Sâsânî Şehinşâhlığı’nın edyân-ı sairesi arasında kahir ekseriyeti teşkil eden Hristiyanların saadet içinde geçen zamanlarına neredeyse hiç tesadüf edilmez. Bunun yanında söz konusu metinlerde Roma İmparatorluğu’na biçilen müspet rol, anlatıların muharrer hâllerinin Sâsânî sınırları haricinde ortaya çıkmış olabileceğini düşündürmektedir. Bahsedilen özellikleriyle Pers Şehidi Anlatıları, Geç Antik Çağ’ın mezkûr iki büyük hükümranlığı arasındaki çok yönlü rekabetin edebî alana yansıyan taraflı örnekleri olarak belirmektedir.

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Cite This Article

Tural, M. (2026). PERSIAN MARTYR ACTS AS A HAGIOGRAPHIC GENRE. Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi İnsan Bilimleri Dergisi, Cilt: 7 Sayı: 1, 87–112. https://doi.org/10.51533/insanbilimleri.1957115

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