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Site Seleucia Acts xiii 4 Wilderness rock Bedouin desert barren landscape God Jesus bible holy testament old new Christ
Seleucia was one of the great cities of the world during Hellenistic and Roman times. It stood in Mesopotamia, on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the smaller town of Opis (later Ctesiphon). Over sixty years later a new city, Veh-Ardashir, was built on the site by Ardashir I (ruled 226–241), founder of the Sassanid dynasty. There were active Christian churches in Mesopotamia from the first century onwards and sometime during the third or fourth centuries Seleucia became an important centre. Following the edict of toleration by the Persian Sassanian King Yazdegard,which brought to an end, for the time being, the persecution of Christians which had lasted for 70 years, the remaining Christians set about reorganizing and strengthening the church. The Synod of Seleucia (The Synod of Mar Isaac) met in AD 410 under the presidency of Mar Isaac, the bishop of Seleucia-Ctesiphon. The most important decision of the Synod which had a very far reaching effect on the life of the church, was to declare the bishop of Seleucia-Ctesiphon as the primate of the Persian church; and in recognition of this pre-eminence he was given the title ‘Catholicos’. The Synod confirmed Mar Isaac as Catholicos and Archbishop of all the Orient. The Synod also declared its adherence to the decision of the Council of Nicea and subscribed to the Nicene Creed. The Canons of the Synod leave no doubt as to the authority of the great Metropolitan, the Catholicos of Seleucia-Ctesiphon. Without his approval, no election of bishop would be valid. (Ctesiphon was a twin town on the opposite bank of the River Tigris). Towards the end of the reign of Yazdegard, the Christians were again persecuted in AD 420. Dadyeshu was elected Catholicos in AD 421 and himself suffered during the persecution and was he was released he resigned and left Seleucia, but the church refused to accept the resignation and there followed the Synod of Dadyeshu which met in AD 424 in Markabata
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