—Ardashir, son of Babak, seized power in Istakhr; he was the first monarch to rule Persia in the second era.

Caesar died, and another succeeded him (1); then yet another arose who proved exceedingly harsh toward the Christians, subjecting them to grievous torment (2). He slew vast numbers of them, put every scholar among them to death, massacred the Christians living in Egypt and Alexandria, tore down the churches, and in Alexandria erected a great temple that he called “the Temple of the Gods” (3).

After him came another Caesar, and then another, during whose reign the Christians enjoyed calm and security—for his mother loved the Christians (4).

Yet another emperor followed and unleashed a severe persecution of the Christians: he killed multitudes of them, compelled the populace to worship idols, and executed many bishops, even killing (5) the patriarch of Antioch. When the patriarch of Jerusalem heard of this, he fled and abandoned his see. That emperor later perished, and another took his place, followed in turn by yet another.

In the days of this latter ruler the impostor Mani appeared, claiming to be a prophet. Skilled in trickery and deception, he was seized by Bahram, king of Persia, who cut him in half. Bahram also captured two hundred of Mani’s followers and buried them head-down in the mud until they died.

After Bahram, Philip took the throne and believed in Christ, but some of his commanders rebelled against him and killed him.