Officium Extra Orientem

A man known as Flavius Saracenus, an Arabic nomad from a tribe in the eastern deserts of Aegyptus, is appointed as the first Officer for the Distant East, and comes from a good Arabic lineage, from a tribe known to the Romans as peaceable and willing to trade. He is hastily given the right to wear a toga, and confirmed as a tax-paying Roman citizen, after decades of wandering the desert, somewhat off the books when it comes to income. The 500 Aurei largely goes towards establishing a suitable estate to maintain the dignity of the office, the purchase or hiring of staffs, both slave and free, and in future, will also go towards occasional diplomatic gifts.

Saracenus immediately gets to work introducing himself to the numerous tribes of the Hejaz, and the Ghassanids. He does not attend the chiefs of Kindah, since they are merely vassals of the Himyarites, whom he intends to woo in future.

The office reports back on the current situation in the east:

The Ghassanids are confirmed to have very good intelligence of Roman provinces, particularly Palaestina and Aegyptus, due to the transit of knowledge through Bedouin trade caravans, better than we have of them. The Ghassanids are loyal and good Christians, so there is no cause for worry. Many Arab Bishops seem fond of the teachings of Cyril of Alexandria, but the majority seem to be adherents of the Nestorian Church of the East. The Phylarch, the chief, of the Ghassanids is a pragmatic man, however, and refuses to specify his particular theological leanings.

The Lakhmids are content with peace for the time being, though mutual border raids continue with the Ghassanids. Both sides are careful not to allow any escalation of the conflict, and it seems the Sassanid court are actively encouraging Lakhmid inaction.

The Himyarites and their vassals are content with the current balance of power, and their representatives seem obsessed with trade, rather than power politics. They are well-disposed towards all, but are hostile to the idea of renewed war. Himyar grows rich off the Red Sea and Arabian trade, and worries that a Syrian or Mesopotamian war would disrupt their activities. They have no interest in theological disputes in Rome, and are uninterested in talk of the Christ. They are unapologetic Jews, and believe this affords them a degree of neutrality and moral superiority over us Christians. One Himyarite ambassador even suggested that we should follow the laws of Moses if we wanted to reach heaven!

Christianity is unpopular in the Sassanid Empire, as a recent decree by Yazdegerd has granted privileges and protection to them, and they have used this to aggressively assert their faith at the expense of the state religion. It is likely that a clash between Bishops and Magi will soon force the hand of Yazdegerd, and I fear he may side against the Christians. I suggest that now is the time to support Yazdegerd's interest in Christianity, and the work of the eastern bishops.

-Saracenus