Evidence of Christianity in pre-Islam Bahrain

[Eldorado]

"Experts have found the first archaeological evidence showing Christianity was practised in Bahrain, a discovery which sheds light on a missing part of the country’s history.

"Ancient documents have suggested there were Christian communities in the country before the spread of Islam in the 7th century, but this is the first time buildings or objects have been discovered which prove this."

Full report at Exeter Uni: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/research/title_769743_en.html

Better photo at ANN: https://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2019/12/first-archaeological-evidence-of.html#bCj80iKLd3RfjE8A.97

Edited December 6, 2019 by Eldorado

[+and-then]

From the piece:

 Little is known about how Islam initially spread throughout the Gulf and why people stopped practising Christianity. Evidence of Christian sites have also been found on Islands belonging to Iran and Abu Dhabi.

Three guesses...

[jaylemurph]

1 hour ago, and then said:

From the piece:

 Little is known about how Islam initially spread throughout the Gulf and why people stopped practising Christianity. Evidence of Christian sites have also been found on Islands belonging to Iran and Abu Dhabi.

Three guesses...

People got sick of listening to ill-informed opinions of Muslims and moved away from such people?

—Jaylemurph 

[Unusual Tournament]

22 hours ago, and then said:

From the piece:

 Little is known about how Islam initially spread throughout the Gulf and why people stopped practising Christianity. Evidence of Christian sites have also been found on Islands belonging to Iran and Abu Dhabi.

Three guesses...

Islam was spread by the sword. 

[RoofGardener]

Curious. At this stage in the development of the thread, all the book suggestions at the bottom of the page are for Dinosaur books ! 

[jaylemurph]

On 12/7/2019 at 12:39 PM, Captain Risky said:

Islam was spread by the sword. 

And what, Christianity wasn’t?

—Jaylemurph 

[Piney]

On 12/6/2019 at 4:55 PM, and then said:

From the piece:

 Little is known about how Islam initially spread throughout the Gulf and why people stopped practising Christianity. Evidence of Christian sites have also been found on Islands belonging to Iran and Abu Dhabi.

Three guesses...

The Jewish Kingdom of Yemen killed every Christian they could get their hands on. 

Quote

One of the first Jewish kings, Tub'a Abu Kariba As'ad (r. 390–420), is believed to have converted following a military expedition into northern Arabia in an effort to eliminate Byzantine influence. The Byzantine emperors had long eyed the Arabian Peninsula and sought to control the lucrative spice trade and route to India. The Byzantines hoped to establish a protectorate by converting the inhabitants to Christianity. Some progress had been made in northern Arabia but they had little success in Ḥimyar.^[10]

The first Aksumite invasion took place sometime in the 5th century and was triggered by the persecution of Christians. Two Christian sources, including the Zuqnin Chronicle once attributed to Dionysius I Telmaharoyo, which was written more than three centuries later, say that the Himyarite king prompted the killings by stating, "This is because in the countries of the Romans the Christians wickedly harass the Jews who live in their countries and kill many of them. Therefore I am putting these men to death."^[14] In retaliation the Aksumites invaded the land and thereafter established a bishopric and built Christian churches in Zafar.

The Jewish monarchy in Ḥimyar ended with the reign of Yṳsuf, known as Dhū Nuwās, who in 523 attacked the Christian population of Najrān. ^[15] By the year 500, on the eve of the regency of Marthad'īlān Yanūf (c. 500-515) the kingdom of Himyar exercised control over much of the Arabian peninsula.^[16] It was during his reign that the Himyarite kingdom began to become a tributary state of Aksum, the process concluding by the time of the reign of Ma'dīkarib Yafur (519–522), a Christian appointed by the Aksumites.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himyarite_Kingdom#Jewish_monarchy