The
Church of the East (
ʿĒ(d)tāʾ d-Maḏn(ə)ḥāʾ), also known as the
Nestorian Church, is a
Christian church within the
Syriac tradition of
Eastern Christianity. It was the Christian church of the
Sasanian Empire, and quickly spread widely through
Asia. Between the 9th and 14th centuries it represented the world's largest Christian church in terms of geographical extent, with
dioceses stretching from the
Mediterranean Sea to
China and
India. Several modern churches claim continuity with the historical Church of the East.