syriac christianity was established from an early stage in syriac or aramaic-speaking areas both in the east (ruled in turn by the parthians and the persians) and in the roman-ruled west. the church of the east (the mother church of the modern assyrian church of the east, chaldean catholic church and ancient church of the east) was founded as a distinct church in 410, when, in the council of seleucia-ctesiphon, christianity within the sasanid empire was organized, after the model approved by the 325 first council of nicea, as six ecclesiastical provinces, and recognized the bishop of seleucia-ctesiphon, the imperial capital, as having ecclesiastical authority throughout the empire. aramea was also home to significant christian communities in the roman empire, with syrian antioch being the center of some of the earliest christian communities. the syriac orthodox church and maronite church later emerged in this region as distinct from the church recognized throughout that empire.