Editing Shapur I (section)

===Religious policy===
In all records Shapur calls himself ''mzdysn'' ("Mazda-worshipping"). His inscription at the [[Ka'ba-ye Zartosht]] recounts his wars and religious establishments to the same extent. He believed that he had a responsibility; "For the reason, therefore, that the gods have so made us their instrument (''dstkrt''), and that by the help of the gods we have sought out for ourselves, and hold, all these nations (''štry'') for that reason we have also founded, province by province, many Varahrān fires (''ʾtwry wlhlʾn''), and we have dealt piously with many Magi (''mowmard''), and we have made great worship of the gods."{{sfn|Shahbazi|2002}} According to the Zoroastrian priest [[Kartir]], Shapur treated the Zoroastrians generously, and permitted members of their clergy to follow him on his expeditions against the Romans.{{sfn|Shahbazi|2002}} According to the historian [[Prods Oktor Skjærvø]], Shapur was a "lukewarm Zoroastrian".{{sfn|Skjærvø|2011|pp=608–628}}

During the reign of Shapur, [[Manichaeism]], a new religion founded by the Iranian prophet [[Mani (prophet)|Mani]], flourished. Mani was treated well by Shapur, and in 242, the prophet joined the Sasanian court, where he tried to convert Shapur by dedicating his only work written in [[Middle Persian]], known as the ''[[Shabuhragan]]''. Shapur, however, did not convert to Manichaeism and remained a Zoroastrian.<ref>{{BBKL |m/mani|band=5|author=Marco Frenschkowski|artikel=Mani (iran. Mānī<; gr. Μανιχαῑος < ostaram. Mānī ḥayyā "der lebendige Mani")|spalten=669–680}}</ref>