According to Alberto Tibrucio, this work "fills an important gap as a rare example of a testimony narrated from the perspective of a convert and portraying a voluntary conversion".
Around 1673, during the reign of Safavid Shah (King) Suleiman I, he converted from Christianity to Shia Islam, a decision which, according to his writings, was inspired by a scriptural evidence as well as a series of visions and dreams.
His subsequent trip to Venice resulted in his imprisonment "in retaliation for allegations of mistreatment of Christians in Iran", but he was later released through the intervention of his brother.
[4] According to Tiburcio, the I'tirāf-nāma, though written in Persian, was probably conceived as a missionary tool and for circulation among Armenian Christians "as far as the surviving evidence suggests".
[4] His use of "oneiric elements" in his work to describe his "spiritual journey into Islam" has led Tiburcio to suggest that he had access to conversion narratives stemming from other milieus.
[4] The work also includes the "standard" biblical reference to the Paraclete of the Gospel of John, an example of inter-religious polemic often used in conversion narratives to express "proof" for Islam from the Bible.