Robin Waterfield - Christians in Persia: Assyrians, Armenians, Roman Catholics and Protestants

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ROUTLEDGE LIBRARY EDITIONS:
IRAN

CHRISTIANS IN PERSIA

CHRISTIANS IN PERSIA

Assyrians, Armenians, Roman Catholics
and Protestants

ROBIN E. WATERFIELD

Volume 24

First published in 1973

This edition first published in 2011

by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada

by Routledge

270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

1973 George Allen & Unwin Ltd

Printed and bound in Great Britain

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 13: 978-0-415-57033-6 (Set)

eISBN 13: 978-0-203-83010-9 (Set)

ISBN 13: 978-0-415-61048-3 (Volume 24)

eISBN 13: 978-0-203-83219-6 (Volume 24)

Publishers Note

The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but

points out that some imperfections in the original copies may be apparent.

Disclaimer

The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and would

welcome correspondence from those they have been unable to trace.

1. The above two couplets are taken from the third book of the Mathnavi of JalAlu'ddin Rfimi, the greatest of the Persian mystical poets. The reference is clearly to the raising by our Lord of the widow's son at Nain, as recorded in St Luke's Gospel, vii, 11-16. The illustration is by Musavvir ul Mulk, the famous miniature painter of Isfahan. The words may be rendered into English as follows :

Oh! do not deem the words of Christ mere sound and breath,

But note there fled away from Him the spectre of Death!

Deem not his accent rough, His style inerudite,

See how the dead man leapt to life, and sat upright!

CHRISTIANS
IN PERSIA

ASSYRIANS, ARMENIANS
ROMAN CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANTS

BY
ROBIN E. WATERFIELD

London
G E O R G E A L L E N & U N W I N L T D
R U S K I N H O U S E M U S E U M S T R E E T

First published in 1973

This book is copyright under the Berne Convention. All rights are reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, 1956, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, electrical, chemical, mechanical, optical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Enquiries should be addressed to the publishers.

@ George Allen & Unwin Ltd 1973

ISBN 0 04 275001 6 hardback

0 04 275002 4 paper

Printed in Great Britain

in 11 point Baskeruille type

by Clarke, Doble & Brendon Ltd

Plymouth

Preface

This book was substantially researched and written during the six months, January to June 1971, and owes a very great deal to a number of friends and libraries who have rendered me the greatest assistance. I am especially indebted to the USCL and the SPCK for financial assistance during the preparation of the book. The Reverend Dick and Mrs Ashton gave me lodging and much other help besides, Mr John Gurney of Oxford read the typescript and made many pertinent comments and corrections, Mr John Hananian of Tehran provided a mass of stimulating comment and criticism, Michael Harverson gave continuous encouragement and help in all stages of the books production, and finally my old friend and master, Canon M. A. C. Warren, was warmly encouraging and helpful as always.

I am also indebted to the following persons for information and assistance of many kinds: Father William Barden O.P., the Reverend H. E. J. Biggs, Mme Bouteloup, Hugh Carless, Miss Vera Eardley, Dr Stella Henriques, Miss Mary Isaac, Dr Jim Laster, Mrs Maddock (grand-daughter of Robert Bruce), the Reverend George Malcolm (son of Napier Malcolm), Dr W. McE Miller, Dr Ronald Pont, Mrs Violette Rake, Dr Paul Seto, the Reverend Norman Sharp, Bishop W. J. and Mrs Thompson and Mr and Mrs Henry Ward. I am also greatly indebted to the staffs of the Fulham Central Library, the London Library, the Catholic Central Library and the British Museum as well as the authorities of the Church Missionary Society and the Churchs Ministry among the Jews for much help. There are many others too numerous to name to whom I also owe thanks, which I do most heartily give.

I need hardly add that the mistakes are all my own. I am conscious that the book may not entirely please either scholars or the general public. My hope is that it may have collected in one volume a body of facts and information hitherto only to be found widely scattered in a great number of different places, and that it may encourage others to study some parts of this history in greater depth.

January 1972

Tehran

To the Christians of Persia past, present and future

Contents

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

Illustrations

1.	A miniature by Musawir ul Mulk depicting the raising by our Lord of the widow's son at Nain.
2.
3.	Dr Asahal Grant, the first American missionary doctor. Mar Yohannan, Bishop of the Assyrian Church and the teacher and friend of Justin Perkins.
4.
5.
6.
7.	Zillu's-Sultan and his favourite son, Akbar Mirza (Sareme Dowleh). Bishop Stuart and members of the CMS mission in Isfahan, c. 1904 (see p. 163).

Part One

THE NESTORIAN PLANTING

Chapter One

THE BACKGROUND

Iran, the land better known to us as Persia, has a recorded history of some 2,500 years, but human settlements have been found dating back to 10,000 BC and a more or less continuous record of settlement can be traced from 5000 BC . Around 1800 BC the first wave of Aryans migrating from Transoxiana reached Iran, and it is from them that Iran received its name. Six hundred years later a second wave of migrants arrived, bringing with them their own religion and the Vedic Pantheon of Gods.

The first group in Iran to form a definite kingdom was the Medes who in alliance with the Scythians and the Babylonians attacked Assyria in 612 BC and destroyed its capital, Nineveh, thus becoming the overlords of the great Assyrian Empire. Just over fifty years later, in fact in 559 BC , Cyrus, heir to a petty dynasty in South Persia, overthrew his Median overlord, Astyages, and established the Achaemenian dynasty. Here, for the Persians, begins the history of their monarchy, which has endured as an institution for over twenty-five centuries and, as the recent celebrations show, is still a potent factor in the life of the country.

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