Since 1842, the Church of England appointed priests to handle the affairs of the Nestorians. The activity of these people, especially a priest named (Rev. George Percy Badger), led to the establishment of the Archbishop of Canterbury Mission for Christians in 1881. The headquarters of this mission was first in Urmia and in 1903 it was moved to a city near Lake Van (Turkey).
Among the prominent ministers, we should mention the senior pastor Wigram from 1902 to 1912, who served among the Christians of this mission. Naming this mission after the Christians made these Christians to be known everywhere as “Assyrians” or Assyrians. The purpose of this mission was absolutely not to change the opinions of the Nestorians.
In the 19th century, missionaries from the Danish Lutheran Church, the Norwegian Lutheran Church, and the Baptist Church came to the Assyrians. In 1827, some Assyrians fled to Russia and joined the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1898, an Assyrian delegation went to Russia and promised to join the Orthodox Church in exchange for Russian help. The Russians also built churches and schools in Urmia.
But these measures did not reach a result and the Assyrians remained Nestorians. Foreign aid to the Assyrians and the Nestorian Church has always been difficult. The problem that exists is that it is not possible for Assyrian Nestorians to forget their historical past and fully join a foreign church, and neither is the Nestorian church able to meet the needs of its Christians. In addition, what spiritual and ecclesiastical help can be given to a nation that does not have a land of its own and does not know where it will live tomorrow.
During World War I, the Nestorian nation, along with other Christians who lived in Ottoman lands, suffered heartbreaking hardships and sufferings. The Ottoman government had the same attitude towards the Christians as the Sasanians and later the Arabs. Since the Ottoman government was at war with Russia and it was suspected that the Christians would cooperate with Tsarist Russia, they were driven out of their homes or massacred.
The massacre of one and a half million Armenians in these years is the most heinous event of this period, which is unfortunately less mentioned. The Assyrians or Nestorians living in the lands under Ottoman rule were also greatly persecuted. As a result of these ordeals, they sought refuge in a Russian military camp in Urmia.
With the outbreak of the Red Revolution in Russia and the withdrawal of the Russian military from this region, the Assyrians had no choice but to move to the south of Iraq and seek shelter from the British forces who were advancing to the north. Many perished on the way. Meanwhile, the war ended. The independent government of Iraq was established, but England was overseeing the affairs. The Assyrians were mainly settled around Mosul and Kirkuk. Some of them enlisted in the British army stationed in Iraq and killed Muslims in several cases.
Little by little, the fire of enmity between Christians and Muslims was ignited. The British government was worried about the future of this small group of Christians. Since the early 1920s, the British government was looking for a place to permanently settle the Assyrians. The nascent countries of the Arab Middle East and some Latin American countries were targeted.
After various investigations and investigations, according to the opinion of the League of Nations, it was decided that they should be settled in a plain in the north of Syria, and the cost of urban construction should be provided with the help of several countries. But unfortunately, due to the chaotic political and economic situation of the countries after the First World War, this plan was not implemented.
With the commitment of the then king of Iraq to ensure the security of the Assyrians, they remained in Iraq. Another group of them continued to live around Urmia as before. Currently, a large number of Assyrians have migrated to Western countries, especially the United States.
Today in the article : Ali Vahidi: A summary of the book History of Christianity in Iran (Chapter 8) We reviewed useful information about the Bible and the way of Jesus. If you wish, you can view other articles of Ali Vahidi about Christianity
