On the last Sunday in January, Christians in the ancient Syrian village of Tel Hormizd removed a cross from their church, but not by choice. They were forced to abandon their Christian identity by Islamic State (IS) militants, who had also kidnapped and killed hundreds of Christians.
Six days later, residents of 35 contiguous Assyrian villages were also ordered to tear down the crosses on their ancient churches and pay jizya, a tax on non-Muslims living in Muslim territory. Those who refused to pay were told to leave their villages or be killed. Thousands fled, but many remained. Within three weeks, the, the militants kidnapped between 262 and 373 people from the villages.
As Assyrians around the world mourned the loss of their family members, it caused me to wonder exactly who the Assyrians were. An ethnic group distinctly different from Arabs and Jews, the Assyrians have faced much persecution for their belief in Christ
The Assyrians were among the first people groups to become Christians. The apostles Thomas, Thaddeus and Bartholomew obeyed Christ’s command to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19) and reached out to the Assyrians. It was through their leadership that The Assyrian Church of the East (Nestorian) was established in AD 33. Later, the Assyrians would also form The Syrian Orthodox Church (Jacobite) and The Chaldean Church of Babylon (Roman Catholic). These three bodies are considered the primary Assyrian churches, though there are other Syriac churches, including the Maronites in Lebanon.
In spite of pressures from other groups, the Assyrians have preserved their Christian way of life. Although the lingua franca throughout the Middle East became Arabic, the Assyrians preserved their own language, speaking a form of Aramaic, the language Christ spoke. Retaining what they had been taught by the apostles, the Nestorian church was a thriving missionary church, and by the twelfth century, it had reached into China, Korea, Japan and the Philippines. By the mid-thirteenth century, however, only a small remnant of what had once been a large outreach remained in Iraq. In an effort to rid the area of Christianity, an army nearly eradicated the Assyrians.
Even so, Assyrian Christians have continued to practice their faith throughout history. Descendants of Mesopotamians, many continue to live in their ancestral homeland – a region that now spans northern Iraq, northwestern Iran, southeastern Turkey and northeastern Syria. Though there are many Assyrian communities located elsewhere, those in this area have faced extraordinary difficulties. In 1914, Turkish nationalists massacred about 750,000 Assyrians. But this would not be the last time Assyrians would face genocide. Following the formation of Iraq in 1933, Iraqi soldiers murdered more than 3,000 Assyrian villagers in Simele. And with events now occurring in Syria and Iraq, the Assyrians may well be facing another genocide.
I am amazed at how the Assyrian people have not given up hope. Although they have endured centuries of persecution, the Assyrian people remain true to Christ and boldly defended themselves. This was illustrated to me when 19 of the more than 200 hostages taken in February were released. One family refused to leave, because IS militants were keeping their 6-year-old daughter, Mariana. After two days, IS finally gave in, and she was released. What a cause for celebration! As much of her community celebrates with her, some Assyrians continue to fight off IS militants for the villages where the apostles of Christ first established a people willing to follow Christ, no matter the cost.
Sources: Assyrian International News Agency, Rutgers Center for Study of Genocide and Human Rights, Nestorian.org
“Ann Kay” is a writer for VOM. She learned about VOM five years ago when she read Tortured for Christ and began receiving the newsletter. She is passionate about reaching the world for Christ and sharing stories of the persecuted church.
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