The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-01-20
THE RELIGIOUS RAMBLER
Copyright. 1918. by the Ellis servieel.
BY WILLIAM 7. ELLIS

Copyright, 1918. by the Ellis Servicel. |
Urumia, Persia--On this plain where
one tradition locates the Garden Of
Eden; and where Zoraster, the founder
OF the ancient Persian religion, was
born; and where the great revival Of
the Mithriatic rites, which disputed the
claims of Christianity as a world re
hgion. had its center, a traveller today
finds a unique religious condition that
may profoundly affect the future Of all
the churches everywhere. This is the
center OF the ancient HISTORIAN Church,
and about that body as a rallying point
there is a convergence Of diversified
religious activity such as can nowhere
else be found in all the world.
AS all students of church history
know the HISTORIAN Church has a
unique and romantic past. 1t bears the
name Of Nestorious, who was patriarch
Of ConstantinCple in the years 42S431,
and who was condemned, many hstor
ians say unjustly, as a hereto by the
Council Of Ephesus, in the year 43l.
His followers are opposed to image wor
ship, 90 not have the confessional al.
low priests TO marry, do not accept the
doctrine Of purgatory, use a great deal
of Scripture in their liturgy, which is in
the old Syriac Language, and do not eat
pork The HISTORIANS have been called
the Protestants Of the ancient eastern
churches.
They are the survivors Of the As
syrian race, and call themselves Syraus
or Persian-Assyrians. They still use
the Syriac language such as was in
vogue at the time of Christ In Pales-
tine the Syrians who are probably of
the same Aramean stock, use the Ara
bic tongue; so to hear the speech of
Jesus and His followers, one must come
to this part of the world.
Once WOrId-Ninning, Now AbjeCt
Possibly the most romantic fact about
the HISTORIANS, next to their eXtraordi-
nary persistence in the face Of cruel
and ceaseless persecution, which has
continued down to the present day, is
their brilliant history as a missionary
church In the middle ages the Mes
torians swept to the confines of the
htlOWA NDElls llty ilillOsb NDilN'A t'At
China to Christinity, and the Ncsto.
rian tablets are well known to all stu
dents OF that country. one Chinese was
patriarch of the HISTORIAN church, and
dwelt for a time at Urumia. In Arabia
and India the church made wonderful
missionary conquests, and at the pres
ent time there are more HISTORIANS in
India than in Persia or Turkey the com
munity which centers at Malabar num-
bering q quarter of u million while
there are only about a hundred thou
sand Syrians in this part of the world,
which was the church's ancient strong
hold. In the heyday Of its power, the
HISTORIAN church stretched from Peldng
to Cyprus, from the Yellow Sea to the
Mediterranean, with churches all the
way between.
Since then there has been sad de-
cline. Churches have decreased in mum
Der and power. Scholarship has disap-
peared. There are today no HISTORIAN
theological seminaries, except those
maintained for the church by the Arch.
bishop Of Canterburys mission. Priests
and bishops train their own successors
Repeated ravages from hostile neigh
bors have destroyed church buildings
and ancient books There is now in the
possession of the church, / am told
only one manuscript as much as a thou
sand years old. Persians, kurds, Arabs
and Turks have wrought their fanatical
worst upon this ancient Christian com.
munion, which, however has kept the
faith in spite Of all.
There have not only been defections
TO other branches of the Christian
church, but the Syrians themselves have
lost much of the virility and independ'
ence Of character which is properly
their inheritance. The tendency of Syr
ians in the United States and Canada
to prey upon the credulous religious
public by appeals that are not wholly
honest is well %lnown, These mendi
cants, however do not fairly represent
their race, yet there is a clear tendency
present among this sorely distressed
people to take refuge under whatever
branch Of the church promises them
the greatest protection from their enc
mics.
Patriarch Leads Christians TO War.
There is plenty Of fighting spirit left
IN these people especially among the
mountaineers, At the present moment
for instance, have been unable to sec
the patriarch OF the HISTORIAN church
Mar Shimmon, whose home is near this
city, because he is several days jour
ney away in the mountains, with the
special contingent of twenty five hun
dred Syrian troops. who are of fighting
against the Turks and Kurds, and win
ming notable victories,
Religion as we'll as political loyalty
inspire these people to fight on the side
of the allies, for they feel that their
very existence, as a small community
surrounded by an overwhelming body
OF Mosleins. depends upon their receiv
ing protection from a non-Moslem power
In the calls have had from leaders OF
AL branches Of the HISTORIANS, this
point has always been made most
strongly: they want the United States
or Britain to establish them under some
sort Of protectorate that will assume
them security in their lives and homes
For centuries they have lived under the
shadow Of the sword Of Islam, and
practically every family Of them has its
own tale to tell of relatives murdered
OF mothers, wives, sisters and daughters
ravaged- and Of homes looted or de
stroyed. This sort Of thing is so far
beyond the experience OF the knowledge
of the western world that it scarcely
can be made real
If given safety, it is more than likely
that all the Syrians would revert TO the