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En nations undergång De ständigt förföljda nestorianerna eller kristna assyrierna Av Abraham Yohannan, fil. dr. Översättning: Viktoria Lundvall INNEHÅLLSFÖRTECKNING Förord......................................................................................................................... Inledning..................................................................................................................... I EN FÖRFÖLJD KYRKA 1. Grundandet av den nestorianska kyrkan under parterna (50-225 e. Kr.).......................... 2. Utgångspunkten Edessa................................................................................................. 3. Maris mission................................................................................................................ 4. Kyrkan under de sassanidiska kungarna (225-651)........................................................ 5. Papas biskopsstift......................................................................................................... 6. Shapurs omfattande förföljelser (339-379).................................................................... 7. Omorganiseringen av den persiska kyrkan (379-399).................................................... 8. Kyrkan under Yazdigirds styre (399-420)...................................................................... 9. Yazdigirds förföljelser.................................................................................................... 10. Bashrams förföljelser................................................................................................... 11. Patriarken Dadisho och hans möte (421-456)............................................................. 12. Den nestorianska kyrkans triumf.................................................................................. 13. Patriarken Mar Abha, Anushirwan och andra kungar som har stöttat kristendomen...... 14. Det nestorianska monumentet i Kina............................................................................ 15. Valet av Sabhrisho...................................................................................................... 16. Andra vägar för att sprida kristendomen...................................................................... 17. Islams ankomst........................................................................................................... 18. Syrisk litteratur........................................................................................................... 19. De kristna under arabiskt välde; Omars konstitution.................................................... 20. Kalifer med intresse för religiösa frågor....................................................................... 21. De assyriska läkarnas inflytande på kaliferna.............................................................. 22. Kalifernas förföljelser................................................................................................. 23. Kristnandet av Kariatstammen................................................................................... 24. Den nestorianska kyrkans klimax............................................................................... 25. Den nestorianska kyrkans nedgång under mongolernas khaner.................................... 26. Tatarernas och kurdernas våldsamma angrepp........................................................... II SKRÄCKENS KAPITEL 1. Urmia – stormens öga.................................................................................................. 2. Flykten........................................................................................................................ 3. Härbärget.................................................................................................................... 4. Redogörelser av tyska missionärer............................................................................... 5. En heroisk mission....................................................................................................... 6. Den modiga flickan..................................................................................................... 7. Den fruktade, amerikanska flaggan.............................................................................. 8. På dagordningen: massaker och plundring..................................................................... 9. De hjärtlösa mördarna.................................................................................................. 10. En feg slakt................................................................................................................. 11. Redogörelse av en missionär i Urmia............................................................................ 12. Blodröd skräck........................................................................................................... 13. Våldtäkter.................................................................................................................... 14. Kidnappningar............................................................................................................. 15. Islamisering.................................................................................................................. 16. Utpressning................................................................................................................. 17. Nestorianerna i Kurdistans bergstrakter....................................................................... Synkronistisk översikt.................................................................................................... Bibliografi....................................................................................................................... FÖRORD Jag vill tillmötesgå mina vänners önskan och har därför gått med på att redogöra för förföljelserna av den nestorianska kyrkan. Härvidlag vill jag offentliggöra nytt material om de lidanden och massakrer som dess anhängare har fått utstå, till följd av detta fruktansvärda krig, . De förföljelser och lidanden som nestorianerna går igenom från en tid till en annan påminner om de som armenier och judar har fått utstå - deras fiender har behandlat dem på liknande sätt. Vi hör dock talas om armeniernas och judarnas situation ganska ofta, medan nestorianerna i Persien och Turkiet nästan inte har väckt någon uppmärksamhet alls. Detta beror antagligen på att de är så få och saknar representanter i litteraturen. De saknar också förespråkare i de europeiska och asiatiska städerna och står utan ledare eller rådgivare i Turkiets och Persiens bergsbygder. De får sällan besökare utifrån och känner inte till världen utanför den egna regionen, där de är omringade av de ogästvänliga bergens fästning. Det är ingen enkel uppgift att väcka intresse för små samhällen som omvärlden inte har brytt sig om tidigare. Det är svårt under den jättelika strid då nationer går under1, då de moraliska grundvalarna tycks ha rubbats. Tragedin som har drabbat de syriska nestorianerna i persiska Urmia, saknar motstycke historiskt sett.2 Gärningsmännen har haft ett fördärvligt inflytande och orsakat förödande skador och fruktansvärda brott. Kristna länder har aldrig tidigare ställts inför sådana ämnen som har väckts under detta krig. Materialet som har använts för denna bok har samlats in från olika källor. För att kunna åstadkomma större noggrannhet i olika uttalanden har jag citerat dem, ofta ordagrant. Jag ställer mig bakom det som Montaigne skrev: ”Jag har bara gjort en blombukett av blockade blommor och har inte tillfört något på egen hand, förutom tråden som binder dem samman.” När jag förberedde detta arbete satte jag min tro till mina föregångare, vilket framgår av fotnoterna. Jag har bl.a. använt dr. Wigrams välgjorda arbete History of the Assyrian Church och har vid flera tillfällen återkommit till dr. Labourts Le Christianisme dans l’Empire Perse. Jag står i tacksamhetsskuld till dr. Sheed, herr Labaree och andra medlemmar av den Amerikanska Missionen i Urmia. Det handlar om deras värdefulla information om händelserna som utspelade sig i Urmia och dess omgivningar under den turkiska och kurdiska invasionen och för deras hjälp på olika punkter. Det är en angenäm skyldighet ge uttryck för min uppriktiga tacksamhet till professor W.W. Rockwell vid Unionens Teologiska Seminarium och dr. Charles J. Ogden, för deras generösa hjälp med korrigering av varje sida ifrån författaren och för deras råd om bokens upplägg. 1 Första världskriget. Övers. anm. 2 Notera att bokens engelska utgåva kom ut före andra världskrigets utbrott. Övers. anm. INLEDNING Vilka är nestorianerna och var finner vi dem? De har blivit kända under olika beteckningar: Araméer3. De gillade dock inte att kallas detta då det tycktes väcka en del associationer till hedendomen. De insisterar att det var en felbeteckning som judarna gav dem som inte var anhängare till judendomen. Kaldéer4. Detta namn har använts vid registreringen i särskilda ecklesiastikdokument och ritualer, för att ange deras ursprung och relation till Abraham, som var från ”Ur i Kaldéen”. De kan därför - med rätta - göra anspråk på att kallas kaldéer, som ättlingar till de forntida kaldéerna och det finns ingen giltig invändning i det fallet. Det är uppenbarligen i denna betydelse som Assemani använder beteckningen, när han säger: ”För kaldéer eller assyrier, som kommer från den delen av världen använder vi termen ’orientaler’.” Ainsworth titulerar dem ”kaldéer”, vilket är korrekt, i sin Travels and Researches in Asia Minor
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