IV. Literature. — The sources of information regard- ing the ancient Persian history are : 1. Tlie Jewish, to be elicited chiefly from the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, of which something has been said. 2. Grecian writers. Of these, Ctesias availed himself of the Persian annals, but we have only extracts from his work in Pho- tius. Herodotus appears also to have consulted the na- tive sources of Persian history. Xenophon presents us with the fullest materials, namely, in his Anabasis, his Ilellenica, and especially in his Cyrnjpcedia, which is an imaginary picture of a perfect prince, according to Ori- ental conceptions, drawn in the person of Cyrus the elder. Some of the points in which the classical au- thorities disagree may be found set forth in Eiclihorn, Gesch. der A. Welt, i, 82, 83. A representation of the Persian history, according to Oriental authorities, may be found in the llallische Allgemeine Weltgeschichte, pt. iv. (See also Becker, Weltgeschichte, i, 638 sq.) A very diligent compilation is that of Brissonius, De Regno Per- sarum, 1591. Consult especially Heeren, Ideen, i, 1 ; his Uandbuch der G. d. S. Alterth. i, 102 ; and H. Brochner, Uni del jodiske Folks Tilstand i den Persiske Periode (Copenhagen, 1845). A full and valuable list of the older authorities in Persian affairs may be seen in the Bibliotheca Historica of Meusellius, vol. i, pt. ii, p. 28 sq. See also Malcolm, History of Persia from the Earliest Ages to the Present Times (Lond. 1816, 2 vols. 4to) ; and
PERSIAN
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PERSIAN VERSIONS
Sir H. Rawlinson's "Memoir on the Cuneiform Inscrip- tions of Ancient Persia," publislied in the Jouriml of the Asiatic Sucic/i/, vol. x and xi: Polak, Persien, das Land uiid seine Bcwohnci- (Leips. 18G5 sq., 2 vols. 8vo) ; Friedliinder, l)e veteribus Persai-um regihus (Hal. 1862, 8vo); llutcliinson, Two Years in Persia (Lend. 1874, 2 vols.); Markham, I/istonj of Persia (ibid. 1874). The most complete as well as recent survey of ancient J^ersia is given in Eawlinson's Ancient Monarchies, vol. iii (new edition, Lond. 1871). See also Elam; Media.
Per'sian (Ileb. Parsi', ''G^B ; Sept. ITfpffiic ; Vulg. Perse«),the name ofthe people who inhabited the country called above ''Persia Proper," and who thence conquered a mighty empire. There is reason to believe that the Persians were of the same race as the INIedes, both being branches of the great Arj-an stock, whicli under various names established their sway over the wliole tract be- tween Mesopotamia and Burmah. The native form of the name is Parsa, which the Hebrew "^pIS fairly rep- resents, and which remains but little changed in the modern "Parsee." It is conjectured to signify "the Tigers." See Persia.
Persian Christians. That the Gospel was earlj' planted in Persia we have the most unequivocal evi- dence in the terrible persecution of Christians which began there in A.D. 330, whereby, in forty years, about 250 of the clergy and 1G,000 others, of both sexes, were martyred in the cause of Christ, though many of them have been considered as heretics by the Church of liome, being of the Nestorian and Jacobite communions. In the 7th century they fell under the scourge of Moham- medan tyranny and persecution, whereby many were driven to seek a refuge in India, particularly on the coasts of Travancore, while the great mass of the popu- lation apostatized to Mohammed ; a circumstance that Mr. Yeates very naturally attributes to their not hav- ing the Scriptures in their own language till very re- centh'.
In the middle of the last century a version of the Gospels was made by order of Nadir Shah, who, when it was read to him, treated it with contempt and ridi- cule; but since the commencement of the present cen- tury the Rev. H. Martyn has translated the whole New Testament. It was completed in the year in which he died (1812), and has been presented to the king of Per- sia by the British ambassador, and favorably received. Notwithstanding both persecution and apostasy, the number of Christians in Persia is said to be still very considerable, and to comprise Georgians, Armenians, Nestorians, Jacobites, and Komish Christians. "The number of these (Persian) Christians amounts to about 10,000. They have an archbishop and three bishops. The former resides at IMosul ; one of the bishops at Chosrabad; another at Meredin, and the third at Di- arbekir. By the Mohammedans they are called Xaza- 7'enes, and Si/rians by the Arabs; but among themselves Ehrians, or Bcni Israel, which name denotes their rela- tion to the ancient Jewish Christian Church, as does also their present language, being very like the Hebrew. They have no connection whatever with cither Greek or Roman churches. They hold the doctrine of the Trinity in Unity; and declare Jesus Christ to be 'the way, the truth, and the life,' and that through him alone they arc delivered from the wrath to cf)me, and are made heirs of eternal life. They acknowledge only the two sacraments, l)ut both in the fidl sense and import of the Protestant Church. Tiiey have at Cliosrabad a large church, nearly of the size and appearance of the Scotch kirk at Madras, which is a line building. Through fear of the Mohammedans, who insult and oppress them, they assemble for divine worship l)etweeu the hours of five and seven on Sunday mornings, and in the even- ings between six and eight. There are also daily ser- vices at the same hours. The women and men sit on opposite sides of the church." Of the native Moham-