Patriarch Afrem Barsauwm and ….. "our ancient Assyrian Nation"

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Patriarch Afrem Barsauwm says: The Syrian community was known from its beginning as the Aramean community
Patriarch Afrem Barsauwm sagt: Das Syrische Volk war von Anfang als das Aramäische Volk bekannt.
Patrik Afrem Barsauwm diyor ki: Süryani halki, baslangiçtanberi Arami olarak biliniyordu

The biography of Barsauwm on the WebSite of the Syrian-Orthodox Church of Antioch (maintained by T. Issa).

Patriarch Afrem Barsaum made a profound research to the identity of the Syrian Church of Antioch. A part of the conclusion in his book (see above photo) about the name of the "Assyrians" is: The "Assyrian" name is the English Protestant invention going back to 1900 A.D. It was bequeathed to the Nestorians in the regions of Mosul 1919-1920 A.D. for a malicious, political purpose, so that the English politicians might create for themselves out of the Nestorian youth a militia they named "Assyrian" aiming at the realisation of their political plan in Iraq, a plan which failed in 1933 and resulted in the exile of the Katholikos of the Nestorians and his exile from the country with his followers, the result being that all the nations refused to permit his return to the near East.

In conclusion, the Syrians have no interest whatsoever in taking to themselves this strange name which will make them lose their race, their ecclesiastical support which is their unique and sole means of existence in the world. No wise man would of his own free will agree to change the name of his race, his community of his church, all of which had lasted two thousand years.

The conclusion of Afrem Barsauwm is beyond any doubt! The term "Assyrian" is just an invention of the English missionaries and others, who on the basis of their observations, gave this name to the East-Arameans of Mesopotamia, namely the Nestorains and the Chaldeans See for more detailed information about the propaganda of the English and the French men regarding the term "Assyrian" the article "The destruction of the Assyrians in the year 612 B.C… by the Chaldeans and Medians" . Afrem Barsauwm is formidable and very clear in his conclusion. What is the reason for this very clear and unmistakable conclusion? If we read his book, the attention is immediately attracted by the fact that he had studied all the books of the Church fathers and scholars of the Syrian Church of Antioch. From the book you can gather that he wrote it very dedicated, with great passion and precision. This means that it has cost him a lot of effort to make this remarkable and very deeply research. His conclusion is based on two very strong and solid pillars, namely:

  1. On the Holy Book the Bible.
  2. On the books of the church fathers and scholars of the Syrian Church of Antioch up to 14e century.

These two fundaments are so incredible strong and solid that they can withstand every attack of those who want to falsify the history of the Arameans of Mesopotamia, that means the West-Arameans and the East-Arameans.

The Church fathers:

Patriarch Afrem is quoting a large number of Church fathers and scholars, namely:

  1. Eusebios of Caesarea, "The Divine Apparition" (written in 411 A.D, British Museum No: 12150, page 723)
  2. Eusebios of Caesarea "Ecclesiastic History"(written 460, Library of Leningrad, today Saint Petersburg (Russia), page 240
  3. Saint Raboola, the Bishop of Edessa (died in 435), Published in Paris in 1894, page 240, page 410.
  4. Saint James of Saroeg (died 512 A.D) says about Saint Ephrem,, This Ephrem became a crown of Glory for all the Arameans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!…
  5. Monk Philon "Ascensions" (a copy of his book, St. Mark Jerusalem), printed by Michael Kamishko, Paris 1926
  6. Saint John of Amid (Diyarbakir, died 582 A.D), became later the bishop of Epheses "Ecclesiastic Diary", printed in Oxford in 1852, page 56.
  7. Saint John of Amid (Diyarbakir), "The Eastern Monks", translated into English, volume 2, page 208,
  8. Patriarch Saint John As-Sidri 3e (died 649 A.D.), published in Paris in 1915, page 4-5
  9. Saint Thomas Herkali, the Bishop of Mabbug (616 A.D)
  10. Saint James of Edessa (died 708 A.D.), "The Six days" page 324, his History page 293
  11. Monk Zoknini (775 A.D.), his "History" printed in Paris 1895, page 13, 20, 61, 62, 174, .
  12. Monk David Bib Paulus, his "Correspondence" (800 A.D.)…
  13. Mar Michael the Great, his "History…" about Patriarch Mar Dionyius Telemheery , page 522-524
  14. A Essay in Deyr’l Zahfaran, written 1182 A.D. about Mor Ephrem
  15. Monk Anton of Tigrit (died 850 A.D.), "The knowledge of Eloqeunce", Chapter 5, The 6e and 7e is the compound by Wafa, the philosopher of the Arameans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!…
  16. The Bishop Mar Moosa Bin Kepha (died 903 A.D.), "The Six Days", First article, Chapter 44, Chapter 45, 2e article, Chapter 45
  17. Patriarch Mar Michael the Great (died 1199), published in Paris 1899-1918, page 3, "The Children of Shem are the Assyrians, the Chaldeans, the Ludians and the Arameans who are the Syrians!!!!!!!!!!!!, the Hebrew and the Persians, page 626, 633
  18. Patriarch of Antioch Mar Yohannan Bin Shoshan (died 1072)
  19. Mar Dionysius Yacob Bin Saleeby, the Bishop of Amid (Diyarbakir) his book "Discussions", Chapter 5e, 14e
  20. Sevira Yacob Bartelli, the Bishop of Mar Matta and Azerbejan (died 1241), his book "Questions and Answers" , 4e article: question 12e
  21. Mar Gregorius the Great Bar Hebraeus, his book "The Organised Syntax ", the preface of His Ecclesiastic History, Vol I, Biography of Patriarch Athanasius I, Biography of the Patriarch Ignatius the 3e David, Biography of Katholikos Makanna the Foreigner, The Biography of the Nestorian Katholikos Aba I, Civic Syrian History (printed 1890), Page 37, page 57, page 128, page 168, his book "The Depot of Mysteries in the Explanation of the Holy Scriptures", his book "Summary of the Nations" (printed in Beirut, 1890) page 18, 99, 450, 478, 479
  22. Bishop Yeshudad of Hadeetha (853 A.D.), his book "The light of the world", printed in Louvian, Belgium in 1950, page 16.
  23. Theodoris Bin Konee (at end of 8e century), his book "Scholion", printed in 1910 in Paris.
  24. The Katholikos Timotheos I (died 823 A.D.), printed in 1914 in Paris, page 158
  25. Thomas of Marga (middle of 9e century), the Bishop of Beith Garmai, his Book "The Superiors", printed in 1910 in Paris.
  26. Elia of Sina, the Bishop of Nisibina (died 1050 A.D.), his Book "The Syntax" printed in Berlin in 1886, page 6, Chapter 11-12
  27. Elia from Nisibina, his "History", printed in Paris in 1910, 1e Volume page 13, 105, 2e Volume page 5, page 6
  28. Maree Bin Sleiman (1138 A.D.), the Bishop of Persia, his Book "Al-Magdal", printed in Rome 1899, page 33, 52
  29. Abd-Yeshu of Nisibina (died 1318 A.D.), his "Poem", Bibliotheca Orientalis,
  30. Omar Bin Matta of Terahan (1345 A.D.), his book "Patriarch of the East", published in Rome in 1896, page 5, 13, 31, 89, 111.

Dear reader if we try to understand the effort which Afrem Barsauwm has made to study all of these books – not to speak about the books he didn’t mention here- then you will understand that it was extremely heavy and difficult task which consumes a lot of time, certainly if we take in consideration that he had several times visited the Western libraries up to Saint Petersburg. It makes quite clear that through this profound research, Afrem Barsaum wanted to exclude any misunderstanding in order to clarify the origin of the Syrian Church of Antioch.

If we try to listen to the Church fathers and the scholars of the Syrian Church, then it will become very clear that the word Syrian=Aramean is very naturally to them. These two words cannot be separated from each other, although today there are many people who try to falsify this connection by changing the history! The meaning of Syrian=Aramean was so obvious to the Church fathers, that it was no point of discussion, everything was extremely clear to them! And this is exactly the very reason that Afrem Barsauwm says in the introduction of his book,, The Syrian Community was known from its beginning as the Aramean community"

An example will clarify this! The mainstream of the present-day Christianity accepts officially Jesus Christ as God Himself, that means His Divine. Yes, you have here and there some groups who do not accept the Divine of Jesus Christ, for instance the Jehovah Witnesses, Nestorains (since 451, Nestorius). But the mainstream does accept the Divine of Jesus Christ! This means that between a Syrian Orthodox and a Russian Orthodox there is no discussion about the Divine of Jesus Christ (accept some eccentric individuals). That is the reason that this subject is obvious to everybody. Therefore they have no need to talk about this issue.

In the same way the word Syrian=Aramean was so obvious to the Church fathers, they had no need to talk about this issue. However, they rather preferred to use the word Syrian above the word Aramean, because the word Syrian was inherent to Jesus Christ, that means pointing directly to the true faith and the word Aramean had a little bit more negative radiation of being "heathens". And this explains why they talk about "Syrian language, Syrian people and the Syrian Church, thus Leshono Suryoyo, Amo Suryoyo and ito Suryoyto". In the word Syrian/Syriac is the word Aramean automatically included, although there are today some ignorant people who do everything to falsify the history and to plant doubts in the hearts of those who are very weak in their faith and knowledge!

If the Church fathers, who were Arameans of Mesopotamia, rather preferred to use the word Syrian above the word Aramean , then I hope that from this, you can imagine what kind of view they would have had about the word "Assyrians". I think a terrible one!

Nevertheless, some of the Church fathers did express explicitly the fact that the Syrians are Arameans. For example the Saint James of Saroeg who says,, This Ephrem became a crown of Glory for all the Arameans…"

Anyway, it becomes I think very clear from the previous, that these are the strong and formidable scholars of the Syrian Church of Antioch who give a very strong evidence regarding the Arameans of Mesopotamia. Dear reader, now I would to ask a question to all of you: Why should we listen to the outsiders, while the scholars of the Syrian Church were the best scientist of their time who had the best sources at their disposal? Why quoting foreigners in stead of quoting your own scholars?

Those people among the Arameans of Mesopotamia, both the East- and the West-Arameans, who want to falsify the history by exchanging their Aramean name into the occult, anti-Semitic, ridicules, barbaric and Bible-hated name "Assyrian" should be ashamed! It is really unprecedented and terrible!

Furthermore, Afrem Barsauwm also quotes 10 important Western "Orientalist" writers, namely: German, French and English writers (William Wright, Martin Sprengling, Rendel Haris, A. Mingana, Rubens Duva, J. B. Chabot, Anton Baumstark, J. Tixceront, E. R. Hayes)

How should we have to understand "our ancient Assyrian Nation????? "

From the previous, we have seen that Afrem Barsauwm made in his Book quite clear that the Syrians are the descendants of the Arameans of Mesopotamia. His Book "The Syrian Church of Antioch, It’s Name and History" was published in 1952 and in 1983 printed in 4 languages.

But dear reader, it seems that there is a problem! On February 1920, Afrem Barsauwm – he was then Bishop- sent a letter to the peace conference in Lausanne in Switzerland. In his letter to the peace conference he speaks about "our ancient Assyrian Nation" and about "Syrians, Nestorians and Chaldeans"

How should we understand this? Was Afrem Barsauwm really a person who felt he was in his race an Assyrian? Did he really believe that the Syrians, the Nestorains and the Chaldeans were really the ancient Assyrians? Studying his book of 1952, the attention is immediately attracted by the fact that Afrem Barsauwm expresses that the Syrians are Arameans of Mesopotamia and that the Assyrians don’t exist at all! So, how can we understand this contradiction?

The political situation of 1920….

To understand this, we should first have to study the situation before 1920 and around 1920 with regard to our community in Turkey.

1. The slaughtering of 1914

As you all know, in 1914 a terrible massacre has been taken place in Tur Abdin. In the article "History of blood and tears… The slaughtering in 1914…" I have explained how terrible this massacre was carried out. Since Afrem Barsaum was the bishop of Tur Abdin before – and after the terrible massacre- he was very good informed about the horrible slaughtering of the Syrian-Aramean people, about the slaughtering and burning of monks, bishops and priests; about burning of Churches and houses; about stealing and robbing of their properties; about almost destroying of his people. No one of the former superpowers, in particular England and French, had any interest or whatsoever for this terrible massacre. Afrem Barsauwm and other leaders were desperate, upset and despondent about this terrible tragedy without getting any support from the other nations. We can imagine that Afrem Barsauwm would have done almost everything to prevent such a disaster in the future. If, for example, the Arab nations would have said to him "If you become a Arab, then we will support your people,, then it would not amaze me that he would have admitted to become a "Arab" in order to prevent such a disaster in the future. Anyhow, he would have done everything, and seize every opportunity, to guarantee the future of his people and save them from the yoke of the Turkish /Kurdish pressure and persecution. Their is Aramaic saying which sounds,, If the need, desperate and hopelessness is there, you will also spring in the sea"

2. The superpowers

The two main superpowers in the time of Afrem Barsauwm were England and French. If you wanted to achieve something, then it is obvious that you should had at least the support of one of the superpowers, otherwise forget it! To study the view of the superpowers with regard to the Middle-East, we should have to find out the atmosphere of that time.

In the article "the destruction of the Assyrians" I have told something about the French and English archaeologists who, on the basis of their archaeological excavations, were convinced that the Nestorians and Chaldeans were the remaining of the former Assyrian Empire. One quotation I would like to repeat here, namely,, When in 1842 and 1845 the France consul Botta and the Englishman Layard, opened up the remains of Nineveh with their excavations for the astonished world; the Chaldeans who were living in the neighbourhood of Nineveh became the centre of the excited European attention. They might be the direct descendants of the old Empires of Chaldea and Assyria. Layard, the hero of the Assyrian excavations, shouted from the housetops, that the Chaldeans and the Nestorians indeed are the remains of the Assyria and Nineveh as the destroyed palaces are " (Albert Stol, who is quoting John Joseph).

Due to the excavations, there was an excited atmosphere created in Europe about the so-called "descendants of Chaldea and Assyria". This atmosphere of euphoria was thus created, long before the birth of Afrem Barsauwm on 15th June 1887, Mosul in Iraq. Undoubtedly, also Afrem Barsauwm and others had heard about this excavations, since the excited atmosphere in Europe probably also was created in Iraq. The people in the neighbourhood of Nineveh, among others in Mosul, were presumable also informed about the excavations and the feeling of "rise again" of "Chaldea and Assyria" was certainly amplified! It would certainly not amaze me when Afrem Barsauwm and others supported the idea of rise again of the "Assyrian Nation" which had certainly the bless of the superpower England. This was probably the opportunity for Afrem Barsauwn and others to seize the chance to assure the future of their people, even if this was in contradiction with the history.

The English Protestant W.A. Wigram wrote,,……that the Nestorians were connected to the Assyrians by blood relationship and pointed out on the similarity in their expressions. Also the traveller J.P.J. Fletcher pointed out in his book,, Notes from Nineveh and Travels in Mesopotamia, Assyria and Syria (1850) ", on this similarity:,, The one who study with attention the sculptured effigies of the Assyrians and compare it with the present-day inhabitants of the plain of Nineveh, can hardly deny that there are great similarities between Kings and Princes, dressed in mantles, and the present-day farmer people in the neighbourhood of Mosul".

This euphoria was preached by mister Wigram and other people in order to stimulate the idea that the Nestorains were the descendants of the Assyrians.

3. England the Chairman of the peace conference

The peace conference held in Lausanne was, if I am right, chaired by England. And England was one of the superpowers with positive attitude regarding the "Assyrisim" and their plan in Iraq. So, if you wanted to achieve something at the peace conference, you should certainly not oppose one of the superpowers, in this case England. On the contrary, you should have to formulate your position in such a way that it "Matched" with the political ideas and expectance of the superpowers. You should certainly not do something which is aimed against their political plans and secret "agenda’s" of the former superpowers for the future. The issue of forming of the "Assyrian Nation" was certainly in agreement with the wishes and plans of England in order to retain their power, which was decreasing, in the region of Iraq.

Conclusion

Dear reader, if we take the previous points in consideration and try to imagine us the euphoria which was created about the "Assyrian Nation", then it is obvious that also Efrem Barsauwm, and maybe much more clergymen and people, were tempted by this euphoria and hope for the future, which they thought they could achieve. Many old people who had survived the slaughtering of 1914 stated many times that even when the massacre was ended, the survived Christians were afraid of new massacre.

The conclusion is then, if you as a leader, can save your people from the yoke of persecution, blood shed and new disaster just by accepting the name "Assyrian Nation" or "Akkadian Nation" or "Babylonian Nation" or "Arab Nation" or "Elam Nation" or "Sumer Nation" or "Whatsoever Nation" then you will, from the point of view of the human nature, agree with such a name, no matter how bad such a name might be.

Going wrong way……..

Everybody has experienced in his life some situations which he thought he was doing good, while afterwards became clear that he was wrong. This situation can happen with everybody, with me, with you and with everyone. The Bible says about such mistakes then,, What you think is the right road may lead to death" (Proverbs 14:12)

There are some situations in our life which many of us are convinced, they doing well, but in reality they are wrong! Why? Well, because of the fact the human being is blind, not perfect, stubborn and in general not prepared to bow for the Lord God! And this is exactly the warning of the Holy Book the Bible, namely,, Never let yourself think that you are wiser than you are; simply obey the Lord …….(Proverbs 3:7-8)

In the same way probably Afrem Barsauwm thought he was doing well, but afterwards he had discovered that he made a wrong decision about the "Assyrian Nation", even if his decision was meant to guarantee the future of his people! This could be one of the reasons why he is very blatant in his book about the origin of the Arameans of Mesopotamia. When you are a Spiritual leader, then you should be very strong in your faith in order to withstand the many temptations and misleading. The Lord God complains about those leaders who took decisions, which were not in agreement with the wiliness of the Lord God. The Lord God complains about them and says,, They follow plans that I did not make, and sign treaties against My will, piling one sin on another (Isaiah 30:1)… "My plans", says the Lord, "are not like yours, and My ways are different from yours. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are My ways and thoughts above yours" (Isaiah 55:8)

This is amazing, isn't it? The complain of the Lord is aimed against me, against you and against everybody who is so terrible stubborn to follow their own ideas and plans without consulting the Lord about his plans. However, the complain is in particular aimed against the spiritual leaders and laymen who have responsibility over the community.

Anyhow the Lord God is certainly not joking when He says,, against My will " . From this it is quite clear that the plan of "Assyrian Nation" was certainly not in agreement with the plans of the Lord God. How do we know this? Well, just take a look at the Holy Bible and everything will be clear to you!

If such a situation occur, the Bible says,, "The Lord frustrates the purpose of the nations; he keeps them from carrying out their plans. But His plans endure for ever; his purpose last eternally" ( Psalms 33:10-11)

I am convinced that this is the main reason that the plan of "Assyrian Nation" had to fail, because it was not in agreement with the Wiliness of the Lord. Afrem Barsauwm did follow plans and signed treaties which were not the plans and ideas of the Lord God! His task was first to find out if his plans were in agreement with Lord, before taking any action! The reason for this is that the Bible says,, anything that is not based on faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). The conclusion is then that the action of "our ancient Assyrian Nation" was certainly not based on faith! Furthermore can be said that when Afrem Barsauwm would have made a research through the Holy Bible, he would have discovered that the idea of the "Assyrian Nation" was nothing but nonsense! Unfortunately, he probably forgot to make a research through the Holy Bible to find out what is the True Road in this particular case! Fortunately he has restored his mistake in his book "The Syrian Church, It's Name and History". One of the pillars on which his book is build up is the Holy Book the Bible!

Dear reader, the mistake of Afrem Barsauwm is a lesson for me, for you and for everybody who want to come closer to the Lord God. Everybody can learn from his mistakes! However there are some people who glorify the mistake of Afrem Barsauwm in order to mislead the many poor educated people! They point out on his letter, which he sent to the peace conference on the 20 February 1920, by repeating, repeating and again repeating, without trying to find out the truth! Regarding such behaviour, the Bible says,, Stupid people are happy with their foolishness, but the wise will do what is right (Proverbs 15:21)

So dear reader, I would like to ask you this question: Are your plans of your life with - or against the Will of the Lord? Please try to give yourself the answer!

As a true Christian we should always ask ourselves the next questions: Are my ideas and plans in agreement with the true Road, that means with our Lord Jesus Christ? How true is my relationship with the Lord? What is the consequence of this relationship? Our Lord Jesus Christ says,, "Whoever tries to gain his own life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will gain it." (Matthew 10:38). Are we prepared to give our life unconditionally to the Lord? In other words, how reliable is our faith?

The right road..what is the right road??..

From the previous, it became clear that the decision of Afrem Barsauwm in 1920 speaking about "our ancient Assyrian Nation" was a decision, which was not supported by the Wiliness of the Lord God. On the contrary, it was a plan against the wiliness of the Lord.

So, the question is how do we know what is the right and what is the wrong way? How do we know if we are doing well? How do we know if we follow the right road? What I try to clarify is that the Bible is certainly not joking when it says,, anything that is not based on faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). So, how do we know that our conduct in daily life is based on the faith?

Well, the answer is given by our Lord Jesus Christ when He says,, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me" (John 14:6). So, the right way is Jesus Christ whom we have to follow! Regarding this right Road the Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 1:20 "What I write is true. God knows that I am not lying!" . This True Road in our life is Jesus Christ, who is revealed in the Bible. That is the reason why we have to follow the truth and concentrate our eyes on Him as the Bible makes clear in Hebrew 3:1 where we read: " My Christian brothers, who also have been called by God! Think of Jesus, whom God sent to be the High Priest of the faith we profess". The aim of our life is obeying Jesus Christ, only then we are sure that we are doing well and walk the Right Road.

Now is the question, if I am a Christian and you are a Christian and we have the same Church and we believe in the same Bible, how should be our behaviour towards those who call themselves Christians, but refuse to obey the Holy Book the Bible? How should be our own behaviour? How do we know if we are Christians according the wiliness of the Lord Jesus Christ? In other words what is the meaning of following the True Road in our daily live? To explain this, I will mention up a few quotations and ask a few questions to myself and to you.

Regarding the Good News the apostle Paul says,, It is clear that Christ Himself wrote this letter and send it by us. It is written, not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God…. (2 Corinthians 3:3)

The apostle Paul wants to express that they got the message from the hands of Christ to write the Holy Bible! It is not their personal teaching, but it is the teaching coming from the Christ Himself. To express that only the Holy Book the Bible is valid, he says,, Observe the proper rules ( 1Corinthians 4:6).

What does this mean? What kind of rules is meant here? And why should a Christian observe these rules? And how should we understand the word "observe"? The apostle Paul again expresses the importance of the Holy Book the Bible and says,, That is the gospel, the message that I preached to you. You are saved by the gospel if you hold firmly to it (1 Corinthians 15:2).

But how do we know what are the demands of the gospel? Well, the gospel is explained in the Holy Book the Bible! Studying the Holy Book the Bible and obeying it unconditionally means hold firmly to the gospel! How should we understand the meaning of "firmly"? And suppose that someone neglects the gospel, what would be the result? Suppose if I call myself an  "Assyrian", what does it mean when we compare this with "hold firmly to the gospel"?

Why should a Christian love the Lord God? And should he do that unconditionally or not? What can we learn form this? What about this quotation in 1 John 2: 3-5,, If we obey God's commands, then we are sure that we know Him. If someone says that he knows Him, but does not obey His commands, such a person is a liar and there is no truth in him. But whoever obeys His Word is the one whose love for God has really been made perfect".

What is the meaning of this sentence to us? What can we learn from this? How do we know what are the commands of the Lord God? What is the meaning of… obeys His Word ..to all of us? What kind of Word is this? How sounds this to all of us when we compare this with … hold firmly to..? And what about those who do not hold firmly to it?

Those who don't accept unconditionally these commands, which the Lord has revealed in the Holy Book the Bible, is a liar and there is no truth in him. This is amazing, isn’t it? And should we then work together with such a person? And suppose we do work together with him, what will be the result?

In 2 Timothy 3:14-15 we read,, But as for you, continue in the truth that you were taught and firmly believe… you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to the salvation through faith in Jesus Christ "

We see here that all of the Holy apostles are emphasising the importance of the knowledge regarding the Holy Scriptures. Now a question to me, to you and to all of us: What is the meaning of learning the Scripture? Why should a Christian learn the Holy Scripture, since we all are Christians? What is the Secret True behind this? What did our Lord want to achieve with this? I mean, we all call ourselves Christians, but why should we known the Holy Scriptures? And why do the apostles of the Lord point out on the studying, studying and again studying the Holy Scriptures? What is the meaning of truth? What kind of Wisdom is here meant?

If I am honest and you are honest and put our hands on our hearts then we shall discover that none of these requirements of the Holy Bible occur inside our community. I am right or not?

In Ephesians 2:20 we read ,, You, too, are built upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets…."

What kind of .. foundation is this? Where is the meaning of this foundation explained? Why should a Christian find out the meaning of this foundation? And what can we do with this foundation?

In 2Corinthians 13:5 we read "Put yourselves to the test and judge yourselves, to find out whether you are living in faith "

Why should we put us on the test? What kind of test is this? And what is the standard to test us to it? If you are a Christian and I am a Christian, why should we put ourselves to the test? What is the need for it? What is exactly the meaning of this? How can we find the standard to test ourselves? And what is the meaning of this in our daily life?

In Ephesians 4:10 we read,, Try to learn what pleases the Lord"

This sentence is little bit strange, isn’t it? I mean if we all are Christians, why should we try to learn what pleases the Lord God? I mean when you are a Christian and I am a Christian, what is the sense of learning to please the Lord God? Does this mean that just to be a "Christian" is not enough? And where can we find information to learn about it? What is the meaning of this exactly to all of us? If we go every Sunday to Church, is that our Christianity? Again, the question, why should we have to learn to find out what the Lord pleases?

In Philippians 1:27 we read,, Now, the important thing is that your way of life should be as the gospel of Christ requires…..

What is the meaning of . gospel of Christ .to all of us? Why should be the way of life of a true Christian be as the gospel requires if we all call ourselves Christians? And how do we know what the gospel requires from us? I mean where can we find a source to get information about the gospel? Was the way of life of Afrem Barsauwm with the gospel when he did speak of "our Assyrian Nations"? Was he following the way of life, which is required by the Holy Bible?

In Galatians we read,, What I write is true. God knows that I am not lying"

What is the meaning of true to you and to me and to all of us if we take a look to the problems inside our community? What is the meaning of this if we compare this quotation with the fact that Jesus Christ says "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me" (John 14:6)?????

In 1 Thessalonians 4:2 we read,, For you know the instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus"

What kind of instructions is here meant? Where can we find these instructions? What should a Christian do in order to get used with these instructions? And would it not be much better first to find out what these instructions are? Yes, nobody of us would admit that he is not a Christian, but what is the meaning of these instructions to all of us?

In Thessalonians 2:15 we read,,… stand firm and on to those truths which we taught you,….. "

What is the meaning of ..stand firm…? What kinds of truths are here meant? And above all, where can we find this truth to learn? Was Afrem Barsauwm standing firm when he did speak of our "Assyrian Nation" or was he excited and carried away by the propaganda of that time?

In 2 Thessalonians 3:6 the apostle Paul says,, Our brothers, we recommend you in the name of Jesus Christ to keep away from all brothers who are living a lazy life and who do not follow the instruction… "

What is the meaning of the fact that the apostle Paul says,, we recommend you in the name of Jesus Christ???? What is meant by . keep away.??? Well, these are the false Christians, that means those who do not accept the Word of God unconditionally, which means who do not follow the instruction.

In James 1:21 we read,, Submit to God and accept the Word that He plants in your hearts, which is able to save"

What is the meaning of .. accept the Word to you and to me? Why should we accept the Word? And what will be the consequence of not accepting the "Word"? What kind of "word" is this? Why is the "Word able" to save?

In 1 Timothy 4:6 we read,, …. Feed yourself spiritually on the Words of faith and the true teaching…….."

Why should a true Christian feed himself with the Words of faith? I mean, all of us call themselves Christians, so what is the sense of feeding yourself with Words of faith? What is the meaning of the Words of faith? What is meant by the true teaching.???? Does it mean that you have also false teaching? And also false Christians?

Why do those Holy apostles emphasis on the importance of the Word? What kind of reason they have had to write this?

Conclusion

Dear reader, I hope that from the previous it becomes clear that a Christian can only be saved when he obeys the Lord unconditionally. The only Good Road is the Holy Book the Bible in which our Lord Jesus Christ is revealed. By studying the Holy Book the Bible, you will find out what the Lord God pleases and you will learn how to lead a life in agreement with the wiliness of the Lord God. In fact the Holy Bible is the only guide which can save me, save you and save everybody and prevent us for going on the false way. It will correct me, correct you and correct everybody when we do things which are not in agreement with the wiliness of the Lord.

Patriarch Afrem Barsauwm, who probably was stimulated by the European propaganda, speaks in his letter of February 1920 about "our ancient Assyrian Nation". This was certainly a mistake of Afram Barsauwm which he put right in his book "The Syrian Church, It’s Name and History". Like I told you before, it can overcome all of us making mistakes during our live on this earth, since nobody is perfect, but only Jesus Christ! There are probably more clergymen who have made mistakes without setting these mistakes right. Afrem Barsauwm did so!

Not the humans, nor any institution but Jesus Christ…….

We have seen that Afrem Barsauwm has set his mistake right in his book’ The Syrian Church, It’s Name and History’ which he made in 1920 when he spoke of "our ancient Assyrian Nation". But dear reader, the book of Afrem Barsauwm or the book of whomever is nothing in comparison with the Word of God, it means with the Holy Book the Bible! That is exactly the reason that the prophet David says,, Men are all like a puff of breath; great and small alike are worthless. Put them on the scales, and they weigh nothing; they are lighter than a mere breath" (Psalms 62:9).

What is the human being in comparison with the Lord God? The humans are nothing in comparison with the Lord God! So, a true Christian should only rely on the Lord God. Because only the Lord can give you knowledge and wisdom. Only the Lord God can save you from the death. All the people consist of flesh and blood, it means they all make mistakes in their life, regardless their function, their work or their status. Nobody can do a good thing, without getting wisdom from the Lord God as we can read,, But it is the Spirit of Almighty God that comes to men and gives them wisdom" (Job 32:8) and in James 1:17 we read,, Every good gift and every perfect present comes from God….. " . But of course it doesn’t mean that we should not listen to the clergymen when his way of life is in agreement with the Lord God. On the contrary, a good clergyman is a shepherd who leads the flock of the Lord God. The task of the clergymen is perfectly described by the apostle Peter when he says,, "I, who am an elder myself, appeal to the church elders among you. I am a witness of Christ’s sufferings, and I will share in the glory that will be revealed. I appeal to you to be shepherds of the flock that God gave you and to take care of it willingly, as God wants you to, and not unwillingly. Do your work, not for mere pay, but from a real desire to serve. Do not try to rule over those who have been put in your care, but be examples to the flock" (1 Peter 5:1-3)

What I try to say is that also the clergymen make mistakes in their live en we should be prepared for that and certainly not enlarge their mistakes and misuse their mistakes. The point is that Jesus Christ is the Stone, the Standard on which everybody should be put on the test, including the clergymen! Why? Well because the Apostle Paul says,, For all of us must appear before Christ, to be judged by Him. Each one will receive what he deserves, according to everything he has done, good or bad in his bodily life" (2 Corinthians 5:10)

This is amazing, isn’t it? I mean here speaks a mean who has done a lot of miracles, a man who was full of Holy Spirit, a man of incredible strong faith. He was directly in contact with our Lord and God Jesus Christ! This Apostle was one of the greatest Apostles whom the Lord God used to perform remarkable miracles as we can read,, God was performing unusual miracles through Paul. Even handkerchief and aprons he had used were taken to those who were ill, and their disease were driven away, and the evil spirit would go out of them" (Acts 19:11)

Bur dear reader, when this apostle says,, For all of us must appear before Christ … he involves himself too! So, he will be judged too! If this the case, how should you and me think about our own behaviour towards the Lord? How should we handle towards the Lord God? And above all, what kind of humble life should we lead to become children of the Lord?

Which of our Patriarchs is greater than the apostle Paul was? Which of our bishops, monks and priests are greater and more holy than the Apostle Paul was? However if this holy person also should appear before Christ, to be judged by Him , what would be the judgement of Jesus Christ about you, about me, about our Patriarchs, about our Bishops and other clergymen and about all of us? I do hope you get here the point, which I try to tell you!

Jesus Christ……

So, the point is not the human being, nor the Church, but the head of the Church, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One who is able the Save and give us wisdom. He is the Truth, the Life and the Love. Only if we lead a life in agreement with His wiliness, we will become His brothers and sisters, otherwise forget it! Yes you have today a lot of people who say,, I belong to the Syrian Church" while their behaviour is ridiculous! It has nothing to do with the Love and the Truth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Belonging to a Church it doesn't automatically mean that you are a Christian, oh no, certainly not! You have many of so-called Christians who commit terrible deeds while they say they belong to a Church.

In Colossians 2: 3-4 the Apostle reveals a Secret Truths when he says ,,In this way they will know God's secret, which is Christ Himself. He is the Key that opens all the hidden treasures of God's Wisdom and Knowledge. I tell you, then, do not let anyone deceive you with false arguments, no matter how good they seem to be,,

Yes dear reader Yes! Only Jesus Christ is the Standard on Which the behaviour of every true Christian should be tested. Only Jesus Christ is the Right Road, the Truth, the Life and Love Whom we are obligate to obey! In connection with this we read "We destroy false arguments; we pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God, we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). And in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 we read "Put all things to the test: keep what is good and avoid every kind of evil "

A question to all of you: Why should we put all things on the test? I mean what is the reason for this? And why should we destroy false arguments? What is the aim of these false arguments? What is the origin of these false arguments?

The knowledge of God, that is the Truth, is revealed in the Holy Book the Bible. Each Christian, irrespective of his duty, race and origin, has to use the word of God, the Holy Bible, that means our Lord Jesus Christ, as the leader in his life in order to lead a life in accordance with the wiliness of the Lord. So, a true Christian will put all thoughts, ideas, models and opinions and captive it to obey the Lord. If this is in agreement with the Bible, a Christian should accept that idea, thought, model or opinion. If that is not the case, he should reject it!

Putting the book of Afrem Barsauwm and his letter to the peace conference on the test.

If we put the book of Afrem Barsauwm, ‘The Syrian Church, It’s Name and History’ on the Test, that means on Jesus Christ, then it will become clear that his book is perfectly in agreement with the Key of Wisdom, that means with our Lord and God Jesus Christ. This means that we have to accept his book as in agreement with the Lord. If we put his letter on the Test, which he sent to the peace conference on 20 February 1920, then it will become clear that this is not in agreement with Holy Book the Bible, it means with the Standard. Therefore we should reject his letter, no matter how good the letter was meant.

The attempts of those zealous people who do everything to falsify the history will end into mud! In spite of their hardworking to change the lie in the truth and the truth in the lie, their attempts will fail!

You see, the problem is in reality that they fight against the Truth. Okay you can do this during many years, but once the Truth will become visible and the result is then you will loose! Just simple as that! You cannot hide the lie for eternity, because the lie will become visible! Okay Afrem wrote a letter in 1920 in which he speaks of "our ancient Assyrien Nation". Yes, so what! Everybody makes a mistake in his life! Besides the Bible reveals to us that,, The Lord finds faults even with His angles" (Job 4:18). He has set his mistake right in his book "The Syrian Church, Its Name and History". Why showing his letter in order to mislead people?

So, dear reader it is not important what the humans do but more decisively is our Lord and God Jesus Christ, who deserves all honour and Dignity!

Ignorant ….

Unfortunately, you have today a lot of ignorant people who do repeat, repeat and again repeat by saying,, The Church has done this, the Church has done that, the Church decided this or that, or the Church is brainwashing you, or the Church has mislead many centuries, or they blame the clergymen many .. " I have never heard these people saying,, Jesus Christ says this or that, or you should follow Jesus Christ". No, nothing of this! In stead of this they rather prefer to listen to false teachers who falsify the history as the Apostle Paul says to us,, The time will come when people will not listen to sound doctrine, but will follow their own desires and will collect for themselves more and more teachers who will tell them what they are itching to hear. They will turn away from listening to the truth and give their attention to legends. But you must keep control of yourself in all circumstances……. (2 Timothy 3:3-4)

Dear reader, please pay attention to this very accurately! The Apostle Paul speaks of … not listen to sound doctrine… own desires….false teachers…. turn away from listening to the truth…. attention to legends

Oh! This is remarkable, isn’t it? You have today a lot of people who have created their own "virtual reality" based on myths and legends regarding the existence of the "Assyrians"! It is really amazing and at the same time astonishing! Everything is perfectly predicted in the Holy Book the Bible. I mean it is just a legend when some glorify the anti-Semitic, Bible hated ridiculous "Assyrism" isn’t it? Why not glorifying Jesus Christ? Why not preaching His majesty? Why not obeying His Word and try to find out what is the meaning of the faith? Why believing in legends and myths? Why, why and again why?

I get regularly E-mail from people who attack the Holy Book the Bible in a ridiculous way! On the basis of their E-mail you can see, that they are only interested in myths, legends and nonsense. Mostly, they have a lot of hatred against the people of Israel and in particular against the Old Testament! Sometimes I give a respond on their E-mail and try to convince them about the Truth of the Holy Bible, but however they are not interested at all! Why not? Well, because they will not listen to sound doctrine, but will follow their own desires. You have also some situations, in which some people even do listen to the lie, why? Well, because they collect for themselves more and more teachers who will tell them what they are itching to hear. This is now today the reality! There are a lot of these "false teachers" who are prepared to teach false ideas and falsify the history. The remarkable fact is that their "audience" listen very well-disposed to their theories, legends and myths! 

How is it possible that they are not interested in the Holy Bible? How is it possible that they are not interested in listening to Jesus Christ, although they call themselves Christians? Why is this so? Well, because they will turn away from listening to the truth and give their attention to legends.

The advice of the Holy Book the Bible to all of these people is:

image49.gif (9721 bytes) "Foolish people! How long do you want to be foolish? How long will you enjoy pouring scorn on knowledge? Will you never learn? " (Proverbs 1:22) image24.gif (4770 bytes)

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