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News Worldwide Directory History Persecutions Churches of Iran |
Church of Iran: HistoryA Very Brief Introduction to The Christian Heritage of Iran and The Church of the EastIran in the BibleIran, also known as Persia in European languages, is one of most ancient countries still recognisable today. Iran, as a political unit, was formed over 2500 years ago by King Cyrus the Great when he united the Medes and Persians into one nation.The Empire of the Medes and Persians conquered the Babylonian Empire and spread to the borders of India and Greece. It was unlike previous ancient empires which had taken people away from their own land into exile. Cyrus the Great and his successors allowed the twenty-three conquered peoples of their Empire to continue their own customs and religion provided that they paid tribute to the King. A clay cuneiform tablet proclaiming these rights by King Cyrus has been excavated. A copy of this tablet, placed in the foyer of the United Nations building in New York today, has been described as the first Declaration of Human Rights in human history. In the Old Testament Isaiah writes that God says to Cyrus: (Isaiah 44:28 - 45:6) "who says of Cyrus, He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, Let it be rebuilt, and of the temple, Let its foundations be laid." |