-
PersecutionAid to Bible Understanding
-
-
you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.”—Matt. 23:34, 35.
Privately, Jesus had also repeatedly warned his disciples, saying, “You will be objects of hatred by all people on account of my name; . . . When they persecute you in one city, flee to another.” “A slave is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” “Men will expel you from the synagogue. In fact, the hour is coming when everyone that kills you will imagine he has rendered a sacred service to God.”—Matt. 10:22, 23; John 15:20; 16:2.
Soon after Pentecost, 33 C.E., there were arrests, threats and beatings. (Acts 4:1-3, 21; 5:17, 18) Then Stephen was seized and stoned to death, but not before he bore witness against his persecutors, saying, “Which one of the prophets did your forefathers not persecute? Yes, they killed those who made announcement in advance concerning the coming of the righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.” (Acts 7:52-60; see also Hebrews 11:36, 37.) The murder of Stephen was followed by a great siege of persecution led in part by Saul of Tarsus, the results of which scattered the Jerusalem congregation far and wide, but thereby extended the activity of preaching the good news. (Acts 8:1-4; 9:1, 2) Later, Herod Agrippa I had James the brother of John slain with the sword, and probably would have done the same thing to Peter, had not the angel of Jehovah miraculously rescued him in the dead of night.—Acts 12:1-11.
With his conversion to Christianity, Saul the persecutor became Paul the persecuted, as he says, by Jehovah’s undeserved kindness. This occurred when he finally came to appreciate that he was fighting against the Lord himself. (Acts 9:4, 5; 22:4, 7, 8; 26:11, 14, 15; 1 Cor. 15:9; Gal. 1:13, 23; Phil. 3:6) The account of his ministry and travels thereafter tells how Paul, in turn, experienced much persecution at the hands of Christianity’s enemies.—Acts 13:50; 2 Cor. 6:3-5; 11:23-25; Gal. 5:11; 2 Tim. 3:10, 11.
Persecution of Christians by the authorities of the Roman Empire from and after the days of Nero is a matter of secular history. (See CHRISTIAN.) The charges varied, but the objectives always seemed to be the same, namely, the suppression of Christianity.
PROPER ATTITUDE TOWARD PERSECUTION
If one keeps God’s commandments as a Christian it is impossible to escape persecution, for “all those desiring to live with godly devotion in association with Christ Jesus will also be persecuted.” (2 Tim. 3:12) Yet true Christians are able to endure all manner of wicked persecution and still maintain a happy attitude free of malice and hatred of the persecutors. This is because they understand the issues involved—the source of the persecution and why it is permitted. Instead of being puzzled and worried over such experiences, they rejoice to share with Christ in the test of loyalty under persecution.—1 Pet. 4:12-14.
The Christian, however, must be certain that what he suffers is really for a righteous cause. The Bible account and pattern allow for no mixing in politics, plotting of conspiracies, nor for any type of criminal activities as the basis for one’s being persecuted. Giving particular stress to this, the apostle urges: “Maintain your conduct fine among the nations, that, in the thing in which they are speaking against you as evildoers, they may as a result of your fine works of which they are eyewitnesses glorify God in the day for his inspection.” (1 Pet. 2:11, 12) He followed this up with counsel as to subjection to government officials, to slave owners, to husbands, citing the example of Christ Jesus as the model to be followed. (1 Pet. 2:13-25; 3:1-6) A Christian could be happy if suffering for the sake of righteousness (3:13, 14) but should never suffer “as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a busybody in other people’s matters.”—1 Pet. 4:15, 16.
Christians also appreciate the prize awaiting those who endure. Concerning this reward Jesus declared: “Happy are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, since the kingdom of the heavens belongs to them.” (Matt. 5:10) So the Christian’s mental attitude is important if he is to maintain faithfulness under the pressure of opposition. “Keep this mental attitude in you that was also in Christ Jesus, who . . . became obedient as far as death, yes, death on a torture stake.” (Phil. 2:5-8) “For the joy that was set before [Jesus] he endured a torture stake, despising shame.”—Heb. 12:2; see also 2 Corinthians 12:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:4; 1 Peter 2:21-23.
The Christian’s attitude toward the persecutors themselves is also an important factor. Loving one’s enemies and blessing those opposed enables a person to endure. (Matt. 5:44; Rom. 12:14; 1 Cor. 4:12, 13) This too the Christian knows: Anyone forsaking home and relatives for the sake of the kingdom of heaven is promised a hundredfold more, but “with persecutions” also. (Mark 10:29, 30) Not everyone that hears the good news of the Kingdom will endure the heat of persecution, it is true, and some may attempt to sidestep the issues to avoid trouble. (Matt. 13:21; Gal. 6:12) But it is better to rely on Jehovah’s strength, praying as David did for deliverance from the persecutors, knowing he will not leave his servants in the lurch, and then one will be able to say with the apostle, “we are coming off completely victorious through him that loved us.”—Ps. 7:1; 2 Cor. 4:9, 10; Rom. 8:35-37.
-
-
Persia, PersiansAid to Bible Understanding
-
-
PERSIA, PERSIANS
A land and a people regularly mentioned in association with the Medes, both in the Bible and in secular history. The Medes and Persians evidently were related peoples of the ancient Aryan (Iranian) tribes, and this would make the Persians descendants of Japheth, perhaps through Madai, the common ancestor of the Medes. (Gen. 10:2) In an inscription, Darius the Great calls himself “a Persian, son of a Persian, an Aryan, of Aryan seed.”
Assyrian inscriptions relating to the time of Shalmaneser III (evidently a contemporary of Jehu of Israel) mention an invasion of Media and the receiving of tribute from kings of “Parsua,” a region apparently situated to the W of Lake Urmia and bordering on Assyria. Many scholars consider “Parsua” to be the name then applied to the land of the Persians, though others would associate it with the Parthians. At any rate, in later inscriptions the Persians are placed considerably more to the S, being settled in “Parsa” to the SE of Elam in what is now the province of Fars in modern Iran. Anshan, a district or city bordering Elam and possibly once within its domain, was also occupied by the Persians.
Thus, in their earlier history the Persians seem to have held only the southwestern portion of the extensive Iranian plateau, their boundaries being Elam on the NW, Media on the N, Carmania on the E and the Persian Gulf on the S and SW. With the exception of the hot, humid coastlands of the Persian Gulf, the land mainly consisted of the southern portion of the rugged Zagros mountain range, broken by long and quite fertile valleys having well-wooded slopes. The climate in the valleys is temperate, but on the higher plateau regions the arid, windswept lands experience severe cold in the winter months. Like the Medes, the Persians appear to have done much stock-raising, along with necessary agriculture, and Persian King Darius the Great proudly described his native land as “beautiful and rich in horses and men.”
Originally leading a somewhat austere, often nomadic life, the Persians manifested a great love for luxury and luxurious surroundings during the period of the empire. (Compare Esther 1:3-7; also the clothing given to Mordecai, 8:15.) Sculptures at Persepolis represent the Persians as dressing with flowing, ankle-length robes, girded at the waist, and wearing low-laced shoes. By contrast, the Medes are depicted
-