54 HOEMUZD RASSAM, ESQ., ON BIBLICAL LANDS, THEIR 



connexion between the Catholic churches in different parts 

 of the world with that of Rome, but this fact does not surely 

 do away with the nationalities of the different races that are 

 under the pontificate of the Pope ! 



The same Syrian historian, Assemani, mentions plainly 

 the origin of the Chaldean nationality and doctrine in the 

 following words: "The Chaldeans or Assyrians received 

 Christianity in the time of the twelve apostles — Peter, 

 Thomas (St. Thomas, the incredulous, and the apostle of 

 India), Bartholomew, Matthew, and Judas, the son of 

 James, and Thaddeus, also called Lebseus, also Thaddeus 

 of the seventy, and Mark and Ayhasus, are called the 

 apostles of the Syrians and Chaldeans, Adseus or Adi, one 

 of the seventy disciples, was sent into the East by St. 

 Thomas, one of the twelve, and was martyred at Edessa, 

 under the son of the celebrated Abgarus, on his return 

 from preaching in Persia, Assyria, and Babylonia. Mark, 

 a disciple of Adseus, proclaimed the Gospel in Babylonia 

 and Persia. He fixed his residence at Ctesiphon and 

 Seleucia, and is called the first Bishop of Seleucia ; and 

 Seleucia in this manner became the head of the Oriental 

 Church.* 



The present Dean of Argyle and the Isles, w^ith whom 

 I have had some correspoiidence on the subject, when he 

 was in charge of the mission at Urmi in Persia, has drawn 

 his conclusion from the word " Sooraye," by which, as he 

 alleges, the Mestorians call themselves. I have abeady 

 explained the meaning of this appellative above (previous 

 page), which is nothing more than a religious term, that 

 is to say, a Christian, like the sect of the '• Nazarenes."t 

 The word " Sooraye " is a corruption of the word Athuraye 

 or Assyrian, just as Othman is corrupted by the Turks 

 into Osman, and rendered in English Ottoman. The th as in 

 three is turned into s, as it is now pronounced by different 

 Biblical nationalities such as the Yezeedees, Coords, and 

 Persians. The want of the letter A in Sooraye is not 

 uncommon if we examiiie different cognate languages, 



* Rich's Koordistan^ vol. ii, p. 120. Another peculiar idea has now 

 been stated with regard to the nationality of the Chaldeans, and it is to 

 be hoped that the use by the members of the Archbishop of Canterbury's 

 " Mission to the Assyrian Christians," who invented a new and quaint 

 foreign name for the Nestorians, by calling them in their official reports 

 *-£ast Syrians," and likewise calling the Monophysite Syrians "West 

 Syrians," will not start an erroneous idea with regard to their nationality. 



t Acts xxiv, 5. 



