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getting into the fields with their families and cattle, they put 
on sackcloth, and humbled themselves before God, calling aloud 
for pardon, and sincerely repenting of their past wickedness. 
Wherefore God was pleased to forgive them, and the storm 
blew over.” 
53. The inhabitants of Assyria consist now of mixed races, 
Arabs, Turkomans, Koords, Yezeedees, Jews, and Christians 
called Chaldeans and Syrians. The last two-named denomina- 
tions doubtless belong to one nationality, the Assyrian, and 
they were only distinguished by these two names when they 
separated consequent upon the theological dispute of the age, 
namely, Monophisites or Jacobites, and Nestorians. These 
were again subdivided into four divisions through the pro- 
selytism of Rome ; those of the Chaldeans who embraced 
Popery kept to their original name, and those who did not 
consent to Nestorius* excommunication were nicknamed after 
him ; but those who separated from the Jacobites adopted the 
name of Syrian Catholics, while those who adhered to the 
Monophisite heresy they called Jacobites. 
54. It is out of place here to enter into the theological dis- 
putes of those times and the diversity of opinion existing as 
to the right of the present Chaldeans to that ancient name. 
Suffice it to say, that from the time of the Chaldean or 
Assyrian monarchy up to to-day the name has not been lost ; 
especially as we find from ancient history and ecclesiastical 
records at Rome that such people as Chaldean Christians did 
exist before a part of the community joined the Roman 
Church. It may be asked, what has become of the great 
Chaldean or Assyrian nation, which must have numbered 
at the time when Assyria was at its zenith at least 20,000,000 ? 
This can easily be answered by the fact that according 
to the existing rules in the Ottoman Dominions, handed 
down from father to son from time immemorial, when a person 
of any nationality embraces the faith of another denomination 
or creed he becomes ipso facto a member of that nationality. 
For instance, if a Christian, Jew, or Yezeedee, becomes a 
Mohammedan, he would at once be reckoned of the same 
nationality to which he joined himself, whether Turk, Arab, or 
Koord, and those who have seceded from their sects would 
feel so ashamed of having been unbelievers that they very 
seldom mention the name of their “ infidel” parents ! Even 
amongst the Christians in the East, if a Greek or a Syrian 
joins the Armenian Church, or an Armenian or a Syrian joins 
the Greek Church, he at once will be considered as belonging 
to that sect, and thus when the Assyrians or Chaldeans were 
