Who Are the Persians?

The original Persians were the Aryans who settled on the high Iranian plateau around 1,000 B.C. They were descendants of an Indo-European nomadic group that had migrated from the mountains of southeast Russia many years before.

Now three millennia later, there are about 95 million Persians. They live primarily in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and other parts of Central Asia and speak dialects of Persian, also known as Farsi. Although Persian uses the Arabic script, it is an Indo-European language rather than Semitic (like Arabic or Hebrew).

When we speak of the "Persian world," we are referring to the countries of Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. These countries adjoin one another and form a band running from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf.

Persia is mentioned prominently in the Bible.

"Iran, known as Persia in the Bible, is the land of Esther and Daniel! Scripture tells us that this nation was established by God to deliver the Jewish people from Babylonian captivity, and the one who allowed them to return to Jerusalem was Persia’s first monarch, King Cyrus.

The Old Testament mentions other Persian kings. King Darius was a contemporary of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. Queen Esther and her husband Ahasureus reigned over the Persian Kingdom, which spanned from India to Ethiopia. King Artaxerxes gave Nehemiah permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city walls. Persians not only recognize these people as biblical characters but also as part of their own history. Daniel, Esther, Ezra and Nehemiah were people of high esteem who lived in the Persian Empire as God-fearing citizens.

We see Persians again mentioned in the New Testament. Persian Jews were present on the day of Pentecost. They heard Peter’s spirit-filled sermon, repented of their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their Messiah. Church history confirms Persia’s role in the spread of the gospel message." (From "Persians in the Bible," by Allyn Huntzinger, 2001)

Today many Persians want to hear about Jesus. God is clearly working in their hearts today!

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