The Book That Killeth and the Book That Giveth Life

When American Protestant missionaries arrived in Urmia in northwestern Iran in the 1830s, they encountered an indigenous Christian culture in which ancient manuscripts were revered. Justin Perkins (1805-69), who directed the mission he founded until the year of his death, came to Iran to distribute...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Material religion 2014-12, Vol.10 (4), p.515-518
Main Author: Becker, Adam H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
American Indians
Christianity
Festivals
Iran
Males
Missionaries
Power
Protestants
Sacredness
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Summary:When American Protestant missionaries arrived in Urmia in northwestern Iran in the 1830s, they encountered an indigenous Christian culture in which ancient manuscripts were revered. Justin Perkins (1805-69), who directed the mission he founded until the year of his death, came to Iran to distribute printed books. By 1841 the mission had set up a printing press, and the early work of the mission resulted in contention about what books were, what they could do, and why they were effective. The Church of the East had a long history of learned book culture, and for East Syrians-a less theologically loaded term than 'Nestorians,' the title found in most Western sources-ancient manuscripts belonged to a broad, stratified world of holiness and power, one also consisting of various holy men and holy places and a complex sacred calendar of fasts and festivals. For their mission to succeed, the Protestant missionaries would need to coopt and disrupt the role books played in this world. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:1743-2200
DOI:10.2752/175183414X14176054221481