In 1813, the Missionary Register of the Church Missionary Society published a translation of a letter from the Persian sovereign, Fath Ali Shah Qajar. After receiving a Persian New Testament from the British ambassador, the shah wrote that the New Testament “has been translated in a style most befitting Sacred Books.” Fath Ali assured that he would read the New Testament in its entirety and affirmed that those who distribute the New Testament “are deservedly honoured with our royal favour.” How did the ruler of Persia, a region known for long support of Islam, come to write a glowing report of the New Testament? This New Testament was the fruit of the ministry of evangelical chaplain and missionary Henry Martyn (1781–1812), who resided in Shiraz, Persia from 1811–1812. In the past two decades, missiologists have identified the Persian church as one of the fastest growing evangelical churches in the world. However, mission histories often contain little information about the start of evangelicalism in the region. How did evangelicalism start in Iran/Persia?
In this paper, I argue that evangelicalism took root in Persia in the nineteenth century through the impact of Henry Martyn’s New Testament translation, journals, and Persian tracts. I will trace the impact of Martyn’s writings on the region in the century between his ministry and the Persian Constitutional Revolution in 1911. His New Testament, in addition to reaching the shah, found wide distribution as one of the first printed books distributed across Persia. At a time when few Persians could read the Arabic Qur’an, the Persian New Testament was a popular and accessible text. Martyn’s journals inspired other Evangelicals to minister in Persia. This included the mission to the (Nestorian) Church of the East in Urmia by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. In his three Persian tracts, Martyn defended Christian doctrine against the challenges of Islam which led Muslim scholars to pour over the Bible while writing twenty-eight responses. The legacy of the ministry of Martyn points to a deep interest and engagement with the New Testament in nineteenth century Persia.
This paper seeks to contribute to the study of global Christianity with a focus on Christianity in Persia. Studying the history of Christianity in Persia can help to shed light on the recent growth of Christianity in the region today. In this paper, I will interact with current scholarship such as Iran: A Modern History by Yale professor Abbas Amanat, Revival and Awakening: American Evangelical Missionaries in Iran and the Origins of Assyrian Nationalism by Adam Becker, and The Western Christian Presence in the Russias and Qajar Persia by Thomas O’Flynn.