Assyrian Martyrs Day Reflection
What is Assyrian Martyrs Day?
In the 1970s, Assyrians began to celebrate August 7th as Assyrian Martyrs’ Day. This day was chosen because in August of 1933, military forces from the newly-founded country of Iraq massacred approximately 3,000 Assyrians in Simele, Iraq. Men, women, children, Priests, and Deacons were murdered in northern Iraq. Entire villages were targeted and attacked and families who had already survived the horrors of the Sayfo genocides once again found themselves targeted simply because they were Assyrians and because they were Christians. By August of 1933, exaggerated stories began circulating by Iraqi parliament leaders, of atrocities committed by the Assyrians, as well as spreading anti-Christian propaganda such as that the Christians were planning to blow up bridges and poison drinking water in major Iraqi cities. The Iraqi Army, led by Bakr Sidqi, decided then to crush the Assyrian protests, which demanded autonomy and freedom of land. Kurdish, Arab, and Yazidi tribes were encouraged to loot assyrian villages, while men were sometimes rounded up and handed over to the army, by whom they were shot. Some villages were completely burned down and most of them were later inhabited by Kurds, forcing women and children to move to neighboring cities and villages. The town of Simele then became the last refuge for Assyrians fleeing from the looted villages. By the 10th of August, more Arab and Kurdish looters arrived in Simele, where they continued the looting and were not stopped by local police. And finally as more and more Assyrians were imprisoned and held captive, they were released on August 11th and told to return to their homes in Simele, in which on their way home, they were met with gunfire by Iraqi soldiers, indiscriminately shooting and killing women, children, and men of all ages. In his depiction of the massacre, Mar Shimun Eshai states: “Girls were raped and made to march naked before Iraqi commanders. Children were run over by military cars. Pregnant women were bayoneted. Children were flung in the air and pierced on to the points of bayonets. Holy books were used for the burning of the massacred.”
Although historically this day is connected to the Simele Massacre, Assyrian Martyrs’ Day also commemorates the lives of the thousands of other Assyrian martyrs who perished throughout history, such as some notable Saints. The legacy of the persecution of our people serves as a reminder to us all of our identity, as both Christians and Assyrians. That is why we call them martyrs. The word martyr comes from the Greek word martys, meaning witness. A martyr is not simply someone who dies. A martyr is someone whose life points beyond themselves to Jesus Christ. Their greatest testimony is not the manner of their death, but the faithfulness of their life, even when faced with the option of death. Because as Christians we know, that after death, comes eternal life. When the Church remembers martyrs, she is not celebrating suffering. She is celebrating Christ’s victory over suffering. She is proclaiming that death does not have the final word. Because Jesus Christ rose from the dead, every martyr who died in Him shall also rise in Him.
Scripture Reading:
Hebrews 12:1–3
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.”
Scripture Reflection:
Saint Paul in Hebrews paints a beautiful image in the Scriptures. He tells us that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. He does not say that we walk alone. He also does not say that faith is disconnected from those who came prior to us. But instead, the Church, which is the Body of Christ, is one Body all across time, tied together by the faith. The ones who have gone before us, continue to live in Christ, and continue to encourage us by the witness of their lives. When we think of the cloud of witnesses, we think first of the Apostles, the Prophets, and the early martyrs of the Church. Today we remember that cloud, of the countless number of Assyrian faithful, whose names are remembered by God and his Church. Children who never had the opportunity to grow old. Priests who continued celebrating the Holy Qurbana even under threat. Mothers who chose faith over fear. Fathers who protected their families while confessing Christ. Young people who carried nothing with them except their hope in the Resurrection. Their stories may appear in history books, or sometimes they may not. But their names are written in the eternal book, which is the Book of Life. Their names may have been forgotten by the world. But they are not forgotten by God. The Church teaches us that death cannot separate those who belong to Christ. The martyrs are not merely people of the past. They are alive in Christ. Their race is finished. Ours continues. Therefore the question is not only: “How did they die?” The greater question is: “How did they live?” They lived with hope. They worshipped faithfully. They forgave. They baptized their children. They prayed the Psalms. They received the Holy Mysteries. They taught the Scriptures. They served the poor. They trusted Christ even when kingdoms failed them. This is the inheritance they have left us.
Mar Shimun Bar Sabbae
Long before Simele and long before the Ottoman persecutions, the Church of the East already knew what it meant to suffer for Christ. One of her greatest martyrs was Mar Shimun Bar Sabbae, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Church during the fourth century. In the year 340, The Tsar of Persia passed a law where Christians were imposed by a heavy tax. When some of them refused to pay it, the tsar regarded it as a riot and started to persecute Christians. He ordered to catch Mar Shimun and not to release him until he gave his word to collect taxes, for the tsar’s treasury, from his people. The tsar tried to persuade him to worship the sun or otherwise he threatened to destroy Christianity in the country. But Mar Shimun answered: ” I have one soul and it belongs to God Immortal, Creator of the Sky and the Earth.” Heavy taxes were imposed upon Christians. Churches were watched. Bishops were arrested. Many priests were captured and thrown into a dungeon during those days. The Tsar ordered Mar Shimun to his palace again. And again he failed to subdue Mar Shimun’s will. Then Shapur ordered to slaughter all the Christians in the dungeon with a sword and do it in front of Mar Shimun. Christians, blessed by Saint Mar Shimun, went to execution without any fear. Saint Mar Shimun came up to the executor as the last person, after witnessing his flock slaughtered, and with a prayer, put his head on the block. This happened in April, 340. Tradition says that on the way to the dungeons, like sheep being led to a slaughter, Mar Shimun and his flock did so in prayer, chanting the Lakhu Mara prayer, knowing what was coming. He was ordered to renounce his faith and submit to demands that would compromise the Church, which he refused. He did not respond with violence. He did not gather an army, and more importantly, he did not deny Christ to save himself. Instead, he and his flock remained faithful. Mar Shimun understood something that every martyr understands. The worst thing that can happen to a Christian is not death. The worst thing is unfaithfulness, because death lasts only a moment. But faithfulness lasts forever. The same courage that strengthened Mar Shimun centuries ago strengthened countless unnamed Assyrians in Simele. The same Lord who welcomed Mar Shimun welcomed every faithful soul who suffered in 1933. The same Resurrection that gave hope to the ancient martyrs gives hope to us today.
Scripture Reading:
John 15:18-20
“If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”
Scripture Reflection:
None of us desires persecution, nor does any of us pray for suffering. Jesus Himself prayed in Gethsemane that the cup might pass from Him. But yet, He also prayed and said: “Not My will, but Yours be done.” The martyrs never sought death. They sought Christ. When death came because they belonged to Him, and they remained faithful. This is why the Church honors them. Not because they suffered. But because they loved Christ more than fear. As we continue this reflection, let us ask ourselves: Would Christ recognize my daily life as faithful? Not whether I will ever be called to die for Him. But whether I am willing to live for Him. As we continue our meditation, let us remember that the story of the Assyrian people is not simply a story of suffering, but a story of God’s faithfulness. Massacres and persecutions do not define us. Christ defines us. The Cross defines us. The Resurrection defines us. The Church has survived not because she has always been protected by earthly kingdoms, as they have failed her, but because she belongs to a heavenly Kingdom, which has always prevailed. The Holy Qurbana continues to be celebrated. The Gospel continues to be proclaimed. Children continue to be baptized. The Scriptures continue to be read. This is nothing less than the faithfulness of God. When we remember Simele, we remember terrible evil, but we also proclaim something greater: that evil did not win. The Church still lives.
Mar Qardagh
Mar Qardagh was born to a noble family in the Persian Empire during the 4th century and was said to have descended from a “great race and lineage of the kingdom of the Assyrians”. He was born to Zoroastrian parents, and foreign to Christianity. He had influence, wealth, authority, and enjoyed the favor of the king. Yet God called him to something greater. Mar Qardagh was appointed as a governor for a large region in northern Persia, and there he met Abdisho, a Deacon of the Church of The East, and converted to Christianity. After encountering the Christian faith, Mar Qardagh embraced Christ and was baptized, but his conversion came at tremendous cost. Those who once praised him and his power and wealth, now viewed him as a traitor. Very quickly, the honors and success of the world quickly disappeared. He was ordered by Shapur II to abandon Christianity and return to the religion of the empire. Instead, he confessed Christ openly. His refusal ultimately led to his martyrdom. Upon returning home Mar Qardagh was rejected by his family and under pressure from the religious elite, Shapur sentenced him to be stoned. Mar Qardagh fled with a small army to the mountains where he was able to repel the Persians for months. According to tradition, one night, Saint Stephen, the first Martyr of Christianity, appeared to him and told him that it was better to give his life for his faith than to continue fighting. He thus surrendered to the king and it was his own father who threw the first stone. Not only did he surrender his life, but he surrendered his status, his comfort, his reputation, and his future. Everything that once seemed valuable became secondary to knowing Christ.
Scripture Reading:
Philippians 3:7–11
“Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ… That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
Scripture Reflection:
Notice that Saint Paul connects two realities that we often separate: the sufferings of Christ and the resurrection of Christ. The Cross is never the end of the story and neither is Simele. The Resurrection always has the final word. This is why we as Christians, gather around the graves and sing hymns. This is why funerals are filled with prayers of hope. This is why the Church commemorates martyrs on the altar rather than merely in history books. Because the altar proclaims life. Every celebration of the Holy Qurbana reminds us that Christ transformed the greatest evil ever committed—the crucifixion of the Son of God—into the salvation of the world. If God could bring salvation from Calvary, He can also bring hope from every tragedy in our history.
Mar Benyamin Shimun:
As we remember the martyrs of Simele, it is impossible not to remember one man whose life became a symbol of the suffering and faithfulness of the Assyrian people: His Holiness Mar Benyamin Shimun XXI, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Church of the East. Although he died fifteen years before the Simele Massacre, his witness prepared the Church for one of the darkest periods in its history. His life reminds us that God often raises shepherds whose greatest act of leadership is not found in moments of triumph, but in moments of sacrifice. He was ordained Metropolitan at just the age of 16, younger than most of us here, and was tasked with bearing the weight of an entire nation and Church. Mar Benyamin’s Patriarchal tenure occurred during one of the most violent and troubling eras of modern Assyrian history. The destruction and damage done by the Kurds, governments who opposed the Assyrians, foreign missionaries and conflicting religious ideologies, all created an almost hopeless situation for the Assyrians and Christian minorities of the Hakkari region. Over the following years and in spite of these difficulties, Mar Benyamin’s unrelenting persistence and fighting spirit sought to lead his nation to what he had believed was a safe outcome, escaping through the rough mountain terrain and into Urmi, Iran. He is responsible for leading some 15,000 Assyrians into Russia, as well as even more into Urmia. He was a leader, who took himself to the front line of all issues, and was there for his people when they needed him most. Mar Benyamin’s integrity and ethics were constantly tested, most notably, even at the expense of his own brother’s life, Hormiz. The honorable Hormiz, the third brother of Mar Benyamin, was attending University in Istanbul. In an attempt to bend the Patriarch to its will, the Turkish government kidnapped the Honorable Hormiz and threatened his life. In attempts of getting Mar Benyamin to subdue to the Turkish Government, is where we get this famous quote from him, where he says: “It is impossible for me and my people to surrender after seeing the atrocities done to my Assyrian people by your government; therefore my brother is one, my people are many, I would rather lose my brother but not my nation.” Mar Benyamin’s punishment for his act of defiance was paid by the Turkish government when they killed the Honorable Hormiz, who paid the ultimate price. He was hanged publicly in Mosul, with his body left in full view all day. Tragically, Mar Benyamin was forced to make one of the most difficult decisions of his administration and his life in which he sacrificed his beloved brother for the safety and honor of Assyrians in an attempt to secure their future. As the Assyrian nation settled into Iran, Mar Benyamin’s honor was again tested. Through the urges of others Mar Benyamin was encouraged to meet with Simko, a Kurdish warlord, under the false pretenses of forming an anti-Turkish alliance. Reluctantly, Mar Benyamin felt he had little choice and again, with the Church and Assyrian nation’s needs in mind, he accepted an invitation from Simko to discuss the proposed alliance.
Patriarch Mar Benyamin prepared to set off in his carriage accompanied by one hundred fifty armed horsemen. Many people pleaded with him to reconsider. Among them Armenians, Assyrians and his own brother Dawid, and Rab Khaila (Commander in Chief) of the Assyrian forces. In keeping up with the charade, the Patriarch was received with honors and his position was given to Simko and his men. Once their meeting concluded Mar Benyamin was seated in his carriage, surrounded by his attendants. Upon leaving the meeting, Simko and his men opened fire and killed the Patriarch and most all others with him.
Scripture Reading:
John 10:11-15
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd… sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees… I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.”
Scripture Reflection:
Jesus in this passage describes two kinds of leaders. One who remains only while life is comfortable. The other remains even when danger comes. The hired servant protects himself, while the shepherd protects the flock. Throughout the history of the Church of the East, our bishops, priests, monks, deacons, and faithful have often lived according to the example of the Good Shepherd. Mar Benyamin was one of those shepherds. He knew that remaining with his people could cost him everything, yet he remained. His courage did not come from military strength. It came from confidence in Christ. The greatest shepherds are not remembered because they never suffered. They are remembered because they loved God’s people more than their own comfort. This is the calling of every Christian. Whether we are parents, teachers, clergy, or friends, Christ calls us to become people who remain faithful when faithfulness is costly.
Conclusion:
As we come to the end of this time of reflection, let us ask ourselves the question: Why does the Church remember her martyrs? We do not remember them because we are unable to move on. We do not remember them to reopen old wounds. We do not remember them because suffering is our identity. We remember because Christ remembers. Every martyr is precious in His sight and every tear has been seen by Him. Every injustice is known to him and every faithful witness has been crowned by Him. Today we have remembered the martyrs of Simele and the Martyrs of the entire Church. We have remembered the countless unnamed faithful whose stories may never be written in history books, yet whose names are written in the Book of Life. We have remembered Mar Shimun Bar Sabbae, who remained steadfast before the Persian Empire. We have remembered Mar Qardagh, who gave away his entire life and earthly possessions, to worship the true God. We have remembered His Holiness Mar Benyamin Shimun XXI, the shepherd who chose to remain with his flock through persecution and whose martyrdom became a symbol of faithful leadership. Above all, we have remembered Jesus Christ—the King of Martyrs, who by His Cross destroyed death and by His Resurrection opened the gates of eternal life. The history of the Assyrian Church of the East has never been easy. Our fathers and mothers endured exile. They endured persecution. They endured massacres. They crossed mountains carrying nothing more than the clothes on their back, the Holy Scriptures, the Holy Cross, and the faith that had been entrusted to them by the apostles. Yet despite all of this, the Church remains. Not because we are strong. Not because we have always been protected. Not because we have always had worldly power. The Church remains because Christ promised in Matthew 16:18:
“Upon this rock, I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
That promise has carried the Church through every century, has carried it through Simele, and it continues to carry the Church today, and will do so until the Lord returns in Glory. As we depart here, let us carry with us not only the memory of the martyrs, but also their faith. May their courage strengthen us. May their prayers accompany us. May their witness inspire us until the last day.
Amen.
