Persia in Biblical History

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Schaff's Bible Dictionary

Definitions in Biblical History
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What is Persia?
PER'SIA
(Heb. Pharas, pure, or tigers?), a country in Central Asia. The term is generally applied in Scripture to the entire Persian empire, but in Eze 38:5 it appears to designate Persia proper. The latter country was bounded by Media on the north, Carmania on the east, Susiana on the west, and the Persian Gulf on the south. The Persian empire, however, extended from the Indus on the east to Thrace on the west, and from the Black and Caspian Seas on the north to the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, and the Red Sea on the south. It included all Western Asia and portions of Europe and Africa. Persia proper was in general an unproductive country, low and sandy on the gulf, hilly and mountainous inland. The interior was a great plateau, having an average elevation of 4000 feet above the sea, broken by mountains and valleys and interspersed with fruitful plains. History. - Persia was settled originally by Aryan tribes from the east, probably about b.c. 880. They were brave and enterprising, and divided into ten castes or tribes, of which the Pasargadae were the nobles. Their language was closely allied to the Sanscrit, and in their religion they were dualists, believing in one supreme god and in one great power of evil. These good and evil beings were regarded as co-eternal and coequal. The founder of the Persian dynasty was Achaemes, and it was tributary to the Medes for a time, until a revolt under Cyrus about b.c. 588. Their sway was then rapidly extended over Asia Minor, and in b.c. 539 over Babylon, where the Persians came into contact with the captive Jews, Cyrus issuing a decree permitting these captives to return to their own land. 2 Chr 36:20-23; Ezr 1:8. Cyrus died in b.c. 529, and his tomb is still pointed out near the ancient capital, now known as Murghab. A later king, called Artaxerxes in Scripture, forbade the rebuilding of the temple, but Darius Hystaspes authorized the work to go on. Ezr 4:5-24; Ezr 6:7-12. Xerxes, who was probably the Ahasuerus of the book of Esther, succeeded him, and was defeated by the Greeks, assassinated, and succeeded by his son Artaxerxes Longimanus, who was friendly to the Jews. Ezr 7:11-28; Neh 2:1-9. Only one of his successors is noticed in Scripture, Darius the Persian. Neh 12:22. After lasting about two hundred years the Persian empire was overthrown by Alexander the Great, b.c. 330, and followed by the Macedonian, the third great world-empire. Dan 8:3-7. Present Condition. - Persia now has an area of about 500,000 square miles and a population of about 10,000,000. Its principal seaport-town is Bushire, a city of 30,000 inhabitants having considerable trade with England. The chief ruler is called the Shah. The province of Shiraz is properly the ancient kingdom of Persia before Cyrus. Within it are the ruins of Persepolis, the palace of Darius, which was burned by Alexander the Great when in a drunken frolic, fire-temples, inscriptions, altars, and various mementoes of the old Persian faith, which is still held by the Parsees. Christian missions have been established among the Nestorians in Persia by the American Congregational, and the American Presbyterian Board of Missions, which have met with encouraging success.

Bibliography Information
Schaff, Philip, Dr. "Biblical Definition for 'persia' in Schaffs Bible Dictionary".
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