lah bound the mouths of these cannon and they can't hurt
you." Believing this statement, the Kurds wildly flew into the face of
the big guns and many thousand were slain.

There are priests of different rank but all are subordinate to the
Sheikh. They are more superstitious and fanatical than the Mohammedans
of Turkey or Persia. They have no written languages. They speak a mixed
language collected from Persian Arabic, Syrian, and other tongues. The
Kurds have been called wild asses of the desert, thirsty to shed blood
and eager to plunder.

PART V.

CHAPTER I.

THE NESTORIANS.

Nestorius was a Greek, born in the latter part of the fourth century
near Germanicia. He became a monk in the Roman Catholic church and was
ordained an elder by the patriarch of Antioch. Being learned in
literature and an orator of power, he became patriarch of
Constantinople in 428. Cyril, patriarch of Alexandria, was jealous of
Nestorius as he desired to become patriarch of Constantinople himself.
He attacked the teachings of Nestorius, claiming that he taught that
there are in Christ two distinct persons and two natures; and that he
denied the divinity of Christ in refusing to call the virgin Mary the
mother of God. This criticism of Nestorius's teachings is without
foundation, as he did not teach anything of the kind. Many writers of
church history have made this mistaken criticism. There are now in the
possession of prominent Nestorians manuscripts of Nestorius from 600 to
900 years old and in none of them is that doctrine held. Nestorians of
to-day resent this doctrine as being no part of their belief.

Nestorius believed that Mary was the mother of Christ and that Christ
had two natures, perfect God and perfect man, united with each other
but not mingled. He rejected pictures and statues representing Christ,
Mary or the saints. Upon this basis he was anathematized in the council
of Ephesus in 431 A.D. In the council his friends were absent and
Nestorius refused to attend as his enemy Cyril presided at the council
and had power to rule it. Nestorius then united himself with the Syrian
church whose doctrines agreed with his own. He soon became a prominent
leader among this sect and the name Nestorians was given to the sect by
enemies. Many learned men in the Syrian church of to-day are not
willing to be called by this name. Not because they reject any of
Nestorius's doctrine but because they say it is not right for a nat