Reformed Churchmen

We are Confessional Calvinists and a Prayer Book Church-people. In 2012, we remembered the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; also, we remembered the 450th anniversary of John Jewel's sober, scholarly, and Reformed "An Apology of the Church of England." In 2013, we remembered the publication of the "Heidelberg Catechism" and the influence of Reformed theologians in England, including Heinrich Bullinger's Decades. For 2014: Tyndale's NT translation. For 2015, John Roger, Rowland Taylor and Bishop John Hooper's martyrdom, burned at the stakes. Books of the month. December 2014: Alan Jacob's "Book of Common Prayer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Common-Prayer-Biography-Religious/dp/0691154813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417814005&sr=8-1&keywords=jacobs+book+of+common+prayer. January 2015: A.F. Pollard's "Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation: 1489-1556" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-English-Reformation-1489-1556/dp/1592448658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420055574&sr=8-1&keywords=A.F.+Pollard+Cranmer. February 2015: Jaspar Ridley's "Thomas Cranmer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-Jasper-Ridley/dp/0198212879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422892154&sr=8-1&keywords=jasper+ridley+cranmer&pebp=1422892151110&peasin=198212879

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Iran: Outline, History, Geography, & Peoples

Varied Authors.  Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th ed. “Iran.” Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1985.

Given the forum’s interest in orbital learning, divine providence (WCF, 5), patriarchal origins, the Solomonic kingdom, Assyria, Babylon, Alexandrian/Hellenism, Daniel, Esther, Seleucid Dynasty, early church history, Islam, the First Amendment and current geo-political issues, the study is warranted. When catechetized, e.g. WCF, learning is a corollary concern in life; it’s natural.

Outline
Physical and human geography
1.      The land

A.    Relief

B.    Drainage

C.    Soils

D.   Climate

E.    Plant life

F.     Settlement patterns’

2.      The people

3.      Traditional cultures

A.    Social structures

B.    Socialization

C.    Property and exchange systems

D.   Belief and aesthetic systems

4.      The Economy

A.    Resources

B.    Agriculture, forestry and fisheries

C.    Industry

D.   Trade

E.    Finance

F.     Administration of the economy

G.   Transportation

5.      Administration and social conditions

A.    Government

B.    Justice

C.    Armed Forces

D.   Education

E.    Health and welfare

6.      Cultural life
History
1.      The Elamites, Medians, the Achaemenids

A.    The prehistoric period

B.    The Elamites

C.    The protohistoric period and the kingdom of the Medes

D.   The Achaemenid dynasty

E.    Achaemenid society and culture

F.     The organization and achievement of the empire

2.      The Hellenistic and Parthian periods

A.    Alexander and successors

B.    The rise of the Parthians

C.    The “phil-Hellenistic” period (171 B.C.—10 A.D.)

D.   The “anti-Hellenistic” period (12 –162 A.D.)

E.    The end of the Parthian Empire (162—226 A.D.)

3.      The Sasanian Period

A.    Foundation of the empire

B.    Religious developments

C.    Art and literature

D.   Foreign policy

4.      Iran from 640 A.D. to the present

A.    The advent of Islam (640-829)

B.    The “Iranian Intermezzo” (821-1055)

C.    The Seljuqs and the Mongols

D.   The Tkimurids and Turkmen

E.    The Safavids (1502-1736)

F.     Nader Shah (1736-47)

G.   The Zand Dynasty (1750-79)

H.   The Qajars (1779—1925)

I.       The Pahlavi Dynasty (1925—1979)

J.       The Islamic Republic
Iran is an “Islamic Republic” with an official state religion. 
It has 636,000 sq. miles.  Comparsions:
·        Russia: 6, 602, 000

·        US:  3, 974, 000

·        China: 3, 748, 000

·        Canada: 3, 855,000

·        Saudi Arabi: 830, 000

·        Egypt: 386, 700

·        France: 260, 558

·        Afghanistan: 251, 850

·        Spain: 195, 364

·        Iraq: 168, 785

·        Germany: 136, 846

·        State of North Carolina, US: 53, 819

·        England: 50, 346
Bounded by:
·        North: Soviet Union and Caspian Sea

·        East: Pakistan and Afghanistan

·        South: Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman

·        West: Turkey, Iraq

·        30% bounded by seas
Land:
·        Massive mountain ranges surround the country with a high interior basin

·        Coastal regions outside and at foot of mountain ranges

·        Zagros Mountains from Armenia to Persian Gulf

·        Elburz Mountains: the south shore of Caspian Sea to snow-clad, volcanic mountains of Kohorosan

·        Mountains on Afghan border

·        Arid interior with deserts

·        Drainage: streams from the mountains flow to desiccated interior, sometimes forming salty marshes, but also providing water for nearby towns

·        Soils vary by region:  (1) subtropical vegetation in coastal region of Caspian Sea with rich brown soils, (2) mountain soils with shallow layers over bedrock, (3) in semi-arid plateux with brown soil supporting grassy vegetation
Climate:
·        Subtropical to subpolar

·        Siberian winds blow southward

·        Two wind patterns—February to October, one from Pakistani direction and the other from the Tigris-Euphrates area: can be very hot (been in the Gulf in the summer and yes, extremely hot
Plants/animals:
·        1/10 of lands forested and mostly nearly Caspian Sea

·        Zagros Mountains: semi-humid, oak forests, elms, maples, juniper, almond, berberis, wild fruit trees, thorny shrubs, acacia, palm trees

·        Desert sand dunes: thickets of brush

·        Animals: few lions and tigers, but many wolves, foxes, leopards, lynxes, deer, gazelles, goats, sheep, boars, rodents, 100 varieties of lizards, horses, donkeys, cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, camels, dogs and cats
Settlement patterns:  topography has governed these patterns with sharp, cultural, ethnic and linguistic lines. “Insularity and tribalism” strong in the mountains.  Tehran the largest city, Isfahan the second largest city, and many towns in foothills of mountains with access to water by tunnels.
Peoples:
·        ½ speak Farsi Persian

·        ¼ retain Indo-European tongues.  Armenians are one example

·        Kurds are “fierce nomads” in the western mountains of Iran, but also Iraq and Turkey.  About 5%.

·        ¼ speak Turkish, a result of Turkish rule of Persia in the north

·        Smaller minorities of Jews, Assyrians, and Arabs in the northwest, although Jewish emigration resulted from the Islamo-supremacists’ rule
Religions
·        Muslims: Shi’ah, the official state religion

·        Kurds and Turks—Sunni Muslims

·        Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians are minorities

·        The Armenian Orthodox are counted in the Christian numbers

·        Assyrians are counted as Nestorians, Protestants and Roman Catholics

·        Religious toleration ended in 1979 where minorities do not get equal treatment with Muslims

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