Parthian Empire

And at this sound, the multitude came together and they were bewildered because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.

And they were amazed and astonished, saying, Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Helamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, or Arabians, I should say.

We hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.

And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, What does this mean? But others mocked and said, They are filled with new wine.

Flaminius despised the Auguries, with the result that Lake Trasimus was swollen and died with Roman blood.

Crassus mocked at and justly incurred the curses of the theories with the result that we had to reconquer our standards from the Parthians.

I omit numerous instances in ancient history.

I say nothing about the songs of the poets on the births, gifts, and favors of the gods.

No, no. It's kind of within the aegis of Rome.

He's supposed to be there, by the way, because he's on his way to campaign against the Parthians of the Middle East.

But he never gets there, so that-

Yeah

Now, that's a very interesting question.

You know, the problem is we don't have enough information about the Parthians.

But you take something like the Baman Yashd, the Persian apocalypse.

I mean, that's very similar.

Utterly amazed, they asked, aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language.

Parthians, Medes and Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues.

Amazed and perplexed, They asked one another, what does this mean? Some, however, made fun of them and said, they have had too much wine.

Then Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd.

Special temples were erected for the worship of the kings, which was conducted by special priests.

The Parthian rulers of the Arsacid house, likewise, claimed divinity, and styled themselves brothers of the sun and moon.

The fable of the slaughter of the innocents, which was merely a new form of the ancient myth of the dangerous child, whose life is a constant menace to some tyrant, was copied from several ancient religions.

And the flight of the holy family into Egypt has its counterpart in other tales.

During the time of the banquet, a boy, covered with thorn boughs and acorns, brought in a basket full of bread and cried out, I have left the worse and found the better, signifying how much the married state was preferable to the single one.

The Parthians allowed polygamy and even marriage with sisters and mothers.

The marriage customs of the Nestorians afforded several points of similarity with those of the Jews, both in respect to the mode of effecting betrothal and in the importance attached to it.

The bridegroom was conducted to the house of the bride on horseback between two drawn swords, which were carried by two men, one before and the other behind him.

Rash is the German for revenge, so don't lose your time looking for Miss Rachel.

With which Parthian shot, he walked away, leaving the two rivals open-mouthed behind him.

End of Part 1, Chapter 3 Recording by Mark Norman North Taughton Devon United Kingdom

What John Rance Had to Tell It was one o'clock when we left No. 3, Lauriston Gardens.