Chapter 7
Apraham Hoja
of Aintab Joins the Prisoners
In the eighth month
of our imprisonment the hero of our story, Apraham Hoja of Aintab, along
with Setrak Matosian, were arrested and added to our number. The charge
against Apraham Hoja was because of that letter which he had previously
written. As for Setrak Matosian, it wasn’t clear at all why he was
arrested. As soon as Apraham Hoja entered the prison gates he exclaimed
in a humble and submissive spirit, “God’s will be done!” This later
joining of the two to the company brought both sadness and joy to all of
us. We were sad because this physically weak brother had to suffer with
the more robust young people in our group. On the other hand, we were
joyful because a true man of God was brought in to be with us. His was
the appearance of a prophet. God’s hour came upon us with the bringing
in of this man.
Apraham Hoja in his
impressive mien brought into the prison spiritual power and practical
faith. He stayed three months with us. His life could be described in
two words: ‘prayer-saturated’. A new stimulus was added to our studying
of God’s word, our prayers and singing; now we could really wait in
faith for the salvation of the Lord to manifest itself.
In the compound
there was a prisoner named Ahmed Amme. He was such a hardened criminal
that the sentence hanging over his head was one hundred and one years.
From what we heard, he had killed his wife and along with her, his
mother- and father-in-law. Against this horrible background, he gave
the clear impression of being broken-hearted. Gloom and apathy had
taken over his whole personality. He wanted to atone for his triple
crime. In accordance with the prescription of his religion he daily
prayed toward Mecca after undergoing the ritual of ablution. Instead of
praying the required routine of five times daily, he resolved to pray
three times that many. So he prayed five times a day to atone for the
murder of his wife, and five times each for his mother- and
father-in-law. So in addition to those fifteen times of ritual prayer
for those he murdered, he had to fulfill his personal duty of praying
another five times daily. It may sound very tedious to the reader, but
this is what he went through every day. This practice consumed most of
his day. He could only take two short breaks for meals. Because in
Islam religious rituals are extremely basic and uncompromisingly
required by Allah, he subjected his body and soul to these protracted
periods of ablution and prayer.
The prison
authorities were disturbed at Ahmed’s continuous involvement in prayer.
One day they brought him to us. He sat down in a worshipful manner and
listened to the reading of God’s Word and our prayers. One from our
company asked him the question, “Ahmed Amme, don’t you wish to confess
your sins, ask for forgiveness from Jesus Christ and be saved?” His
reply was quick, “My dear friends, which one of my countless sins should
I confess? If I start with my confessing of stealing chickens from here
and there, this alone will require many days.” On another day Apraham
Hoja asked him, “Ahmed Amme, how did it happen that you killed three of
your family members in one day?” Ahmet replied, “Hoja efendi, I really
don’t know. All that I remember is that in a fit of anger an unknown
force clicked in my brain and the next thing I knew was that I had
killed all three of them.”
With deep pity and
agonizing sympathy Apraham Hoja exclaimed, “Oh, to what hot anger,
uncontrolled wrath and surrender to sin the unregenerate heart is
subject!” One truth emerged out of this sad encounter with Ahmed. He
deeply regretted his crime and found the answer to his problem in
undergoing the ritual of penance for his repulsive act. We started
telling him of God’s love, his readiness to save the sinner in the way
he commands, and receive the person into his family. God’s purpose is
to save the worst sinner and make all things new in his life. Something
happened in Ahmed’s heart at that moment. Ahmed saw the light of God’s
redemption. He believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and was
delivered from sin. The day we were released from prison was a very sad
day for Ahmed Amme. He was left behind, separated from his best friends
on earth. We rejoice that we will meet Ahmed in heaven as a wonderful
trophy of our prison experience.
Apraham Hoja, God’s
choice messenger, was a liberated sinner within the confines of the
prison. He was constantly involved in making his redemption story known
to others. He was on an apostolic mission. He would go from cell to
cell preaching Jesus Christ to Muslims with passion and fervent zeal.
His whole nature was radiant, as with a light from on high. His heart
yearned for his fellow-prisoners on whom he looked as priceless pearls.
All men in prison, most of whom were Muslims, looked upon Hoja as a
prophet of God and listened reverently to him. He didn’t give much
thought to his own well-being. He rather rejoiced in tribulation,
showing his fellow-prisoners special kindness and consideration.
Prisoners started looking at him with reverence and wonder. In the
power of the Holy Spirit he entered every door which was open to him.
He was continuously repeating to prisoners, “I am among you as one who
serves.” He extended every possible service. Soon his presence, his
simplicity, his dynamic personality and evangelistic fervor became known
to prisoners in the entire compound.
This man who had
discovered the riches of the new life in Christ was not oppressed by
imprisonment. Conversely, he always sang joyful songs in genuine
communion with his Redeemer in heaven. Indeed, he was a free man, a
source of encouragement and constant inspiration to his suffering
brothers. One would think he was a storehouse of consolation toward
each and every person around him. He was constantly striving to win
souls for the Savior. Just as the Apostle Peter was miraculously
delivered from prison, Apraham Hoja gloriously escaped a prison sentence
of one hundred and one years when he denounced the prophet of Islam as a
false prophet. He wholeheartedly believed that Peter’s deliverer would
perform another amazing miracle on behalf of us all and rescue us from
this awful ordeal of imprisonment in Kanlı Mahpushane.
We all felt sad that
there was no place to have our meetings. The thought came to one of our
group to erect a small tent in the courtyard of the prison from pieces
of material, which we did. We declared this place ‘Bible study and
prayer room’. It was once again God’s goodness that we were not
prevented from carrying out our plan. In one of our Bible studies, a
beautiful promise of Christ came to our attention: “I know your
works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able
to shut; I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my
Word and have not denied my name” (Revelation 3:8). After reading
the verse aloud, Apraham Hoja jubilated with this comment, “My brothers,
this is a direct message to us this morning from the Lord. Christ is
going to open the iron gates of this prison and no one will be able to
shut them again.” Our attention was also drawn to a promise found in
Isaiah, “I will go before you and level the mountains; I will break
in pieces the doors of bronze and cut asunder the bars of iron” (45:2).
With these
certainties in mind we taught ourselves to live daily by faith and wait
for the verdict of the state superior court in Aleppo. Prisons are
places where rumors circulate from many sources in all directions. So
the hearsay reached us that we would either be sentenced to fifteen
years’ imprisonment or sent as exiles to the desert of Arabia. Humanly
speaking, our future looked grim. The hope of our deliverance was
almost non-existent, but we had a living God in heaven who lifted our
spirits with his glorious countenance. We could expect light in the
morning. One day, we had a very heart-warming visitation by the Holy
Spirit. In those moments our imprisonment and future were forgotten.
The Spirit of God brought a peculiar calm and confidence to our hearts.
We surrendered to the sovereign will of our God. The Lord was with us.
We could recall once again the purging of the refiner’s fire in Proverbs
17:3. In the ordeal of our imprisonment we gathered new vitality as we
were enlivened with fresh hope and expectation. Now we could wait for
the hand of the Mighty One to open the gates of Mahpushane and set us
free.
Even though our firm
anticipation didn’t develop in the way we believed it would, the anxious
waiting did bring us joy at last. The state superior court in Aleppo
branded us as members of a subversive political organization. In
accordance with this verdict our punishment would be harsh and
protracted. Some people from the outside sent us word that the whole
matter could be easily settled if we would collect a certain sum of
money (rushvet) to purchase our freedom. We sent word back that
bribery is sin in our faith. If our God is the God in whom we believe
he will deliver us without the intervention of any human agency. Our
unshakable decision brought us fresh strength and we trusted our Lord
implicitly, come what may. But I admit that fear did sometimes disturb
our inner peace. The harsh Ottoman authorities could let us rot in that
prison if they chose to do so. Or they could send us off into exile.
But they could not steal our faith. As Paul put it in Romans 8:33,
“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who
justifies.” We decided that we must give ourselves to more
diligent prayer, asking the Lord to keep our faith firm.
It wasn’t very long
until the test of faith came. One day we received a summons to appear
before the tribunal for trial. We were eagerly waiting for the set
date. We noticed Apraham Hoja was walking back and forth in the
courtyard, with a tin cup dangling from his belt. We wondered about the
cup and asked him, “Hoja, what does this mean? Why did you tie the cup
to your belt?” He quickly replied, “It is a sign of faith. Be ready,
brothers, in the very near future we will all be liberated from this
prison.” We were filled with joy since the answer came from a man whose
faith was unshakeable. Yet we could not restrain ourselves from asking
him, “How do you know what is going to happen?” His calm reply exuded
confidence: “The Lord revealed it to me.” Such an answer was not
unusual coming from him. He spent days and nights in intercession and
communion with his God, so totally trusted Him to reveal what lay
ahead. Now our faith was entering a period of testing. The cup was
still dangling from his belt. The rest of the prisoners started
wondering, “What is this man doing, walking around with a cup dangling
from his belt?” But Apraham Hoja continued undisturbed.
Finally, the day of
the court hearing arrived. Our thoughts were troubled with that famous
letter written by Apraham Hoja to Brother Hamparsum and me. We started
wondering how he would reply when he was encountered about the contents
of that letter. Remember, in that letter, the name ‘Zeytun’ was
mentioned. In the Turkish mind, this was like dynamite. It meant
insurrection. There Apraham Hoja had written, “Convey our greetings to
the young men in Zeytun. We have received the things they sent.
Furthermore, we request that you forward to them the things we sent from
this end.” Although we read the letter often, we could never make any
sense out of that particular section of the letter. What could the
young men of Zeytun have sent to Apraham Hoja, and what did he send to
us, which was to be forwarded to the Zeytun youth? The peculiar
situation was that Hoja himself had forgotten the whole gist of this
part of the letter. He tried hard to remember, but couldn’t. Why did
it happen that he wrote such a letter to us? At last, we had a brief
conference among ourselves. Our well-calculated answer was that this
reference had nothing to do with any political matter. We were
formulating in our minds the answer we should give: The young men of
Zeytun were our Christian brothers. If there was any doubt about it,
Apraham would assume the total responsibility. This was our thinking,
which we conveyed to Apraham Hoja. He was kind of agitated. His reply
was one of reproof: “You are not at all capable of teaching me; the Lord
is the inspirer of the fruit of the lips. The Lord himself will put
into my mouth all that is necessary. Trust in him, and don’t be
afraid.”
On July 1, 1908, we
were notified that on the following day we should appear in court. Upon
receiving this summons we dedicated the whole day and night to fasting
and prayer. Our request to God was not that we may be delivered from
prison; but rather that we may be supplied with divine wisdom and
guidance. We wanted to speak with holy boldness, exalting our Lord
Jesus Christ. Our aim was to bear witness at the court to the blessed
Gospel of Christ which is the power of God unto salvation.
Morning arrived.
The guards and soldiers marched in so that they could take us to the
court. Exactly at that moment, the Spirit of the Lord came upon us in
mighty power. Every one of us twenty-seven brothers was endued with
courage. The scene in the courtroom was awesome. The presiding judge,
the prosecuting attorney for the state and the other members of the
tribunal had all taken their respective places and were gazing at us
with a stern expression on their faces. Trusting in God, we quietly
took our assigned seats. A large crowd of spectators had filled the
room. We also noticed that the twelve false witnesses who had delivered
us into the hands of the authorities were there. We were wondering what
they were going to say in the court.
The presiding judge
rose to his feet, and stood before an open Bible. (In those days, those
who were tried, if Christian took their oath on the Bible, just as
Muslims took their oath on the Quran.) He uttered a quick order: “Stand
up.” We immediately jumped to our feet. His abrupt request was, “Will
you before this book swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the truth, so help you God?” We answered with a simple
“Yes”. The judge then proceeded to read our names, one by one. He
asked each of us who he was, what he believed and the nature of his
occupation. One after the other, we answered to this effect, “We are
servants of the most high God. We were bestowed with divine grace
through faith in Jesus Christ. We earnestly seek to live the moral and
ethical life as commanded by Him. Furthermore, we are dedicated to
proclaim our Lord to all men as Savior and Giver of eternal life to all
who believe in him. We are law-abiding citizens, and have nothing to do
with politics.”
Then some of our
correspondence that had gone back and forth between the brothers was
read. One had written to another about how he was saved and how the
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ had cleansed him from all sin. Another
wrote how the Holy Spirit had convicted him of sin, showed him the way
of righteousness and the judgment to come, unless he believed. Still
another had written that subsequent to his conversion he made
restitution to those he had wronged. Again, another brother wrote out
the whole of Psalm 51. At this point, the clerk of the court was called
upon to read this psalm, where David in all his openness is confessing
the sin he committed. A soberness came upon all those in the room.
Really, tongue could not describe, nor pen depict the awe which
overwhelmed those present at that moment. Many other passages from the
Bible which appeared in the letters were also read in the large
courtroom.
Finally, Apraham
Hoja’s turn came. The judge motioned him to stand up and directed his
questions:
“What is your
name?” “My name, your honor, is Apraham Levonian.” “Where are you
from” “I’m a native of Aintab.” “What is your address?” “I have no
address.” “Where do you stay, and how do you make your living?” “I
start in the morning and preach Jesus Christ from house to house until
evening. Wherever I happen to be at nightfall, there I sleep; whatever
is put before me, I eat with thanksgiving.” The following question of
the judge was, “Do you have a license from a hierarchy, or permission to
preach?” Apraham Hoja seized the opportunity and replied with deep
emotion, “My license and commission are from God and His Son, the Lord
Jesus Christ.” To the judge’s question, “What do you preach?” our
brother answered as his black eyes flashed, “I preach repentance and
remission of sins. I make no distinction between people. My message is
directed to Muslims and Christians alike, showing people the only way to
God. Wherever I am, I consider it my solemn duty to declare to
everybody God’s Good News of salvation.”
The judge looked
puzzled and was quiet for a moment before he asked, “What you do seems
to be wonderful. However, there is a question before us. You wrote a
letter. The court needs an explanation about its contents. In your
letter you said you were involved in a fierce warfare surpassing the
Russo-Japanese War. I want you to explain to the court what you meant
by this. Apraham Hoja replied, “Your honor, our warfare is not against
flesh and blood; it is a spiritual battle, a combat against Satan and
his kingdom. We all know the cruel nature of the Russo-Japanese War,
which took place last year. On the other hand, the fierce warfare about
which I wrote to our friends is against Satan and is undoubtedly
deadlier than that.”
The judge retorted,
“Well, you say in that letter to give regards to the young men in Zeytun,
and that you received the things they sent. You also request that they
forward the items sent to them. Who are these young men? What did they
send you, and what did you send them?” This was the essence of the
whole interrogation. At that moment, the atmosphere was tense and a
deadly silence pervaded the room. The judge asked again, “What were the
mysterious things you sent to the young men in Zeytun?” The suffocating
silence was broken by Hoja’s interruption: “Your honor, my handwriting
is known by many people. Please allow me to read the lines in my letter
to see exactly what I wrote. Then I will be ready to answer your
question.” There was a moment’s silence and the judge asked, “Do you
really wish to see your letter? It is not here. This is a copy; the
original one was sent to Aleppo.” Apraham Hoja without getting agitated
replied, “If that be the case, there is no need to discuss the matter
further.” He was speaking with certainty and authority in the wisdom
supplied from above. He lifted both of his hands like a prophet of the
Old Testament and with powerful words, said, “Your honor and members of
this honorable court, we wish you to realize that we have no political
connection.” With a dramatic flow of language, he continued, “We
wouldn’t give five ‘para’ (smallest Ottoman coin) for all the
governments of this world. We are servants of the most high God.” At
that moment, Apraham Hoja’s extraordinary courage and boldness took
control of the situation and he directed a very daring warning: “Take
care, lest you judge us wrongly.” Suddenly, he was possessed with
divine passion and in a deep resonant voice he thundered, “If you
unjustly condemn us, God Almighty will condemn you at his judgment
seat.” His hearers were swayed like water of the sea before a powerful
wind. One would think they realized that there was a frightful
punishment awaiting the unjust and evil doers of this age.
This was the
powerful voice that all of us were expecting to hear. Apraham Hoja’s
keen and insightful mind studied the court thoroughly. The transparency
and sincerity of his character armed him with extraordinary boldness to
rebel against injustice. Summoning all his courage, he became the hero
of the hour. The sap of prophetic zeal was still running through the
trunk and branches of the aged tree. One could remember the reassuring
words of our blessed Lord, “…and you will be dragged before governors
and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles.
When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what
you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that
hour” (Matthew 10:18, 19). The effect of these concise, but precise
words was dramatic and enormously forceful. The Lord made his mouth
like a sharp sword. Under the spell of this defense the court was
swayed as ripened wheat fields are swayed by the wind. Like his master,
he spoke authoritatively. Just as Felix trembled at Paul’s words about
justice, self-control and future judgment, the judge of the court had no
other option than to accept Apraham Hoja’s impressive defense. This
event reminds us that when a Christian is under the control of the Holy
Spirit, the enemy of truth melts under his forceful words.
There was a whole
series of favorable impressions upon those in the courtroom: the
testimonies of several brothers, the letters loaded with praise of God
presented to the court, the powerful passages from the Word of God read
during the hearing, all of which climaxed with Hoja’s eloquent outburst,
had a powerful effect on the judge and everyone present. These
transformed the atmosphere in that court from a mere legal chamber to a
classroom where principles of the new life in Christ and conduct of
Christian behavior were taught. One would think that the spirit of
revival was brought into the courtroom. The judge, after hearing and
being convinced that there was a special divine power manifesting itself
in these lives that were being tried, couldn’t help but be a convert to
our cause. At last, he called for the witnesses. He asked them one by
one, “What is your charge and complaint against these men?” The answer
of one witness was, “Your honor, these men say that ‘we are not
sinners.’ We ask, can we be without sin?” The judge retorted, “This is
not an item to be discussed in the court. Religious matters such as
these must be solved in the church.” His conduct reminded us of
Gallio’s answer to the Jews in Acts 17, and the town clerk of Ephesus
who sought to quiet the over-exuberant crowd displaying their anger
against Paul (Acts 19).
Another witness
followed, looking very nervous as he, too, encountered the judge’s
question. He was trembling and could hardly talk. “You—ye—ye—your
honor—ah—ah.” Words froze on his lips. He was pushed into the position
of witness by hypocrites who wanted to destroy the twenty-seven
believers through false accusations. The poor man stood helplessly
confounded and in abject humiliation. He couldn’t answer the questions
directed to him. The judge ordered that he be put out of the
courtroom. What a wonderful hour it had been! Our just and righteous
God totally negated all charges brought against us. He confused the
tongues of false witnesses who through the instigation of others had
conspired to do us harm. Not one of them was able to substantiate any
destructive charge of lawlessness against God’s men.
At this point, the
judge who in total fairness conducted the trial, being irritated at what
he was witnessing and troubled with this socio-religious injustice,
demanded of the witnesses: “Why do you not tell the truth? Before me
are the charges brought against these men.” Then he proceeded to read
them. “The arrested men are part of a subversive organization seeking
to overthrow the government.” The Turkish authorities added their own
accusation against us: “These men, members of a dangerous, subversive
organization, will stab the Turkish government in the heart.” When the
witnesses heard this, they suddenly protested, “We haven’t made such an
accusation against them; we only signed this statement without reading
its contents.” Then the judge branded them as liars and provocateurs.
“How could a person sign a statement whose contents he’s unaware of? If
your dispute is based on religious matters and doings, why did you not
solve it within your own Armenian church? Why did you trouble this
court? Why did you allow innocent men to rot in prison cells for eleven
months?” They were all confused and troubled. They left the courtroom
and behind them a whole pile of deliberate deceit, betrayal and
hypocrisy. Their sin followed them.
Pending the return
from Aleppo of Apraham Hoja’s famous or infamous letter, the court
adjourned for a week. Once again, we returned to our miserable
quarters, ready to appear at any given moment. Apraham’s celebrated tin
cup continued to dangle from his belt as he moved from cell to cell to
tell each prisoner about the Savior. We experienced that the short,
dark days of winter were overcome by the light and warmth supplied by
our Savior which enabled us to daily sing hymns of worship and praise to
Him. We continued to study of God’s Word and spend much time in
prayer. Fresh love and loyalty were generated in all our hearts. We
were waiting expectantly for the next sitting of our trial.
The week was half
gone. The day of our trial was fast approaching. One morning, my
brother Moses came to me and whispered that he had some very important
news to share. The guards had become very friendly toward us, so it was
no problem to obtain their permission to go and have a special
conversation with him. When we met, he excitedly said, “Vartan, I have
some excellent news for you, but don’t break it to the others yet. I
have heard that liberty has been proclaimed throughout the Ottoman
Empire and that the cruel emperor, Abdul Hamid II (1876-1908) has been
deposed. The officers known as ‘Young Turks’, have taken over the reins
of the government.” The date was the 24th of July, 1908.
This piece of news came to me as cold water to a thirsty traveler in the
hot desert. To tell the truth, I was overwhelmed with joy. It was
impossible to keep this fantastic item of news to myself. I returned to
my prison cell and whispered to our other friends the heartening
information conveyed by Moses that the cruel emperor had been deposed by
an army junta. They looked into my eyes waiting to hear the sequel of
this cheering, unexpected development. I said, “Quiet — we don’t want
the other prisoners to learn about it yet, because then we will find
ourselves in trouble. Wait until the news can be confirmed.” They
complied and commented, “True, we need to be sure of the authenticity of
this report.” I went on explaining to them that the Young Turks had
proclaimed liberty throughout the land. There were no bounds to our
joy. We eagerly anticipated the developments. It was only a few hours
later when we found out that this information was accurate in its
entirety. Looking around, we sensed an electrified atmosphere. The
guards started whispering among themselves. Then the repetitious
questions were heard throughout the prison compound, “What’s happening?
What s going on?” At last the confirmation of the news broke forth into
a shout of contagious jubilation: “Liberty has finally come to Turkey!”
Everything that had been heard and said turned out to be true.
The joy and thrill
we experienced on that occasion cannot be easily imagined. We threw our
arms around each other, hugging and kissing one another, all the while
laughing, weeping and praising God. This emperor had initiated the
Armenian massacre in the East in 1895. However, we could not foresee
that a much worse massacre was in the offing instigated by the very
officers who had taken over the reins of the government. But we were
all rejoicing at the development of the hour. It was impossible to
sleep that night. We were relieved that there would not be another
court trial before us; also there was no need left for Apraham Hoja’s
oft-mentioned letter to come from Aleppo. We were free! All of us
twenty-seven believers were now crowned with the reward of our faith and
prayer. Praise God, Apraham Hoja’s prophecy turned out to be true. The
dangling cup at his belt was a token of a journey before each one of us
– not to exile in an Arabian desert from which travelers never return –
but to glorious liberty.
Where was our
presiding judge? Where was the person who forged the chains for our
feet? Where was the man who prepared the gallows to break our necks?
At the sound of ‘liberty’ those who did evil became frightened. They
left the city of Marash in the darkness of night, fleeing for their
lives: “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are
bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1). I could remember the arrogant
threat of the commissioner who had boasted to us, “If your Jesus can
deliver you out of my hands, let him do it.” This man barely escaped
the assault of his fellow-Turks. The soldiers assisted him to hide; he
became a prisoner in his own land.
The God whom we
loved and worshiped and his Son, Jesus Christ, whom we adored and
served, brought to naught all the villainous conspiracy of evil-planners
and shattered their might. In the eleventh hour the Lord heard our cry
and the Almighty came down from heaven with his unimagined deliverance.
The angel of the Lord who delivered the imprisoned Peter from the hands
of Herod did an equally great act when he shook the Ottoman Empire from
its very foundation, demolished the iron bars and set us at liberty. He
turned six hundred years of Turkish misrule and misery upside down. He
brought the long overdue freedom which was not in anyone’s mind. Abdul
Hamid was sent into exile to the city of Selanik (Thessaloniki, then in
Turkish hands). To think of forcing such a ruler to abdicate and then
imprison him in a salt mine was beyond our wildest imagination. But it
really happened. That night passed; morning came, and everything was
calm and quiet. “…weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes
with the morning” (Psalm 30:5b).
Our freedom did not
come immediately. No official representative or responsible person
could be found to pronounce our release. Brother Moses sent a telegram
to a Kemal Pasha in Istanbul, inquiring why prisoners were still
incarcerated even after liberty had been proclaimed throughout the
country. A short while later the orders came to release all political
prisoners, among whom we were the important ones.