The Second Paul of Asia Minor

This article draws upon Zadour G. Baharian’s biography by Sven Hagen Jensen published in the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists (ESDA), available at encyclopedia.adventist.org. It was prepared by Dragoslava Santrac, ESDA managing editor.—Editors.

The roads of Asia Minor were not easy paths for a Christian missionary at the close of the nineteenth century. They wound through regions troubled by political unrest, religious opposition, and frequent persecution. Still, a young Armenian Adventist named Zadour G. Baharian traveled these roads, carrying Bibles, tracts, and an unshakable conviction that God had called him to proclaim the everlasting gospel. Despite facing persecution, imprisonment, threats, and opposition, Baharian shared the Advent message throughout the Ottoman Empire. He lived with deep faith and worked tirelessly.

People remember him as the “Second Paul” because he dedicated himself to spreading the gospel in the same places Paul once did. Like Paul, he endured imprisonment, hostility, and threats against his life. Like Paul, he was ready to suffer for Christ, refused to abandon the mission entrusted to him, and kept moving forward.

Zadour Baharian, pioneer of the Armenian Seventh-day Adventist movement. [Photo courtesy of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Archives]

A Young Teacher Finds the Truth

Not much is known about Baharian’s early life. He was from Adana in Cilicia (now Turkey) and worked as a schoolteacher. While studying in Aintab (now Gaziantep) he encountered the Adventist message through literature that entered his family’s home and sparked his curiosity.[1]

In the summer of 1890 Baharian spent time with Theodore Anthony, the first Seventh-day Adventist in Turkey. Anthony gave him two important books: Daniel and Revelation, by Uriah Smith, and History of the Sabbath, by J. N. Andrews. Baharian studied the Bible and listened as Anthony explained Adventist beliefs. He became convinced that the Advent movement was based on biblical truth. That same year he was baptized.[2]

Church leaders soon saw his potential. Since he spoke Turkish and Armenian fluently, they encouraged him to attend Adventist training in the La Chaux-de-Fonds Adventist school in Basel, Switzerland. He spent 18 months there, studying the Bible and preparing for ministry. As a student, he translated Bible readings into Turkish and Armenian, which helped spread Adventist literature across the Ottoman Empire. Thousands of pages reached new readers and opened doors for evangelism.

God was preparing him for one of the world’s most difficult mission fields.

Planting the Gospel in Difficult Soil

In 1892 Baharian went back to Constantinople, excited to share the faith that had changed his life. Moving from student to missionary, he visited people who had read Adventist literature, led Bible studies, and welcomed others into his home for meetings about Bible prophecy.

Soon he teamed up with Theodore Anthony. Together they got permission to print literature and started distributing it across Asia Minor. Interest grew quickly. Requests for Bible instruction came in faster than they could respond. But opposition increased just as fast.

False accusations led to their arrest and imprisonment. Although the authorities eventually let them go after realizing their work was legal, this was only the first of many times they would be imprisoned.

The two missionaries did not give up. In 1892 they held the first Adventist evangelistic meetings in Constantinople. New believers joined the church. More meetings in Ovajuk, Bardizag, Aleppo, and Alexandretta led to more baptisms and new congregations.

But every step forward came with a price. In Ovajuk, angry villagers forced the workers to leave twice. People threw stones at the house where they stayed and held meetings. Hostility followed them everywhere. Arrests, imprisonment, and threats became a regular part of their ministry.

Even so, they kept going.

Ordained for Service

In 1894 Baharian became the first local worker in the Middle East to be ordained as a Seventh-day Adventist minister. This ordination was more than a personal achievement. It honored a life already full of sacrifice and dedication to mission.

After the ceremony he traveled throughout Asia Minor, organizing churches and supporting congregations.

Reports from the field showed remarkable growth, even with many obstacles. Church leaders were amazed that Baharian and Anthony were often imprisoned and attacked by mobs. They were not allowed to hold public meetings, but they kept preaching with courage and determination.

The difficulties never weakened their commitment. Persecution did not stop them. In fact, it made them trust God even more.

Carrying On Alone

A difficult turning point came in 1895 when Theodore Anthony died. Baharian lost not just a coworker but also a mentor and friend. This marked a new chapter in his ministry.

Now the responsibility for the growing Adventist work rested on Baharian’s shoulders. The pressure increased, and the future of the mission seemed uncertain. Yet he accepted this burden willingly.

In the years that followed he traveled tirelessly across Asia Minor. He strengthened churches, preached the gospel, and encouraged believers. By 1898 more workers had joined the mission, which allowed Baharian to focus more on ministry among Armenian communities.

But the political situation got worse. Tensions over Armenians and local conflicts made evangelism harder. The government became more suspicious, and new laws restricted preaching by unfamiliar religious groups.

Soon Baharian found himself in prison again.

A Missionary Behind Bars

While leading meetings in Adrianople (now Edirne), he drew large crowds who wanted to hear the Scriptures. Authorities arrested him for introducing a new religion and put him in prison in Constantinople.

He spent almost two months in prison. Most people would have seen prison as a setback, but Baharian saw it differently. For him it was just another place to share his faith.

God was preparing him for one of the world’s most difficult mission fields.

One of the inmates was a printshop owner. He listened as Baharian explained the Adventist message. The man accepted the faith, gave up tobacco, and started keeping the Sabbath.

Even in prison Baharian faced opposition. One prisoner became so angry at his Bible reading and prayers that he tried to kill him. But God protected him. Eventually church leaders helped secure his release, and Baharian returned to his ministry.

Faith Without Compromise

Being arrested became almost routine. Adventist workers were often accused of disturbing the peace or spreading foreign ideas. Many were forced to move from one place to another.

On one occasion, after successfully conducting a Bible school and baptizing new believers, Baharian was arrested again. Government officials informed him that he could continue preaching the gospel if he stopped teaching about the Sabbath.

He faced a clear choice: give up his beliefs or face the consequences. Baharian refused. Instead of giving up biblical truth, he trusted God with the outcome.

The authorities eventually let him go, but he still faced travel restrictions. Even when he was stuck in one place, he encouraged other workers by writing letters, much like the apostle Paul had done centuries before.

A Bible School in Jail

In 1904 Baharian faced exile and imprisonment yet again. This time he found himself incarcerated alongside three other Adventist preachers.

Instead of giving in to discouragement, the four men turned their time in prison into a school. Hope replaced despair, and they filled the prison with lessons.

With Bibles and study materials, they set up a Bible institute inside the prison. They studied Scripture, looked at prophetic books, discussed the relationship between church and state, and prepared lessons to send to churches outside. Imprisonment accomplished what years of planning had not.

Looking back, Baharian testified that God had blessed their prison school. He wrote:

“God was with us and blessed us. For many years we had been planning such a school, but never had succeeded. We thanked God that He gave us such a school in jail. We studied the letters to the Galatians, Hebrews, the first epistle of Peter, the books of Daniel and Revelation, the four books of the Kings, and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and others. We studied the principles of church and state; so, we were ready for our trial. We also prepared several lessons, which we sent to the churches.”[3]

After nine trials and about nine months in prison, the men were finally released. Their faith did not weaken. It grew even stronger.

New Freedom, Renewed Mission

In 1908 a new Turkish constitution gave people more freedom of speech and the press. For the first time believers could meet openly to sing, pray, and preach without the same restrictions.

This was a hopeful time. Baharian quickly used this opportunity to strengthen the church and grow the mission. The next year he moved with his family to Istanbul and took on leadership in the Turkish Mission.

But administrative work never took the place of evangelism. The church always came first for him. Like the apostle Paul, he kept traveling from city to city. He encouraged congregations, baptized new believers, and mentored younger workers. In 1911 he became director of the Armenian Mission, where he worked hard to develop new leaders and spread the Adventist message further.

His family often saw him very little. The demands of his work took most of his time and energy. For Baharian and his family, saving souls was more important than their own comfort.

The Ultimate Sacrifice

When World War I began, tragedy spread across the Ottoman Empire. Conflict between Armenians, Turks, and Kurds grew worse, causing great suffering and loss. The Adventist Church was not spared. In the 1916 Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook, documenting all church activities and personnel, its “Survey of the Fields for 1915” section included a brief report on the three Anatolian missions. Alongside the number of baptisms from 1914 were chilling clues of calamity: “Serious times have befallen [these missions]. . . . From the last scant news, we gather that the Armenian settlements where our churches were located have been scattered, and our brethren in Constantinople describe their situation by quoting Romans 11:3.”[4] According to the church’s best records, more than half of the 450 Seventh-day Adventists in Anatolia died during the great calamity, while most of the remainder faced expulsion or fled. Of the 12 Adventist colporteurs in Anatolia in 1914, only two survived.[5]

During this difficult time Baharian kept serving faithfully, even as the danger increased. Then he faced his final test. While traveling toward Istanbul, he was apprehended near Sivas sometime in 1915. There he was confronted because of his Christian faith and given the opportunity to recant.

He refused. Unshaken, he held firm to his faith. The missionary who had endured years of imprisonment, threats, and persecution remained faithful to Christ until the end. A bullet ended his life. His witness endured, unshaken and undimmed.

A Legacy of Courage

Zadour G. Baharian left behind no great wealth, political influence, or worldly honors. His legacy was something far greater: a life wholly surrendered to God. He carried the Advent message across some of the most challenging regions of the Ottoman Empire. He preached when authorities threatened him, served when opposition mounted, and remained faithful when imprisonment and death loomed before him.

His story reminds the church that mission often advances through sacrifice. The gospel spreads because ordinary believers choose faithfulness over comfort, conviction over compromise, and service over self-interest. Baharian’s faith still inspires the church to carry the gospel forward, whatever the cost.

[1] H. P. Holser, “Cilicia,” Review and Herald, May 15, 1894, p. 308.

[2] Emma Howell Cooper, The Great Advent Movement, rev. and enl. ed. (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1968), p. 207.

[3] Z. G. Baharian, “News From Haran—1,” Review and Herald, Nov. 9, 1905, pp. 14, 15.

[4] Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1916), pp. 248, 249.

[5] Howard A. Munson IV, “Medz Yeghern,” Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, Apr. 13, 2022, accessed June 8, 2026, https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=EHYN.