ABSTRACT
Christian churches have existed within Central Asia for over 1,500 years. Even earlier, Central Asians and Christians would have interacted with each other as travelers since trade routes passed through various regions where Christian communities were already in place. The New Testament records the birth of Jesus being celebrated by Magi or wise men who came originally from the East, which was probably Persia (Matthew 2:1-12). In the book of Acts the writer reports the feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem saw people from many far-flung nationalities, including Parthians, Medes, and Elamites (Acts 2:5-11) who would have been Jews who originally came from Iran but also possibly as far away as modern-day Turkmenistan.1
