into Persia. How did the faith come to Edessa? One of the oldest and perhaps most famous of all the stories by which local Churches later connected themselves directly with our Lord and his Apostles is the legend of Abgar of Edessa. It exists in many versions; Syrians, Armenians,[1] Arabs, Greeks and Latins all tell the story. But all go back to two main sources, the Syrian Doctrine of Addai and Eusebius' Greek version.[2] We will tell the story first, then see what we are to think of it. The Doctrine of Addai is a Syriac work by an unknown writer of Edessa, composed before the end of the 4th century.[3] The text with a translation has been published by Mr G. Phillips.[4] The story as here told is this. In the time of our Lord, Abgar Ukkama,[5] son of Ma‘nu, was King of Edessa. He suffered from an incurable disease.[6] Abgar sent an embassy to Sabinus, the Roman governor at Eleutheropolis in Palestine.[7] The ambassadors were two Edessene noblemen, Mariyab and Shamshagram, with a notary, Ḥannân the Scribe. On their way back they pass through Jerusalem and there hear of the great Prophet who heals the sick. They see him themselves and think that he might perhaps heal their king. Ḥannân writes down all that happens, and they take the report back to Edessa. Abgar would like to go to Jerusalem to be healed, but fears to pass through Roman territory. So he sends Ḥannân back with a letter beginning: "Abgar the Black to Jesus the good Physician"; in this he says that he feels sure that Jesus is either God himself or the Son of God, and invites him to come and live at Edessa and heal Abgar's disease. Ḥannân found our Lord in the house of Gamaliel, "Chief of the Jews." Our Lord answered: "Go, tell thy master who sent thee: Happy
- ↑ Léroubna d'Édesse: Histoire d'Abgar, in V. Langlois: Collection des historiens anc. et mod. de l'Arménie (Paris, 1880), i. 313–331.
- ↑ Tixeront: Les origines de l'Église d'Édesse, pp. 22–29.
- ↑ Burkitt: Early Eastern Christianity, p. 11.
- ↑ G. Phillips: The Doctrine of Addai the Apostle (London, Trübner, 1876).
- ↑ Ukkâmâ, "Black." There is already some doubt as to which King Abgar he is meant to be.
- ↑ Not specified. Later writers say it was "black leprosy," hence his name (Tixeront, op. cit. p. 47); Bar Hebræus says he was called Black because he had white leprosy (ed. Abbeloos and Lamy, iii. 14).
- ↑ Eleutheropolis was not so called, and had no governor, till the year 200.
