ANCIENT SYRIAC DOCUMENTS: EXTRACTS FROM VARIOUS BOOKS CONCERNING ABGAR THE
KING AND ADDAEUS THE APOSTLE; THE TEACHING OF ADDAEUS THE APOSTLE; SYRIAC CALENDAR
EXTRACTS FROM VARIOUS BOOKS CONCERNING ABGAR THE KING AND ADDAEUS THE APOSTLE.
I. OF THE BLESSED ADDAEUS THE APOSTLE. FROM HIS TEACHING WHICH HE GAVE IN
EDESSA BEFORE ABGAR THE KING AND THE ASSEMBLY OF THE CITY.[1]
AND, when he had entered the sepulchre, he was raised to life again, and
came forth from the sepulchre with many. And those who were guarding the
sepulchre saw not how He came forth from the sepulchre; but the watchers from on
high--they were the proclaimers and announcers of His resurrection. For, had He not
willed, He had not died, because He is Lord of death, the exit from this life;
nor, had it not pleased Him, would He have put on a body, inasmuch as He is
Himself the framer of the body. For that will which led Him to stoop to be born of
the Virgin, likewise caused Him further to descend to the suffering of
death.--And a little after (we read): For, although His appearance was that of men,
yet His power, and His knowledge, and his authority, were those of God.
II. FROM THE TEACHING OF ADDAEUS THE APOSTLE, WHICH WAS SPOKEN IN THE CITY OF
EDESSA.[2]
Ye know that I said unto you, that none of the souls which go forth out of
the bodies of men are under the power of death, but that they all live and
continue to exist, and that there are for them mansions and an abode of rest. For
the reasoning power of the soul does not cease, nor the knowledge, because it
is the image of the immortal God. For it is not without perceptions, after the
manner of the bodily frame, which has no perception of that corruption which has
acquired dominion over it. Recompense, however, and reward it will not receive
apart from its bodily form, because what it experiences belongs not to itself
alone, but to the bodily form also in which it dwelt for a time. But the
disobedient, who have not known God, will then repent without avail.
III. FROM THE EPISTLE OF ADDAEUS THE APOSTLE, WHICH HE SPAKE IN THE CITY OF
EDESSA.[3]
Give heed to this ministry which ye hold, and with fear and trembling
continue ye in it, and minister every day, Minister ye not in it with neglectful
habits, but with the discreetness of faith. And let not the praises of Christ
cease out of your mouth, and let not any sense of weariness come over you at the
season of prayers. Give heed to the verity which ye hold, and to the teaching of
the truth which ye have received, and to the teaching of salvation which I
commit to you. Because before the tribunal of Christ will it be required of you,
when He maketh reckoning with the pastors and overseers, and when He shall take
His money from the traders with the usury of what they have taught.[4] For He is
the Son of a King, and goeth to receive a kingdom, and He will return and come
and make a resuscitation to life of all men.
IV.
Addaeus[5] preached at Edessa and in Mesopotamia (he was from Paneus[6])
in the days of Abgar the king. And, when he was among the Zophenians, Severus
the son of Abgar sent and slew him at Agel Hasna, as also a young man his
disciple.
V.
71. and Narcissus.[5] For they did not suffer that selection of the
Seventy-two to be wanting, as likewise neither that of the Twelve. This man was of
the Seventy-two: perhaps he was a disciple of Addaeus the apostle.
VI. FROM THE DEPARTURE [1] OF MARATH [2] MARY FROM THE WORLD, AND THE BIRTH
AND CHILDHOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. BOOK THE SECOND.
In the year three hundred and forty-five, in the month of the latter
Tishrin,[3] Marath Mary went out from her house, and went to the sepulchre of
Christ: because every day she used to go and weep there. But the Jews immediately
after the death of Christ seized the sepulchre, and heaped great stones at the
door of it. And over the sepulchre and Golgotha they set guards, and commanded
them that, if any one should go and pray at the sepulchre or at Golgotha, he
should immediately be put to death. And the Jews took away the cross of our Lord,
and those two other crosses, and that spear with which our Saviour was struck,
and those nails which they drove into His hands and into His feet, and those
robes of mockery in which He had been clad; and they hid them: lest, as they said,
any one of the kings or of the chief persons should come and inquire concerning
the putting to death of Christ.
And the guards went in and said to the priests: Mary cometh in the evening
and in the morning, and prayeth there. And there was a commotion in Jerusalem
on account of Marath Mary. And the priests went to the judge, and said to him:
My lord, send and command Mary that she go not to pray at the sepulchre and at
Golgotha. And while they were deliberating, lo! letters came from Abgar, the
king of the city of Edessa, to Sabina the procurator[4] who had been appointed by
Tiberius the emperor, and as far as the river Euphrates the procurator Sabina
had authority. And, because Addaeus the apostle, one of the seventy-two
apostles, had gone down and built a church at Edessa, and had cured the disease with
which Abgar the king was afflicted--for Abgar the king loved Jesus Christ, and
was constantly inquiring about Him; and, when Christ was put to death and Abgar
the king heard that the Jews had slain Him on the cross, he was much
displeased; and Abgar arose and rode and came as far as the river Euphrates, because he
wished to go up against Jerusalem and lay it waste; and, when Abgar came and was
arrived at the river Euphrates, he deliberated in his mind: If I pass over,
there will be enmity between me and Tiberius the emperor. And Abgar wrote letters
and sent them to Sabina the procurator, and Sabina sent them to Tiberius the
emperor. In this manner did Abgar write to Tiberius the emperor:--
"From Abgar, the king of the city of Edessa. Much peace to thy Majesty,
our lord Tiberius! In order that thy Majesty may not be offended with me, I have
not passed over the river Euphrates: for I have been wishing to go up against
Jerusalem and lay her waste, forasmuch as she has slain Christ, a skilful
healer. But do thou, as a great sovereign who hast authority over all the earth and
over us, send and do me judgment on the people of Jerusalem. For be it known to
thy Majesty that I desire that thou wilt do me judgment on the crucifiers."
And Sabina received the letters, and sent them to Tiberius the emperor.
And, when he had read them, Tiberius the emperor was greatly incensed, and he
desired to destroy and slay all the Jews. And the people of Jerusalem heard it and
were alarmed. And the priests went to the governor, and said to him: My lord,
send and command Mary that she go not to pray at the sepulchre and Golgotha.
The judge said to the priests: Go ye yourselves, and give her what command and
what caution ye please.
VII. FROM THE HOMILY COMPOSED BY THE HOLY MAR JACOB, THE TEACHER, ON THE FALL
OF IDOLS.[5]
To Edessa he made his journey, and found in it a great work:
For the king was become a labourer for the church, and was building it.
The apostle Addaeus stood in it like a builder,
And King Abgar laid aside his diadem and builded with him.
When apostle and king concurred the one with the other,
What idol must not fall before them?
Satan fled to the land of Babylon from the disciples,
And the tale of the crucifixion had got before him to the country of the
Chaldeans.
He said, when they were making sport of the signs of the Zodiac, that he was
nothing.
VIII. FROM THE HOMILY ABOUT THE TOWN OF ANTIOCH.[6]
TO Simon was allotted Rome,[7] and to John Ephesus; to Thomas India, and
to Addaeus the country of the Assyrians.[8] And, when they were sent each one of
them to the district which had been allotted to him, they devoted
themselves[9] to bring the several countries to discipleship.
THE TEACHING OF ADDAEUS THE APOSTLE.[1]
...............
ADDAEUS[2] said to him: Because thou hast thus believed, I lay my hand
upon thee in the name of Him in whom thou hast thus believed. And at the very
moment that he laid his hand upon him he was healed of the plague of the disease
which he had for a long time.[3] And Abgar was astonished and marvelled, because,
like as he had heard about Jesus, how He wrought and healed, so Addaeus also,
without any medicine whatever, was healing in the name of Jesus. And Abdu also,
son of Abdu, had the gout in his feet; and he also presented his feet to him,
and he laid his hand upon them, and healed him, and he had the gout no more.
And in all the city also he wrought great cures, and showed forth wonderful
mighty-works in it.
Abgar said to him: Now that every man knoweth that by the power of Jesus
Christ thou doest these miracles, and lo! we are astonished at thy deeds, I
therefore entreat of thee to relate to us the story about the coming of Christ, in
what manner it was, and about His glorious power, and about the miracles which
we have heard that He did, which thou hast thyself seen, together with thy
fellow-disciples.
Addaeus said: I will not hold my peace from declaring this; since for this
very purpose was I sent hither, that I might speak to and teach every one who
is willing to believe, even as thou. Assemble me tomorrow all the city, and I
will sow in it the word of life by the preaching which I will address to
you--about the coming of Christ, in what manner it was; and about Him that sent Him,
why and how He sent Him; and about His power and His wonderful works; and about
the glorious mysteries of His coming, which He spake of in the world; and about
the unerring truth[4] of His preaching; and how and for what cause He abused
Himself, and humbled. His exalted Godhead by the manhood which He took, and was
crucified, and descended to the place of the dead, and broke through the
enclosure s which had never been broken through before, and gave life to the dead by
being slain Himself, and descended alone, and ascended with many to His
glorious Father, with whom He had been from eternity in one exalted Godhead.
And Abgar commanded them to give to Addaeus silver and gold. Addaeus said
to him: How can we receive that which is not ours. For, lo! that which was ours
have we forsaken, as we were commanded by our Lord; because without purses and
without scrips, bearing the cross upon our shoulders, were we commanded to
preach His Gospel in the whole creation, of whose crucifixion, which was for our
sakes, for the redemption of all men, the whole creation was sensible and
suffered pain.
And he related before Abgar the king, and before his princes and his
nobles, and before Augustin, Abgar's mother, and before Shalmath,[6] the daughter of
Meherdath,[7] Abgar's wife,[8] the signs of our Lord, and His wonders, and the
glorious mighty-works which He did, and His divine exploits, and His ascension
to His Father; and how they had received power and authority at the same time
that He was received up--by which same power it was that he had healed Abgar,
and Abdu son of Abdu, the second person[9] of his kingdom; and how He informed
them that He would reveal Himself at the end of the ages[10] and at the
consummation of all created things; also of the resuscitation and resurrection which is
to come for all men, and the separation which will be made between the sheep
and the goats, and between the faithful and those who believe not.
And he said to them: Because the gate of life is strait and the way of
truth narrow, therefore are the believers of the truth few, and through unbelief
is Satan's gratification. Therefore are the liars many who lead astray those
that see. For, were it not that there is a good end awaiting believing men, our
Lord would not have descended from heaven, and come to be born, and to endure the
suffering of death. Yet He did come, and us did He send[1] . . . of the faith
which we preach, that God was crucified for[2] all men.
And, if there be those who are not willing[2] to agree with these our
words, let them draw near to us and disclose to us what is in their mind, that,
like as in the case of a disease, we may apply to their thoughts healing medicine
for the cure of their ailments. For, though ye were not present at the time of
Christ's suffering, yet from the sun which was darkened, and which ye saw,
learn ye and understand concerning the great convulsion[3] which took place at that
time, when He was crucified whose Gospel has winged its way through all the
earth by the signs which His disciples my fellows do in all the earth: yea, those
who were Hebrews, and knew only the language of the Hebrews, in which they
were born, lo! at this day are speaking in all languages, in order that those who
are afar off may hear and believe, even as those who are near. For He it is
that confounded the tongues of the presumptuous in this region who were before us;
and He it is that teaches at this day the faith of truth and verity by us,
humble and despicable[4] men from Galilee of Palestine. For I also whom ye see am
from Paneas,[5] from the place where the river Jordan issues forth, and I was
chosen, together with my fellows, to be a preacher.
...............
For, according as my Lord commanded me, lo! I preach and publish the
Gospel, and lo! His money do I cast upon the table before you, and the seed of His
word do I sow in the ears of all men; and such as are willing to receive it,
theirs is the good recompense of the confession of Christ; but those who are not
persuaded, the dust of my feet do I shake off against them, as He commanded me.
Repent therefore, my beloved, of evil ways and of abominable deeds, and
turn yourselves towards Him with a good and honest will, as He hath turned
Himself towards you with the favour of His rich mercies; and be ye not as the
generations of former times that have passed away, which, because they hardened their
heart against the fear of God, received punishment openly, that they themselves
might be chastised, and that those who come after them may tremble and be
afraid. For the purpose of our Lord's coming into the world assuredly was,[6] that
He might teach us and show us that at the consummation of the creation there
will be a resuscitation of all men, and that at that time their course of conduct
will be portrayed in their persons, and their bodies will be volumes for the
writings of justice; nor will any one be there who is unacquainted with books,
because every one will read that which is written in His own book.[7]
...............
Ye that have eyes, forasmuch as ye do not perceive, are yourselves also
become like those who see not and hear not; and in vain do your ineffectual
voices strain themselves to deaf[8] ears. Whilst they are not to be blamed for not
heating, because they are by[9] nature deaf and dumb, yet the blame which is
justly incurred falls upon you,[10] because ye are not willing to perceive--not
even that which ye see. For the dark cloud of error which overspreads your minds
suffers you not to obtain the heavenly light, which is the understanding of
knowledge.[11]
Flee, then, from things made and created, as I said to you, which are only
called gods in name, whilst they are not gods in their nature; and draw near
to this Being, who in His nature is God from everlasting and from eternity, and
is not something made, like your idols, nor is He a creature and a work of art,
like those images in which ye glory. Because, although this[12] Being put on a
body, yet is He God with His Father. For the works of creation, which trembled
when He was slain and were dismayed at His suffering of death,--these bear
witness that He is Himself God the Creator. For it was not on account of a man
that the earth trembled,[13] but on account of Him who established the earth upon
the waters; nor was it on account of a man that the sun grew dark in the
heavens, but on account of Him who made the great lights; nor Was it for a man that
the just and righteous were restored to life again, but for Him who had granted
power over death from the beginning; nor was it for a man that the veil of the
temple of the Jews was rent from the top to the bottom, but for Him who said to
them, "Lo, your house is left desolate." For, lo! unless those who crucified
Him had known that He was the Son of God, they would not have had to proclaim(1)
the desolation(2) of their city, nor would they have brought down Woe! upon
themselves.(3) For, even if they had wished to make light of this confession,(4)
the fearful convulsions which took place at that time would not have suffered
them to do so. For lo! some even of the children of the crucifiers are become at
this day preachers and evangelists, along with my fellow-apostles, in all the
land of Palestine, and among the Samaritans, and in all the country of the
Philistines. The idols also of paganism are despised, and the cross of Christ is
honoured, and all nations and creatures confess God who became man.
If, therefore, while Jesus our Lord was on earth ye would have believed in
Him that He is the Son of God, and before ye had heard the word of His
preaching would have confessed Him that He is God; now that He is ascended to His
Father, and ye have seen the signs and the wonders which are done in His name, and
have heard with your own ears the word of His Gospel, let no one of you doubt
in his mind--so that the promise of His blessing which He sent to you may be
fulfilled(5) towards you: Blessed are ye that have believed in me, not having
seen me; and, because ye have so believed in me, the town(6) in which ye dwell
shall be blessed, and the enemy shall not prevail against it for ever.(7) Turn not
away, therefore, from his faith: for, lo! ye have heard and seen what things
bear witness to His faith--showing that He is the adorable Son, and is the
glorious God, and is the victorious King, and is the mighty Power; and through faith
in Him a man is able to acquire the eyes of a true mind,(8) and to understand
that, whosoever worshippeth creatures, the wrath of justice will overtake him.
For in everything which we speak before you, according as we have received
of the gift of our Lord, so speak we and teach and declare it, that ye may
secure(9) your salvation and not destroy(10) your spirits through the error of
paganism: because the heavenly light has arisen on the creation, and He it is who
chose the fathers of former times, and the righteous men, and the prophets, and
spoke with them in the revelation of the Holy Spirit.(11) For He is Himself
the God of the Jews who crucified Him; and to Him it is that the erring pagans
offer worship, even while they know it not: because there is no other God in
heaven and on earth; and lo! confession ascendeth up to Him from the four quarters
of the creation. Lo! therefore, your ears have heard that which was not heard
by you; and lo! further, your eyes have seen that which was never seen by
you.(12)
Be not, therefore, gainsayers of that which ye have seen and heard. Put
away from you the rebellious mind of your fathers, and free yourselves from the
yoke of sin, which hath dominion over you in libations and in sacrifices offered
before carved images; and be ye concerned for your endangered(13) salvation,
and for the unavailing support on which ye lean;(14) and get you a new mind,
that worships the Maker and not the things which are made--a mind in which is
portrayed the image of verity and of truth, of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit; believing and being baptized in the triple and glorious
names. For this is our teaching and our preaching. For the belief of the truth of
Christ does not consist of many things.(1) And those of you as are willing to
be obedient to Christ are aware that I have many times repeated my words before
you, in order that ye might learn and understand what ye hear.
And we ourselves shall rejoice in this, like the husbandman who rejoices
in the field which is blessed; God also will be glorified by your repentance
towards Him. While ye are saved hereby, we also, who give you this counsel, shall
not be despoiled of the blessed reward of this work. And, because I am assured
that ye are a land blessed according to the will of the Lord Christ, therefore,
instead of the dust of our feet which we were commanded to shake off against
the town that would not receive our words, I have shaken off to-day at the door
of your ears the sayings of my lips, in which are portrayed the coming of
Christ which has already been, and also that which is yet to be; and the
resurrection, and the resuscitation of all men, and the separation which is to be made
between the faithful and the unbelieving; and the sore punishment which is
reserved for those who know not God, and the blessed promise of future joy which they
shall receive who have believed in Christ and worshipped Him and His exalted
Father, and have confessed Him and His divine Spirit.(2)
And now it is meet for us that I conclude my present discourse; and let
those who have accepted the word of Christ remain with us, and those also who are
willing to join with us in prayer; and afterwards let them go to their homes.
And Addaeus the apostle was rejoiced to see that a great number of the
population of the city stayed with him; and they were but few who did not remain
at that time, while even those few not many days after accepted his words and
believed in the Gospel set forth in(3) the preaching of Christ.
And when Addaeus the apostle had spoken these things before all the town
of Edessa, and King Abgar saw that all the city rejoiced in his teaching, men
and women alike, and heard them saying to him, "True and faithful is Christ who
sent thee to us"--he himself also rejoiced greatly at this, giving praise to
God; because, like as he had heard from Hanan,(4) his Tabularius, about Christ, so
had he seen the wonderful mighty-works which Addaeus the apostle did in the
name of Christ.
And Abgar the king also said to him: According as I sent to Christ in my
letter to Him, and according as He also sent to me, so have I also received from
thine own self this day; so will I believe all the days of my life, and in the
selfsame things will I continue and make my boast, because I know also that
there is no other power in whose name these signs and wonders are done but the
power of Christ whom thou preachest in verity and in truth. And henceforth Him
will I worship--I and my son Maanu,(5) and Augustin,(6) and Shalmath the queen.
And now, wherever thou desirest, build a church, a place of meeting for those
who have believed and shall believe in thy words; and, according to the command
given thee by thy Lord, minister thou at the seasons with confidence; to those
also who shall be with thee as teachers of this Gospel I am prepared to give
large donations, in order that they may not have any other work beside the
ministry; and whatsoever is required by thee for the expenses of the building I myself
will give thee without any restriction,(7) whilst thy word shall be
authoritative and sovereign in this town; moreover, without the intervention of any other
person do thou come into my presence as one in authority, into the palace of
my royal majesty.
And when Abgar was gone down to his royal palace he rejoiced, he and his
princes with him, Abdu son of Abdu, and Garmai, and Shemashgram,(8) and Abubai,
and Meherdath,(9) together with the others their companions, at all that their
eyes had seen and their ears also had heard; and in the gladness of their heart
they too began to praise God for having turned their mind towards Him,
renouncing the paganism in which they had lived,(10) and confessing the Gospel of
Christ. And when Addaeus had built a church they proceeded to offer in it vows and
oblations, they and the people of the city; and there they continued to present
their praises all the days of their life.
And Avida and Barcalba,(11) who were chief men and rulers, and wore the
royal headband,(12) drew near to Addaeus, and asked him about the matter of
Christ, requesting that he would tell them how He, though He was God, appeared to
them as a man: And how, said they, were ye able to look upon Him? And he
proceeded to satisfy them all about this, about all that their eyes had seen and about
whatsoever their ears had heard from him. Moreover, everything that the
prophets had spoken concerning Him he repeated before them, and they received his
words gladly and with faith, and there was not a man that withstood him; for the
glorious deeds which he did suffered not any man to withstand him.
Shavida, moreover, and Ebednebu, chiefs of the priests of this town,
together with Piroz(1) and Dilsu their companions, when they had seen the signs
which he did, ran and threw down the altars on which they were accustomed to
sacrifice before Nebu and Bel,(2) their gods, except the great altar which was in the
middle of the town; and they cried out and said: Verily this is the disciple
of that eminent and glorious Master, concerning whom we have heard all that He
did in the country of Palestine. And all those who believed in Christ did
Addaeus receive, and baptized them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit. And those who used to worship stones and stocks sat at his
feet, recovered from the madness(3) of paganism wherewith they had been afflicted.
Jews also, traders in fine raiment,(4) who were familiar with the law and the
prophets--they too were persuaded, and became disciples, and confessed Christ
that He is the Son of the living God.
But neither did King Abgar nor yet the Apostle Addaeus compel any man by
force to believe in Christ, because without the force of man the force of the
signs compelled many to believe in Him. And with affection did they receive His
doctrine--all this country of Mesopotamia, and all the regions round about it.
Aggaeus, moreover, who(5) made the silks(6) and headbands of the king, and
Palut, and Barshelama, and Barsamya, together with the others their
companions, clave to Addaeus the apostle; and he received them, and associated them with
him in the ministry, their business being to read in the Old Testament and the
New,(7) and in the prophets, and in the Acts of the Apostles, and to meditate
upon them daily; strictly charging them to let their bodies be pure and their
persons holy, as is becoming in men who stand before the altar of God. "And be
ye," said he, "far removed from false swearing and from wicked homicide, and from
dishonest testimony, which is connected with adultery; and from magic arts,
for which there is no mercy, and from sooth-saying, and divination, and
fortune-tellers; and from fate and nativities, of which the deluded Chaldeans make their
boast; and from the stars, and the signs of the Zodiac, in which the foolish
put their trust. And put far from you unjust partiality, and bribes, and
presents, through which the innocent are pronounced guilty. And along with this
ministry, to which ye have been called, see that ye have no other work besides: for
the Lord is the work of your ministry all the days of your life. And be ye
diligent to give the seal of baptism. And be not fond of the gains of this world.
And hear yea cause with justice and with truth. And be ye not a stumbling-block
to the blind, lest through you should be blasphemed the name of Him who opened
the eyes of the blind, according as we have seen. Let all, therefore, who see
you perceive that ye yourselves are in harmony with whatsoever ye preach and
teach."
And they ministered with him in the church which Addaeus had built at the
word and command of Abgar the king, being furnished with supplies by the king
and his nobles, partly for the house of God, and partly for the supply of the
poor. Moreover, much people day by day assembled and came to the prayers of the
service, and to the reading of the Old Testament, and the New of the
Diatessaron.(1) They also believed in the restoration of the dead, and buried their
departed in the hope of resuscitation. The festivals of the Church they also observed
in their seasons, and were assiduous every day in the vigils of the Church.
And they made visits of almsgiving, to the sick and to those that were whole,
according to the instruction of Addaeus to them. In the environs, too, of the city
churches were built, and many received from him ordination to the
priesthood.(2) So that even people of the East, in the guise of merchants, passed over into
the territory of the Romans, that they might see the signs which Addaeus did.
And such as became disciples received from him ordination to the priesthood,
and in their own country of the Assyrians they instructed the people of their
nation, and erected houses of prayer there in secret, by reason of the danger from
those who worshipped fire and paid reverence to water.(3)
Moreover, Narses, the king of the Assyrians, when he heard of those same
things which Addaeus the apostle had done, sent a message to Abgar the king:
Either despatch to me the man who doeth these signs before thee, that I may see
him and hear his word, or send me an account of all that thou hast seen him do in
thy own town. And Abgar wrote to Narses,(4) and related to him the whole story
of the deeds of Addaeus from the beginning to the end; and he left nothing
which he did not write to him. And, when Narses heard those things which were
written to him, he was astonished and amazed.
Abgar the king, moreover, because he was not able to pass over into the
territory of the Romans,(5) and go to Palestine and slay the Jews for having
crucified Christ, wrote a letter and sent it to Tiberius Caesar,(6) writing in it
thus:--
King Abgar to our Lord Tiberius Caesar: Although I know that nothing is
hidden from thy Majesty, I write to inform thy dread and mighty Sovereignty that
the Jews who are under thy dominion and dwell in the country of Palestine have
assembled themselves together and crucified Christ, without any fault worthy of
death, after He had done before them signs and wonders, and had shown them
powerful mighty-works, so that He even raised the dead to life for them; and at
the time that they crucified Him the sun became darkened and the earth also
quaked, and all created things trembled and quaked, and, as if of themselves, at
this deed the whole creation and the inhabitants of the creation shrank away. And
now thy Majesty knoweth what it is meet for thee to command Concerning the
people of the Jews who have done these things.
And Tiberius Caesar wrote and sent to King Abgar; and thus did he write to
him:--
The letter of thy Fidelity towards me I have received, and it hath been
read before me. Concerning what the Jews have dared to do in the matter of the
cross, Pilate(7) the governor also has written and informed Aulbinus(8) my
proconsul concerning these selfsame things of which thou hast written to me. But,
because a war with the people of Spain,(9) who have rebelled against me, is on
foot at this time, on this account I have not been able to avenge this matter;
but I am prepared, when I shall have leisure, to issue a command according to law
against the Jews, who act not according to law. And on this account, as
regards Pilate also, who was appointed by me governor there--I have sent another in
his stead, and dismissed him in disgrace, because he departed from the law,(10)
and did the will of the Jews, and for the gratification of the Jews crucified
Christ, who, according to what I hear concerning Him, instead of suffering the
cross of death, deserved to be honoured and worshipped(11) by them: and more
especially because with their own eyes they saw everything that He did. Yet thou,
in accordance with thy fidelity towards me, and the faithful covenant entered
into by thyself and by thy fathers, hast done well in writing to me thus.
And Abgar the king received Aristides, who had been sent by Tiberius
Caesar to him; and in reply he sent him back with presents of honour suitable for
him who had sent him to him. And from Edessa he went to Thicuntha,(1) where
Claudius, the second from the emperor, was; and from thence, again, he went to
Attica,(2) where Tiberius Caesar was: Caius, moreover, was guarding the regions
round about Caesar. And Aristides himself also related before Tiberius concerning
the mighty-works which Addaeus had done before Abgar the king. And when he had
leisure from the war he sent and put to death some of the chief men of the Jews
who were in Palestine. And, when Abgar the king heard of this, he rejoiced
greatly that the Jews had received punishment, as it was right.
And some years after Addaeus the apostle had built the church in Edessa,
and had furnished it with everything that was suitable for it, and had made
disciples of a great number of the population of the city, he further built
churches in the villages(3) also--both those which were at a distance and those which
were near, and finished and adorned them, and appointed in them deacons and
elders, and instructed in them those who should read the Scriptures, and taught
the ordinances and(4) the ministry without and within.
After all these things he fell ill of the sickness of which he departed
from this world. And he called for Aggaeus before the whole assembly of the
church, and bade him draw near, and made him Guide and Ruler(5) in his stead. And
Palut,(6) who was a deacon, he made eider; and Abshelama, who was a scribe, he
made deacon. And, the nobles and chief men being assembled, and standing near
him--Barcalba son of Zati,(7) and Maryhab(8) son of Barshemash, and Senac(9) son
of Avida, and Piroz son of Patric,(10) together with the rest of their
companions--Addaeus the apostle said to them:--
"Ye know and are witness, all of you who hear me, that, according to all
that I have preached to you and taught you and ye have heard from me, even so
have I behaved myself in the midst of you, and ye have seen it in deeds also:
because our Lord thus charged us, that, whatsoever we preach in words before the
people, we should practise it in deeds before all men. And, according to the
ordinances and laws which were appointed by the disciples in Jerusalem,(11) and by
which my fellow-apostles also guided their conduct, so also do ye--turn not
aside from them, nor diminish aught from them: even as I also am guided by them
amongst you, and have not turned aside from them to the right hand or to the
left, lest I should become estranged from the promised salvation which is reserved
for such as are guided by them.
"Give(12) heed, therefore, to this ministry which ye hold, and with fear
and trembling continue in it, and minister every day. Minister not in it with
neglectful habits, but with the discreetness of faith; and let not the praises
of Christ cease out of your mouth, nor let weariness of prayer at the stated
times come upon you. Give heed to the verity which ye hold, and to the teaching
of the truth which ye have received, and to the inheritance of salvation which
I commit to you: because before the tribunal of Christ will ye have to give an
account of it, when He maketh reckoning with the shepherds and overseers, and
when He taketh His money from the traders with the addition of the gains. For He
is the Son of a King, and goeth to receive a kingdom and return; and He will
come and make a resuscitation to life for all men, and then will He sit upon the
throne of His righteousness, and judge the dead and the living, as He said to
us.
"Let not the secret eye of your minds be closed by pride, lest your
stumbling-blocks be many in the way in which there are no stumbling-blocks, but a
hateful(13) wandering in its paths. Seek ye those that are lost, and direct those
that go astray, and rejoice in those that are found; bind up the bruised, and
watch over the fatlings: because at your hands will the sheep of Christ be
required. Look ye not for the honour that passeth away: for the shepherd that
looketh to receive honour from his flock--sadly, sadly stands his flock with respect
to him. Let your concern be great for the young lambs, whose angels behold the
face of the Father who is unseen. And be ye not stones of stumbling before the
blind, but clearers of the way and the paths in a rugged country, among the
Jews the crucifiers, and the deluded pagans: for with these two parties have ye
to fight, in order that ye may show the truth of the faith which ye hold; and,
though ye be silent, your modest and decorous appearance will fight for you
against those who hate truth and love falsehood.
"Buffet not the poor in the presence of the rich: for scourge grievous
enough for them is their poverty.
"Be not beguiled by the hateful devices of Satan, test ye be stripped
naked of the faith which ye have put on."(1) ... "And with the Jews, the
crucifiers, we will have no fellowship. And this inheritance which we have received from
thee we will not let go, but in that will we depart out of this world; and on
the day of our Lord, before the judgment-seat of His righteousness, there will
He restore to us this inheritance, even as thou hast told us."
And, when these things had been spoken, Abgar the king rose up, he and his
chief men and his nobles, and he went to his palace, all of them being
distressed for him because he was dying. And he sent to him noble and excellent
apparel, that he might be buried in it. And, when Addaeus saw it, he sent to him,
saying: In my lifetime I have not taken anything from thee, nor will I now at my
death take anything from thee, nor will I frustrate the word of Christ which He
spake to us: Accept not anything from any man, and possess not anything in this
world.(2)
And three days more after these things had been spoken by Addaeus the
apostle, and he had heard and received the testimony concerning the teaching set
forth in their preaching from those engaged with him in the ministry, in the
presence of all the nobles he departed out of this world. And that day was the
fifth of the week, and the fourteenth of the month Iyar,(3) nearly answering to
May. And the whole city was in great mourning and bitter anguish for him. Nor was
it the Christians only that were distressed for him, but the Jews also, and the
pagans, who were in this same town. But Abgar the king was distressed for him
more than any one, he and the princes of his kingdom. And in the sad ness of
his soul he despised and laid aside the magnificence of his kingly state on that
day, and with tears mingled with moans he bewailed him with all men. And all
the people of the city that saw him were amazed to see how greatly he suffered on
his account. And with great and surpassing pomp he bore him, and buried him
like one of the princes when he dies; and he laid him in a grand sepulchre
adorned with sculpture wrought by the fingers--that in which were laid those of the
house of Ariu, the ancestors of Abgar the king: there he laid him sorrowfully,
with sadness and great distress. And all the people of the church went there
from time to time and prayed fervently; and they kept up the remembrance of his
departure from year to year, according to the command and direction which had
been received by them from Addaeus the apostle,(4) and according to the word of
Aggaeus, who himself became Guide and Ruler, and the successor of his seat after
him, by the ordination to the priesthood which he had received from him in the
presence of all men.
He too, with the same ordination which he had received from him, made
Priests and Guides in the whole of this country of Mesopotamia. For they also, in
like manner as Addaeus the apostle, held fast his word, and listened to and
received it, as good and faithful successors of the apostle of the adorable Christ.
But silver and gold he took not from any man, nor did the gifts of the princes
come near him: for, instead of receiving gold and silver, he himself enriched
the Church of Christ with the souls of believers.
Moreover, as regards the entire state(5) of the men and the women, they
were chaste and circumspect, and holy and pure: for they lived like anchorites(6)
and chastely, without spot--in circumspect watchfulness touching the ministry,
in their sympathy(7) toward the poor, in their visitations to the sick: for
their footsteps were fraught with praise from those who saw them, and their
conduct was arrayed in commendation from strangers--so that even the priests of the
house of(8) Nebu and Bel divided the honour with them at all times, by reason
of their dignified aspect, their truthful words, their frankness of speech
arising from their noble nature, which was neither subservient through covetousness
nor in bondage under the fear of blame. For there was no one who saw them that
did not run to meet them, that he might salute them respectfully, because the
very sight of them shed peace upon the beholden: for just like a net(9) were
their words of gentleness spread over the contumacious, and they entered within
the fold of truth and verity. For there was no man who saw them that was ashamed
of them, because they did nothing that was not accordant with rectitude and
propriety. And in consequence of these things their bearing was fearless as they
published their teaching to all men. For, whatsoever they said to others and
enjoined on them, they themselves exhibited in practice in their own persons; and
the hearers, who saw that their actions went along with their words, without
much persuasion became their disciples, and confessed the King Christ, praising
God for having turned them towards Him.
And some years after the death of Abgar the king, there arose one of his
contumacious(1) sons, who was not favourable to peace; and he sent word to
Aggaeus, as he was sitting in the church: Make me a headband of gold, such as thou
usedst to make for my fathers in former times. Aggaeus sent to him: I will not
give up the ministry of Christ, which was committed to me by the disciple of
Christ, and make a headband of wickedness. And, when he saw that he did not
comply, he sent and brake his legs(2) as he was sitting in the church expounding. And
as he was dying he adjured Palut and Abshelama: In this house, for whose
truth's sake, lo! I am dying, lay me and bury me. And, even as he had adjured them,
so did they lay him--inside the middle door of the church, between the men and
the women. And there was great and bitter mourning in all the church, and in
all the city--over and above the anguish and the mourning which there had been
within the church, such as had been the mourning when Addaeus the apostle himself
died. And,(3) in consequence of his dying suddenly and quickly at the breaking
of his legs, he was not able to lay his hand upon Palut. Palut went to
Antioch, and received ordination to the priesthood from Serapion bishop of Antioch; by
which Serapion himself also ordination had been received from Zephyrinus
bishop of the city of Rome, in the succession of the ordination to the priesthood
from Simon Cephas, who had received it from our Lord, and was bishop there in
Rome twenty-five years in the days of the Caesar who reigned there thirteen years.
And, according to the custom which exists in the kingdom of Abgar the king,
and in all kingdoms, that whatsoever the king commands and whatsoever is spoken
in his presence is committed to writing and deposited among the records, so also
did Labubna,(4) son of Senac, son of Ebedshaddai, the king's scribe, write
these things also relating to Addaeus the apostle from the beginning to the end,
whilst Hanan also the Tabularius, a sharir of the kings, set-to his hand in
witness, and deposited the writing among the records of the kings, where the
ordinances and laws are deposited, and where the contracts of the buyers and sellers
are kept with care, without any negligence whatever.
Here endeth the teaching of Addaeus the apostle, which he proclaimed in
Edessa, the faithful city of Abgar, the faithful king.
SYRIAC CALENDAR.
A NOTE BY THE TRANSLATOR.--The following list of the Syrian names of months, in use in the empire and
during the era of the Seleucidae, several of which have been mentioned in these
Documents, is taken from Caswinii Calendarium Syriacum, edited in Arabic and
Latin by Volck, 1859. The later Hebrew names also are here added for comparison.
It must, however, be noticed that "the years employed in the Syrian Calendar,
were, at least after the incarnation, Julian years, composed of Roman months."
(See L'Art de verifier les dates: Paris, 1818, tom. i. p. 45.) The
correspondence with the Hebrew months, therefore, is not so dose as the names would
indicate, since these commenced with the new moons, and an intercalary month, Veadar,
following their twelfth month Adar, was added.
| SYRIAN
| HEBREW
|
October
| Tishri prior
| Tishri, or Ethanim
|
November
| Tishri posterior
| Bull, or Marcheshvan
|
December
| Canun prior
| Chisleu
|
January
| Canun posterior
| Tebeth
|
February
| Shubat
| Shebat
|
March
| Adar
| Adar
|
April
| Nisan
| Nisan
|
May
| Ajar
| Zif, or Iyar
|
June
| Chaziran
| Sivan
|
July
| Tamuz
| Tammuz
|
August
| Ab
| Ab
|
September
| Elul
| Elul
|