8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A sick king sends a letter to Jesus, and Edessa becomes the heart of a Christian origin story.
The Doctrine of Addai is an anonymous Syriac text that scholars usually date to around 400. Its story begins with Abgar Ukkama, king of Edessa, who hears of Jesus and asks for healing. Hannan, his archivist and courier, carries the appeal to Palestine. The reply and a painted portrait become part of the city's sacred legend.
According to the text, Judas Thomas later sends Addai to Edessa, where Tobias gives him lodging. His mission brings him before the king and a city asked to leave its old gods behind. Far more than an exchange of letters, this account combines sermons, healing stories, the founding of a church, and Queen Protonice's search for the cross.
What you’ll discover
- A king's urgent appeal Read the legendary correspondence that links Abgar's hope for healing with the story of Edessa.
- The courier and portrait Follow Hannan as he carries a royal message and paints a portrait of Jesus.
- An apostle in Edessa Enter the text's account of Addai's arrival, royal audience, and public teaching.
- A church claims its beginnings Explore how this Syriac tradition connects a city's church with the apostles.
- Protonice and the cross Encounter the Roman queen whose story takes this account beyond the streets of Edessa.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers of early Christian legend, Syriac Christianity, and the stories cities tell about their own beginnings. It is less suited to anyone who wants firm, datable history, since scholars treat much of its account as later tradition.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A sick king writes to Jesus
- Jesus answers, and a portrait is painted
- Addai arrives and lodges with Tobias
- The king is healed and believes
- A city turns from idols and builds a church
- Protonice, the cross, and how to read the text
Who’s who
- Abgar UkkamaThe king of Edessa, ill and hopeful, who writes to Jesus and asks him to come, heal him, and live in his city.
- HannanThe king's archivist and courier, who carries the letter to Jesus, brings back the reply, and paints the portrait.
- AddaiThe apostle sent to Edessa after the ascension, who heals the king, teaches the city, and founds its church.
- TobiasA Jewish man of Edessa, the son of Tobias, who gives Addai a place to stay when he arrives.
- Judas ThomasThe apostle who sends Addai to Edessa, linking the new church to the twelve.
- ProtoniceA Roman queen, wife of the emperor Claudius in the text, who is drawn to the faith and to the story of the cross.
- AggaiA close helper of Addai, trained and chosen to share the work of the church in Edessa.
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- Large print hardcover
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The Doctrine of Addai
by Attributed to Thaddeus of Edessa· 400
A Syriac Christian text recounts the church’s beginnings in Edessa.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
A sick king writes to Jesus
The story opens in Edessa, a city that the text ties to a king named Abgar, called Ukkama, which means the Black. He is ill, and word has reached him of the deeds of Jesus in Palestine. He has heard of the sick healed and of wonders done without medicine or herbs.
Abgar decides to write. His letter says that he believes Jesus is either God come down or the Son of God. He asks Jesus to come to Edessa, cure his illness, and stay in his city. He adds that he has heard of Jewish hostility toward Jesus, and he offers his small city as a safe and honorable home.
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What is the Doctrine of Addai about?
It tells how King Abgar of Edessa wrote to Jesus, received a reply and a portrait, and was later healed by the apostle Addai, who then taught the city and founded its church.
Who was Addai in the Doctrine of Addai?
Addai is the apostle said to have been sent to Edessa after the ascension. Eusebius calls him Thaddeus. Syriac Christians honor him as the founder of their church in Edessa and the East.
Did Jesus really write to King Abgar?
Most historians doubt it. They see the letters as a legend that gave Edessa an early Christian origin. Eusebius says he found them in the city archives, but scholars date their present form later.
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