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Audiobook edition · 1 h 37 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 54 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 54 pagesAbout 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.
Who will love it
Readers who love origin stories, early church history and the world of Edessa and Syriac Christianity will enjoy it. It suits anyone curious about royal letters and miracle accounts.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Envoys from Edessa see Jesus in Jerusalem
- Abgar writes, Jesus answers, and a portrait is made
- Addai arrives and the king is healed
- Addai tells of Queen Protonice and the three crosses
- Addai preaches to the whole city of Edessa
- A church rises, and letters cross to Rome
- Addai charges his helpers before he dies
- What the story is about and how it is told
Who’s who
- Abgar UkkamaThe king of Edessa, who writes to Jesus, asks for healing, and later welcomes the faith with his court.
- HannanThe keeper of the archives and royal painter, who carries the letters, writes down Christ's deeds, and paints his likeness.
- AddaiThe apostle sent to Edessa, who heals the king, preaches to the city, and builds the church.
- ProtoniceThe wife of the emperor Claudius, who travels to Jerusalem to see Golgotha and finds the cross of Christ.
- AggaiThe maker of the king's chains, who becomes Addai's helper and then his successor as leader of the church.
- PalutA deacon who becomes an elder under Addai and helps to carry the church forward.
- Tiberius CaesarThe Roman emperor who answers Abgar's letter and sides with him against Pilate and the Jews.
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The Doctrine of Addai
by Attributed to Thaddeus of Edessa · 400
A king in Edessa writes to Jesus, and a disciple named Addai comes to heal him.
ChallengingUnder 2 hours to readEnglish
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“Blessed are you, who, though you have not seen me, yet believe in me”
In short
What would you do if a king wrote to Jesus and asked him to come and heal him? In the Doctrine of Addai, King Abgar of Edessa does exactly that, and he receives an answer.
The Doctrine of Addai at a glance
- Reading time
- About 55 min45 min fast, 1 h 5 min slow
- Length
- 12,900 words14 chapters
- Pages
- 54 pages84 in large print
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- about AD 400by Attributed to Thaddeus of Edessa
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
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Listen freeOr hold it in print: paperback, hardcover or large print, at costFrom the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Envoys from Edessa see Jesus in Jerusalem
The story opens with careful dates. It is the year three hundred and forty-three by the Greek reckoning, in the reign of the emperor Tiberius. Abgar rules Edessa. He sends two chiefs and Hannan, the keeper of the archives, to Sabinus, the Roman deputy, with letters about the kingdom.
On the road home the envoys meet travelers heading to Jerusalem, because the fame of Christ's wonders has spread far. They join them and see Christ in the city. Hannan stays ten days and writes down everything he sees Christ do.
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A king in Edessa writes to Jesus, and a disciple named Addai comes to heal him.
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Details
- First published
- 400
- Language
- English
- Listening time
- 1 h 37 min
- Level
- Challenging
- Paperback
- 54 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Hardcover
- 54 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Large print paperback
- 84 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
- Large print hardcover
- 84 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
- Delivery and returns
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For Christmas, order by Thu 12 Nov
Cite this edition
Thaddeus of Edessa. The Doctrine of Addai. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-doctrine-of-addai.
Thaddeus of Edessa. (2026). The doctrine of Addai. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-doctrine-of-addai (Original work published ca. 400)
Thaddeus of Edessa. The Doctrine of Addai. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-doctrine-of-addai.
@book{thaddeusofedessa2026doctrine,
author = {Thaddeus of Edessa},
title = {The Doctrine of Addai},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/loa-doctrine-of-addai},
note = {First published ca. 400}
}
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What is the Doctrine of Addai about?
It tells how King Abgar of Edessa wrote to Jesus, was promised a disciple, and was healed by Addai. It then follows Addai's preaching, the building of the church, and the passing of leadership to his successors.
Who was King Abgar of Edessa?
In this text Abgar, called Ukkama, is the son of Ma'nu and rules Edessa under Roman peace. He writes to Jesus, believes without seeing, welcomes Addai, and protects and supports the new church in his city.
Is the story of Abgar and Jesus true?
Scholars disagree. Eusebius reported the letters in the fourth century and thought they were real. The longer text took its present form in the late fourth or early fifth century, and many read it as a founding tradition.
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