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E01336: Movsēs Xorenac'i's History of Armenia, written in Armenian and traditionally considered a 5th c. text, but most probably of the early 8th c., recounts the arrival of Apostle *Thaddeus (the Apostle, one of the seventy-two, S00252) in the presence of King Abgar, followed by the healing and subsequent conversion of the King.

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posted on 2016-05-03, 00:00 authored by naleksidze
Movsēs Xorenac'i, History of Armenia, Book II, Chapter 33

Movsēs recounts the conversion of King Abgar of Edessa by Apostle Thaddeus.

Բայց յետ համբառնալոյ Փրկչին մերոյ՝ Թովմաս առաքեալ, մի յերկոտասանիցն, առաքեաց զմի յեօթանասնից անտի զԹադէոս ի քաղաքն Եդեսիայ՝ բժշկել զԱբգար եւ աւետարանել ըստ բանին Տեառն: Որոյ եկեալ եմուտ ի տուն Տուբիայ իշխանի հրէի, զոր ասեն լինել յազգէն Բագրատունեաց. որոյ խուսեալ յԱրշամայ՝ ոչ ուրացաւ զհրէութիւնն ընդ այլ ազգականս իւր, այլ նովին օրինօք եկաց մինչեւ հաւատալ ի Քրիստոս: Եւ ել համբաւ նորա ընդ ամենայն քաղաքն: Լուեալ Աբգարու ասէ. «Նա է վասն որոյ գրեացն Յիսուսե, եւ իսկոյն կոչեաց զնա: Եւ եղեւ ի մտանելն Թադէի՝ տեսիլ սքանչելի երեւեցաւ Աբգարու յերեսսն Թադէի. եւ յարուցեալ ի գահոյիցն անկաւ ի վերայ երեսաց իւրոց եւ երկիր եպագ նմա. եւ զարմացան ամենայն իշխանքն որ շուրջն կային, զի ոչ գիտացին զտեսիլն: Եւ ասէ ցնա Աբգար, եթէ «Դո՞ւ իցես արդարեւ աշակերտ օրհնելոյն Յիսուսի, զոր ասաց առաքել ինձ այսր, եւ կարո՞ղ իցես բժշկել զցաւս իմե: Պատասխանի ետ նմա Թադէ. «Եթէ հաւատասցես ի Քրիստոս Յիսուս յորդին Աստուծոյ՝ տացին խնդրուածք սրտի քոյե: Ասէ ցնա Աբգար. «Ես հաւատացի ի նա եւ ի հայր նորա. վասն որոյ կամեցայ առնուլ զզօրս իմ եւ գալ կոտորել զՀրեայսն, որ խաչեցին զնա, եթէ ոչ էր իմ արգելեալ վասն թագաւորութեանն Հռոմայեցւոցե:
Եւ յայսմ բանէ սկիզբն արարեալ Թադէի՝ աւետարանեաց նմա եւ քաղաքի նորա. եւ եդեալ ձեռն ի վերայ բժշկեաց զնա, եւ զԱբդիու պատագրոս իշխան քաղաքին եւ պատուական յամենայն տանն արքայի, նա եւ զամենայն որ էին ի քաղաքին հիւանդք եւ ախտաժէտք, բժշկեաց: Եւ հաւատացին ամենեքեան. եւ մկրտեցաւ ինքն Աբգար եւ ամենայն քաղաքն. եւ զդուրս տաճարաց կռոցն փակեցին. եւ որ ի վերայ բագնին եւ սեանն կային պատկերքն՝ ծածկեալ պատեցին եղեգամբ. եւ ոչ զոք ածէր բռնութեամբ ի հաւատս, բայց օր ըստ օրէ յաւելեալ ի հաւատացեալսն բազմանային:

'The preaching in Edessa of the Apostle Thaddaeus and the copies of five letters

After the ascension of our Savior, Thomas the apostle, one of the twelve, sent one of the seventy, Thaddaeus, to the city of Edessa to cure Abgar and to preach the gospel according to the Lord's saying. When he arrived he entered the house of Tobias, the Jewish prince who, they say, was of the Bagratuni family. He had fled from Arsham and had not renounced the Jewish faith with his other kinsmen but lived under the same law until his conversion to Christ. And the report about him [Thaddaeus] went out throughout the whole city. When Abgar heard it he said: "This is he concerning whom Jesus wrote." And he immediately summoned him. And it happened that when Thaddaeus entered, a marvelous vision appeared to Abgar on Thaddaeus' face, and rising from his throne he fell on his face and worshipped him. All the princes who were standing around him were astonished, for they had not perceived the vision. Abgar said to him: "Are you truly the disciple of the blessed Jesus whom he said he would send to me here, and are you able to cure my pains?" Thaddaeus replied to him: "If you believe in Christ Jesus the Son of God, the requests of your heart will be granted." Abgar said to him: "I have believed in Him and in his Father. For that reason I wished to take my army and go to slaughter the Jews who crucified Him, had I not been prevented because of the Roman empire." Beginning with these words Thaddaeus preached the gospel to him and his city. And placing his hand on him he cured him and also the gout of Abdiu, a noble of the city and the most honorable man in all the royal court. Similarly he healed all the sick and afflicted in the city. And they all believed. Abgar himself and the whole city were baptized. They closed the doors of the temples of the idols, and they hid the images that were on the altars and columns by covering them with reeds. And he did not bring anyone by force to the faith, but day by day the number of the faithful increased.'

Text: Thomson 1981, 151-152; Translation: Thomson 2006, 167-168.

History

Evidence ID

E01336

Saint Name

Addai/Thaddeus the Apostle, one of the seventy-two : S00255

Saint Name in Source

Թադէ

Type of Evidence

Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)

Language

  • Armenian

Evidence not before

450

Evidence not after

800

Activity not before

40

Activity not after

100

Place of Evidence - Region

Armenia

Place of evidence - City name in other Language(s)

Hadamakert Հադամակերտ Hadamakert Başkale

Major author/Major anonymous work

Movsēs Xorenaci (History of Armenia)

Cult Activities - Miracles

Miracle during lifetime Healing diseases and disabilities Apparition, vision, dream, revelation Miracles causing conversion

Cult Activities - Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Monarchs and their family Aristocrats Crowds

Source

The author In the introductory paragraph the author identifies himself as Moses of Khoren (Xoren), although no such town is otherwise attested. He claims to be an active member of the circle of Maštoc' and Sahak of the early 5th century and to have witnessed some of the events he described. But the authorship and date has been challenged convincingly, as the author reveals knowledge of sources much later than the 5th century, and, as Robert Thomson points out, it was only after the year 900 that Movsēs's claim to have been a student of Sahak and Maštoc' was shared by other Armenian authors (Thomson 2006, 2-3). The first reference to the History of Movsēs Xorenac‘i appears in the 10th century, when he is used as a source. It is in the early 11th century that lists first appear in which Movsēs is listed as a 5th century author. Thereafter Movsēs was canonically considered as the 5th century “father of Armenian history”. Currently the most convincing suggested date for the compilation and composition of Movsēs’s history is the first half of the 8th century. Movsēs frequently cites unnamed earlier sources in support of what he writes, but there is no way of telling whether these really existed, or whether they are a rhetorical device. Xorenac'i’s agenda Movsēs overtly writes for his Bagratid patrons, who ascended to power in Armenia in the early 8th century. He seeks to connect the Bagratid family to the period before the official conversion of Armenia, and to assert their perpetual Christianity. According to Movsēs, the Bagratids were even associated with the preaching of Thaddaeus in Edessa, before the latter came to Armenia. Tobias, in whose house Thaddaeus had lodged in Edessa, was, according to Movsēs, a Jewish Bagratid prince. This claim is crucial for Movsēs, as previous historians, who mostly wrote for the rival Mamikonean clan, had closely associated this latter family with Gregory the Illuminator. The Mamikoneans had, according to this tradition, married into the family of Gregory. Therefore Movsēs’s primary agenda was to elevate his patrons’ prestige vis-à-vis the Mamikoneans by pointing out their even older Christian connections (Thomson 2006, 29-30). As part of this agenda, Movsēs promoted the cult of the early apostles Thaddaeus and Barthlomew in Armenia, and adapted the story of the Syrian King Abgar into the Armenian tradition, having made Abgar Armenian.

Bibliography

Edition: Thomson, R.W., Moses Khorenats'i, Patmut'iwn Hayots' (History of the Armenians), a facsimile reproduction of the 1913 Tiflis edition (New York: Caravan Books, 1981). Translation: Thomson, R.W., Moses Khorenats'i, History of the Armenians (Ann Arbor: Caravan Books, 2006).

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    Evidence -  The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

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