book 1 71

Corinthians.119 2 This account is from Clement in the fifth book of

Hypotyposes, in which he also says that Cephas, about whom Paul says,
“But when Cephas came to Antioch I opposed him face-to-face,” was
one of the seventy disciples, and having the same name as the apostle
Peter.120 3 Word has it that Matthias, too, who was enlisted with the apos-
tles in place of Judas, and the other man who was honored along with
him in the same vote, were deemed worthy of the same call of the sev-
enty.121 And Thaddaeus, they say, was one of them; in just a moment I
will set down a narrative about him that has come to us.122 4 And, look-
ing closely, you will find that there were more than seventy disciples of
the Savior, when you consult Paul as a witness, when he says that after
[the Savior’s] rise from the dead he appeared first to Cephas, then to the
twelve, and after them to more than five hundred brothers at one time,
some of whom he said had fallen asleep, but that most were still alive at
the time he was writing. 5 Then, he says that he appeared to James; he
was also one of those referred to as brothers of the Savior. Then, since
there were many besides these who were considered apostles in imita-
tion of the twelve, as Paul himself was, he continues, saying: “Then he
appeared to all the apostles.”123 That, then, is enough on this subject.

A NA R R AT I V E A B OU T T H E RU L E R O F
T H E E D E S SE N E S

chapter 13. This is how the narrative about Thaddaeus goes. The
divinity of our Savior Jesus Christ was being proclaimed among all
people because of his incredible power, and it won over myriad people
from lands far from Judaea who hoped for treatment for diseases and
all sorts of ailments.

119. 1 Cor. 1:1.

120. Gal. 2:11; Paul describes a conflict with “Cephas” as to whether circumcision
should be required of male Gentile converts. Most interpreters, ancient and modern,
identify this Cephas with the apostle Peter (Cephas and Peter mean “rock” in Aramaic
and Greek, respectively). Claiming that the Cephas of Gal. 2:11 is distinct from Peter was
an exegesis that mitigated what could otherwise be read as an embarrassing and unre-
solved conflict between Peter and Paul.
121. Acts 1:23–26. The other man was named Joseph Bar Sabbas, a.k.a. Justus.
122. See below, 1.13.1 ff.
123. 1 Cor. 15:5–7.
72 the ecclesiastical history

2 One was King Abgar, a distinguished ruler of the nations beyond

the Euphrates. His body was being wracked by a fearsome ailment that
could not be cured by any human power, and since he had heard the
mighty name of Jesus and the powers about which all were unani-
mously testifying, he became his suppliant by sending a letter carrier,
asking for deliverance from the disease. 3 Jesus, however, did not
answer the supplicant’s request at that time, but rather deemed him
worthy of a personal letter and undertook to send one of his disciples
to cure the disease and to offer salvation both to him and to all who
belonged to him.
4 Indeed, the promise made to him was fulfilled not long afterward.
After Christ’s resurrection from the dead and his return to the heav-
ens, Thomas, one of the twelve apostles, by divine prompt sent Thad-
daeus, who was listed in the number of the seventy disciples of Christ,
to Edessa as herald and evangelist of the teaching concerning Christ,
and through him124 the entirety of our Savior’s promise came to pass. 5
And you have a written testimony of this, taken from the archive in
Edessa, which was at that time an independent kingdom. This is even
found today, preserved in the public papers there, which contain
records of what happened in ancient times and the time of Abgar. But
nothing is like hearing the letters themselves, taken by us from the
archives and translated word for word from the language of the Syri-
ans in this manner:125
copy of a letter written by abgar the toparch to jesus
and sent to him in jerusalem via the courier ananias
6 Abgar Ouchama,126 toparch, to Jesus the good savior who has
appeared in the region of Jerusalem, greetings. I have heard about you
and your cures, that you effect them without drugs or herbs. For word
has it that you make the blind see, the lame walk, cleanse lepers, and

124. I.e., Thaddaeus.

125. Eusebius is claiming that the letters are preserved in the archives of Edessa.
Whether he is asserting that he obtained his own copy directly from Edessa, or simply
that the manuscript in his possession indicated this provenance is unclear (the latter
seems more likely). Also unclear is whether Eusebius is claiming to have made this
translation himself, or is stating that his copy indicates that it is a translation from Syriac
(again, the latter is more likely).
126. Ouchama is the Greek transliteration of the Syriac ‘ukkāmā, “the black.” The
Abgar of this legend is putatively Abgar V, who ruled ca. 4 b.c.e–ca. 50 c.e.
 book 1 73

cast out unclean spirits and demons, and that you cure those suffering
from great illness and raise [people] from the dead. 7 And having heard
all of this about you, I can conceive one of two possibilities: either that
you are God and having come down from heaven you do all this, or
that you who do this are Son of God.127 8 On account of this, therefore,
I write, asking that you take the trouble to come to me and cure the
ailment I have. I have heard, moreover, that the Jews murmur against
you and plan to do you harm. My city is small, yet honorable, and
enough for both of us.

{He wrote this though divine light had just barely illuminated him.
But it is also worth hearing the letter sent by Jesus to him via the same
letter carrier; it is only a few lines long, but very powerful, and goes
this way:}128
the reply of jesus to the toparch abgar, via the
courier ananias
10 Blessed are you129 who have believed in me, without having seen me.
For it is written about me that those who have seen me will not believe
in me, even in order that those who have not seen me will believe and
shall live. But about what you wrote me, that I come to you—it is neces-
sary to fulfill everything for which I was sent here, and after fulfilling it
thus to be taken up to the one who sent me. Yet, once I am taken up, I
will send one of my disciples to you, in order to cure your ailment and
to offer life to you and those with you.

11 To these letters this is added further, in the language of the Syrians:

After Jesus was taken up, Judas, also called Thomas, sent Thaddaeus the
apostle, one of the seventy, to him. He came and stayed with Tobias the
son of Tobias. When word spread about him, it was revealed to Abgar
that an apostle had come there from Jesus, just as he had written him.
12 Now, Thaddaeus began to cure every disease and infirmity by the
power of God, so that all marveled. But when Abgar heard the great
and wondrous things he did, and that he was curing [people], it came
to him in a dream that he was the one about whom Jesus had written,
saying, “Once I am taken up, I will send one of my disciples to you, in

127. Or “a son of God”; that is, a holy man empowered by God, though Eusebius
would certainly have read the passage as a Christological declaration.
128. The text in brackets is found in manuscripts ERBD.
129. “You” (sing.).
74 the ecclesiastical history

order to cure your ailment.” 13 He then summoned Tobias, with whom

he was staying, and said, “I have heard that a powerful man has come
and is staying in your house. Bring him to me.” Tobias went to Thadd-
aeus and said to him, “The toparch Abgar summoned me and said to
bring you to him, that you may cure him.” And Thaddaeus said, “I will
go, since with power I am sent to him.” Then, Tobias got up the next day
and bringing Thaddaeus came to Abgar. When they arrived, with his
dignitaries present and standing by, a great vision appeared to Abgar in
the face of the apostle Thaddaeus as soon as he entered. Seeing it, Abgar
prostrated himself before Thaddaeus, and wonder seized everyone
present. For they had not seen the vision, which appeared only to
Abgar. 15 And he asked Thaddaeus, “Are you in truth the disciple of
Jesus, the Son of God, about whom he said to me, ‘I will send you one
of my disciples, who will cure you and offer you life’?” And Thaddaeus
said, “Since you have believed greatly in the one who sent me, on
account of this I have been sent to you. And again, if you believe in him,
as you believe so shall you have your heart’s request.” 16 And Abgar
said to him, “I believed in him so much that I planned to take a force
and massacre the Jews who crucified him, if I had not been held back
from it on account of the Roman Empire.” And Thaddaeus said, “Our
Lord has fulfilled the will of his Father, and having fulfilled it has been
taken up to the Father.” 17 Abgar said to him, “I have indeed believed
in him and in his Father.” And Thaddaeus said, “On account of this, I
place my hand upon you in his name.” And as he did this, he was
immediately cured of the disease and ailment he had. Abgar marveled
that what he had heard about Jesus was in very fact what he received
through his disciple Thaddaeus, who cured him without drugs or
herbs—and not only him, but also Abdus the son of Abdus, whose feet
suffered from gout. He also came and fell at Thaddaeus’s feet, and
prayed holding out his hands to be cured, and he cured many others of
their fellow citizens. 19 After this Abgar said, “Thaddaeus, you do this
by the power of God and we ourselves marvel. But in addition to this I
ask you, explain to me about the advent of Jesus, how it happened, and
about his power, and with what kind of power he did the things that
have been reported to me.” 20 And Thaddaeus said, “For now I will be
silent, but since I have been sent to preach the story,130 gather all your
citizens for me tomorrow, and I will preach to them and sow in them
the life-giving account:131 about the advent of Jesus, how it happened;

130. Or “Word/Logos.”
131. Or “Word/Logos of life.”
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and about his mission, and for what reason he was sent by the Father;
and about his power, his works, and the mysteries about which he
spoke when he was in the cosmos, and by what kind of power he did
these things; and about his new preaching; and about his abasement
and humbling, and how he humbled himself and died and belittled his
divinity, and was crucified, and descended into Hades, and broke the
gates that had stood unbroken for eternity, and raised the dead and
went down alone, but went back up to his Father with a great crowd.”
21 Then Abgar commanded his citizens to gather in the morning to
hear Thaddaeus’s preaching, and afterward he ordered that he be given
gold and silver. But he did not accept, saying, “If we have given up what
is ours, how can we take what is others?” 22 These events happened in
the 340th year.132

And let this, translated word for word from the language of the Syri-
ans, be placed here at the appropriate chronological point, and not
without profit.

132. I.e., of the Seleucid era, or 29/30 c.e.