A miraculous image of Christ God presented to the Armenian king. The Legend of King Avgar (Old Russian manuscript, 12th century)

I’ve been wanting to write a similar post for a long time, but my friend Ruslan Davidov got ahead of me.

When respected Armenians tell you that Armenia is the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion, this is, to put it mildly, not true. The first Christian state in the world was the Assyrian Osroene (in Assyrian Beth - Osroyo) led by King Abgar V Ukkama, whose name is associated with the story of the Miracle Image of Jesus Christ. Even historians who are skeptical of the story of the church historian Eusebius of Caesarea attribute the Christianization of Osroene to the time of Abgar IX the Great, who ruled a century before the baptism of the Armenian king Tiridates the Great.

Armenian fresco depicting St. Abgara

Ruslan Davidov’s post is dedicated to exposing this myth. Original.

The myth about the Armenian identity of the Assyrian king Abgar Ukama, who, according to church tradition, was the first of the kings to accept Christianity, originates from Movses Khorenatsi, as he is also called - Herodotus of Armenian history. In his work "History of Armenia" King Arsham is called the father of Abgar.

But history knows two kings of Armenia with the name Arsham. This
Arsham I (c. 240 BC), who was the first of the Armenian kings to mint coins, and his successor Arsham II (c. 230 BC). As we see, both kings lived two centuries before King Abgar and, at a minimum, could not have had close family ties.

The fact is that Movses Khorenatsi associated the name of Arsham with King Abgar due to a misunderstanding:

“Researchers and commentators on the “History of Armenia” by Movses Khorenatsi note that this name arose due to a misunderstanding: the king of Edessa Abgar had the nickname Ukama (“Black”, which in the Armenian translation of “Ecclesiastical History” by Eusebius of Caesarea is rendered in the form Arjama (from arjn - “black” "), and in the translation of Labubna's work (see, note 367) - Arsham. "Abgar of Arsham" was perceived as "Arshamov Abgar", i.e. Abgar, son of Arsham. Hence the idea arose that Abgar was preceded by Arsham on the throne of Edessa. To this, however, we must add that the name Arsham, as such, is not accidental among the names of Armenian kings. This was the name of one of the kings of the Yervandakan (Ervanduni) dynasty (Arsames), who reigned in Commagene-Sophene in the 30s. III century BC and founded the cities of Arshamashat in Sophene and two Arsamei in Commagene.

****
“In the works of Yu. Veselovsky (1900)58 and Garegin Levonyan (1941)1 the theater in Northern Mesopotamia is considered as an ancient Armenian theater, and Abgar Ukamo himself is considered as an Armenian king, one of the successors of Tigran and Artavazd.
Leon Kalantar, in a review of Garegin Levonyan’s book, rightly objected to this point
pointing out that Abgar has long been recognized as a Syrian, and his theater is a phenomenon of Syrian culture1. »

The recently discovered burial site of the royal dynasty in the Castle of Urfa (Edessa) contains an inscription in Assyrian "Great King Abgar V Ukama Mannu, the first Christian ruler of Edessa"
http://www.bnetha.org/news/2016-07-10-267

It is noteworthy that in the inscription he is called the king of Edessa, and not of Armenia, as in Movses Khornenatsi.

13:10 — REGNUM

... "The 33rd year after the birth of Christ - the adoption of the Christian faith by the Armenian king Abgar." This date contains many surprising things. Even many of those who saw the Savior and the miracles He performed with their own eyes doubted the truth of His teaching. At the same time, the king a distant country accepts the teachings of Christ in the year of His crucifixion. How could Abgar know about what was happening? What gave him confidence in the infallible truth of an unfamiliar teaching? In search of answers to these questions, we turned to the bishop of the Armenian Church, the historian of the 5th century, Saint Movses Khorenatsi. .

Movses Khorenatsi about Abgar, son of Arsham

In his “History of Armenia” Movses Khorenatsi talks about how the Armenian king Abgar heard about Jesus Christ and his miracles.

The nobles of King Abgar (Avgar) were sent to the city of Betkubin (or Eleutheropolis - a city in Judea, 40 km southeast of Jerusalem) to resolve government affairs.

“On the way back,” writes Movses Khorenatsi, “they went to Jerusalem to see our Savior Christ, prompted by rumors of miracles, and, finding themselves eyewitnesses, told Abgar. The amazed Abgar sincerely believed that this was the true Son of God, and said: “These are the capabilities not of man, but of God, for none of the people can raise the dead, but only God.” And since his body was affected by a terrible disease that had befallen him in the Persian country seven years earlier, and people were unable to cure him, he sent him a letter asking him to come and cure him ... "

Abgar, apparently unable to go to Judea himself, sent this request to the Lord Jesus, begging Him to come to him in Edessa. Not being sure that the request would be fulfilled, Abgar sent the skilled painter Ananias to Palestine, instructing him to depict the face of the Lord on the icon; the king wanted to have at least that consolation in his illness that he would see the image of the face of Jesus Christ; so great was his love for Christ, inspired by faith through hearing.

The historian cites the text of King Abgar’s message to the Savior:

“Abgar, son of Arsham, ruler of the country, (sends) greetings to Jesus the Savior and Benefactor, who appeared in the country of Jerusalem.

I heard about you and about the healing done by your hands without potions and roots. For, as they say, you make the blind see and the lame walk, you cleanse lepers, cast out unclean spirits and heal those who suffer from old diseases. You even raise the dead. When I heard all this about you, I was convinced in my thoughts of one of two things: either you are God who came down from heaven and are doing this, or you are the Son of God and doing this. That is why I am writing to you with a prayer to take the trouble to come to me and cure me of the disease from which I suffer. I also heard that the Jews are grumbling against you and want to torture you; my city is small and beautiful, it would be enough for both of us.”

The messengers who delivered the letter met Jesus in Jerusalem. The answer to Abgar’s message was the words of the Savior, recorded by the Apostle Thomas:

“Blessed is he who believes in me without seeing me. For it is written about me: those who see me will not believe in me, but those who do not see will believe and live. And what you wrote to me - to come to you, then I must accomplish here everything for which I was sent. And when I accomplish this, I will ascend to the one who sent me. When I ascend, I will send one of my disciples here so that he can cure your illnesses and give life to you and your family.”

Along with the letter, Ananias handed over to King Abgar an image of the Savior that miraculously appeared before his eyes: “The Lord ordered water to be brought and, having washed His holy face, wiped it with the four-pointed ubrus (cloth folded in four) given to Him. And - lo and behold! - simple water turned into paint, and the most holy likeness of the Divine face was imprinted on the lining. The Lord, giving this image to Ananias, said: “Carry it, give it to the one who sent you.”

Movses Khorenatsi points out that “the image of the Face of the Savior is kept in the city of Edessa.”

King Abgar, called Ukkama, or Ukhomo, which means “black”, according to the chronicles, twice ruled the Osroene kingdom in the Armenian part of Northern Mesopotamia with its capital in Edessa (modern Sanliurfa in south-eastern Turkey; until 1993 - Urfa): for the first time since 4 years BC to the 7th year A.D., and after that from the 13th to the 50th year.

The Osroene kingdom was founded in 137 BC. and ceased to exist in 216 A.D. King Abgar V of the Armenian Arsacid dynasty, nephew of Tigran the Great, fifteenth ruler of the kingdom, gained fame in the 4th century, when Eusebius of Caesarea discovered a Syrian document in the Edessa archives, testifying to his correspondence with Jesus Christ.

Testimony of Eusebius of Caesarea

In his “Ecclesiastical History,” the Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine writes about King Abgar, “who gloriously ruled the nations beyond the Euphrates and suffered from a terrible disease incurable by human means” and “as soon as he heard about the name of Jesus and his deeds, many times witnessed by everyone, he immediately sent letter carrier, asking for relief from the disease."

The bishop also cites a letter “written by Abgar the toparch (ruler of the country, district - M. and G.M.) to Jesus and sent to him through Ananias the messenger to Jerusalem”:

“I have heard about You and Your healings, which You perform without medicines or roots. They say that You make the blind see, the lame walk, and you cleanse lepers, and you drive out unclean spirits and demons, and you heal those tormented by a long-term illness, and you raise the dead... And therefore I considered it necessary to ask You to take the trouble to come to me and the disease that I have, to heal. I also heard that the Jews murmur against You and want to do You harm. I have a small city and a beautiful one, which is enough for both.”

In “Ecclesiastical History” I found a place and answer “Jesus through Ananias the messenger to the toparch Abgar”:

“Blessed are you who believed in Me without seeing Me, for it is written about Me: Those who see Me will not believe in Me, but those who have not seen Me will believe and live. About the same thing that you wrote to Me so that I would come to you, everything for which I was sent here must be fulfilled by Me, and after the fulfillment I will be taken to the one who sent Me, and when I am taken (ascended), I will send you one of My disciples, so that he can heal your illness and provide life for you and everyone who is with you.”

Revelations of Jacob Lorber

In 1844, the German mystic Jacob Lorber published “The Correspondence of Jesus with Abgar Ukkama, Prince of Edessa.” Here are excerpts from his work (translation from German by L.P. von Offenberg, 1940, Geneva; publishing house Lorber-Verlag, Germany).

Abgar's first appeal to the Lord:

“Abgar, King of Edessa - Glory to Jesus the Healer, who appeared in the vicinity of Jerusalem!

I have heard about You and about the healings You perform without herbs and potions; for there is a rumor that You make the blind see, the lame walk, You cleanse lepers, cast out demons, heal incurable illnesses, and even raise the dead.

And after hearing all this about You, I came to the conclusion that one of two assumptions must be true: either You are God who came down from heaven, or, Performing such things, You must be at least the Son of the Almighty God.

Therefore, I write to You and ask You: deign to come to me and heal me of my illness.

I also heard that the Jews are plotting evil against You. I own a small but quite comfortable state, and there is enough space for both of us.

Therefore, come to me, my honored Friend Jesus, and stay to live in my capital, where everyone will carry You in their arms and in their hearts.

I am waiting for You with the greatest impatience in my heart!

Sent with my faithful messenger and servant Brach."

The Lord's first answer:

“Blessed are you, Abgar! For you have Faith without seeing Me! As the Scripture says about Me: “Those who have seen will not believe in Me, so that those who have not seen Me may believe and inherit Life.

As for your letter, in which you ask Me to come to you because of the persecution of the Jews, I will tell you the following: it is necessary that everything for which I came to earth be fulfilled with Me in these places.

Truly I tell you: the time is approaching when everything will come true to Me, according to the Scriptures, after which I will return to Him from Whom I came from Eternity.

Have patience with your minor illness.

As soon as I am in heaven, I will send you My disciple, and he will help you and give true healing to you and all yours.”

Written by Jacob, a disciple of the Lord, near Nazareth, and given to Brach, messenger and servant of the king of Edessa.

Soon after Abgar received a letter from the Lord, the eldest son and heir of the king fell seriously ill. All the doctors of Edessa declared his illness incurable. This plunged Abgar into complete despair, and in his grief he wrote a second letter to the Savior.

Abgar's second appeal to the Savior:

“Abgar, unfortunate prince of Edessa, to Jesus, the good Healer.

Honor and glory to the Lord!

Jesus, kindest Savior!

My eldest son and heir lies dying. He was so happy with me about Your possible arrival in our city. An evil fever has laid him down and threatens to carry him away every minute.

I know from my servant that You heal such sick people even at a distance - without any medicine, but only by the power of Your will.

Jesus the Savior! You, Who are truly the Son of the Most High God, heal my son! He loved You so much that He was ready to sacrifice his life for You. Say one word, and Your almighty Will will heal him.

Jesus! Savior! I beg You: save, save, save my son now and do not put it off until after Your Ascension announced by You. After all, I am sick too.

Written in my capital Edessa. Sent by the same faithful servant."

The Lord's second answer:

“Abgar! Great is your faith, and this alone would heal your son; but because I have found more in you than in all Israel, I will also do more for you than you think!

Although you will lose your son in this visible world, you will be enriched spiritually a hundredfold!

Because of this true, inner Love for the Lord, based on great Faith, one has to lose bodily “in this visible world” what is most precious! But spiritually such Love enriches one hundredfold - in the eternal kingdom of the Lord!

Who among us has not encountered this?! Yes, if we devote ourselves entirely to the Lord and His Heavenly Kingdom, then “physically” we lose a lot in the world; for you cannot serve two masters at once.

If we want to achieve the Eternal and Imperishable, we should not cling to the transitory and mortal..."

At the end of his letter, the Savior mentions that one of these days a poor wandering young man should come to the city of Abgara: “Accept him, and with this you will make my heart glad.”

Abgar's third appeal to the Lord:

“Abgar, insignificant prince of Edessa - to Jesus the Savior, who appeared in the vicinity of Jerusalem, Eternal Glory!

... Looking at my sick son, who loves You more and more every day, I involuntarily also yearned for You more than before. Forgive me for writing to you about this. After all, I know that all our thoughts are known to You before us, but despite this, I write everything to You - as a person in general.

I do this on the advice of the young man whom You entrusted to me. I already have it, and he told me that this is how everyone who has a request to You turns to You. We also learned from him that he had seen You. He speaks coherently, and most importantly, he knows how to figuratively tell and describe.

And, to the great joy of my son, who is still alive, although very weak, this young man told us about You, describing Your appearance to us in such detail and clearly that we seemed to see You standing as if alive before our eyes.

A famous painter lives in my capital. I called him, and according to the young man’s words, he immediately drew Your half-length portrait.

The face amazed us, but when the young man assured us that this is exactly what you look like, Lord, our joy was boundless.

I take this opportunity to convey to You, along with this letter, through my messenger, Your portrait. I ask You: express to the messenger Your opinion regarding the resemblance to You.

Jesus, Savior of the human race! Don't be mad at me for this! For it was not curiosity that prompted us to do this, but only boundless Love for You and an immeasurable desire to have at least something that could give us an idea of Your appearance and Your appearance...

Remember us, Lord, in Your heart!

May Your Holy Will be done for us!”

The Savior's third answer:

(Sent 10 days later with the same messenger)

“My beloved son Abgar! Accept My Blessing, My Love and My Grace!

I often say here in Judea to those whom I have delivered from all sorts of ailments: “Your Faith has done this to you,” but I have not yet asked anyone: “Do you love Me?” - and no one has yet said to Me from the depths of their heart: “Lord! I love you!"

But you, without seeing Me, believed that I am the One God, and now you love Me, as you have long since been reborn from the flame of My Spirit.

Abgar! Abgar! If you only knew - if you were only able to understand how dear you are to Me and what a joy you are for My fatherly heart! Endless bliss could destroy you, since you would not be able to survive it!

Henceforth, remain steadfast, despite what you hear about Me from the Jews, filled with malice, who will soon deliver Me into the hands of the executioners!

If you hear this and still do not doubt Me, then, after your son, you will be the first to spiritually take a living part in My Resurrection after death!..

And keep this in your heart until I rise again, then My disciple will immediately come to you, as I told you in My first letter. He will heal you and all yours, except your son, who will painlessly pass into My kingdom before Me!

As for the similarity of the portrait with My appearance, your messenger, who has already seen Me three times, will tell you about this in detail.

If anyone wishes to have my image and is guided by the same arguments as you, then there will be no sin in this - but woe to those who make an idol of Me!

And keep that image secret to yourself for now.

Written in Judea by a disciple who is close to My heart, and sent by the same messenger.”

Abgar's fourth appeal to the Savior:

(Written 7 weeks after his third appeal)

“Abgar, the insignificant prince of Edessa, to Jesus the Savior, who appeared near Jerusalem and is now persecuted by the foolish and blind Jews who do not see the primordial and sacred Light, the Sun of all suns, among them!

My precious Savior! Jesus! Now what You said in Your second letter has been fulfilled: two days ago my son rested painlessly!

On his deathbed, with tears in his eyes, he asked me to write to You again and say how grateful he is to You for saving him from suffering and fear of death.

Dying, he kept Your image on his chest all the time, and his last words were: “My heavenly Father! Jesus, you are eternal Love! You, Who are the true Life from century to century, now You live as the Son of man among those whom Your omnipotence created, giving them life and form. You, the One, are my Love forever and ever! I'm alive! I'm alive! I live by You, and in You forever!”

After these words, my son closed his eyes.

I know, Lord, that You know how my son ended his life here, and that I and my entire court cried bitterly for him, but still I write to You about this, as man to man, especially since this was the last will of my son !

God! Forgive me, a sinner before You, for bothering You with the fourth message and interfering with Your holy and great work, but, in addition, I again make a request: do not take your consolation from me!

Therefore, I ask You, my priceless Savior: deliver me from this mental anguish and torment...

But let Your Will be done, not mine.”

The Lord's fourth answer:

(Written by the hand of the Lord in Greek, while the previous messages were written in Hebrew)

I know about your son, and I know how wonderfully he ended his life here, but even more beautifully he began a new life in My Kingdom!

And you are doing the right thing by mourning him, for there are few righteous people in this world, and those who are like your son are worthy to be mourned...

So, take comfort in the knowledge that you are mourning what is good and kind!

Keep this sadness for a while longer. You will soon mourn Me too, but not for long, for My disciple will come and heal you completely!

From now on, be generous and merciful, and in return you will find mercy! Do not forget the poor, for they are My brothers, and whatever you do to them, you will do to Me, and I will repay you a hundredfold!

Seek the Great, that is, My Kingdom, then the Small in this world will come to you. If you strive for the Small in this world, then be careful that the Great does not reject you!

Behold, you have a criminal imprisoned in your prison, who, according to your wise laws, is subject to the death penalty!

I tell you: Love and Mercy are higher than Wisdom and Justice!

Act with him according to the law of Love and Mercy, and you will forever unite with Me and with Him from Whom I came in the form of a man!

Written by Me in Capernaum and sent by the same messenger.”

Abgar's fifth appeal to the Lord:

(Written 3 weeks after the Lord's response to the fourth message)

“Abgar, the insignificant prince of Edessa, to Jesus the Savior, who appeared in Judea, in the vicinity of Jerusalem, as a Ray of eternal Power, renewing the heavens, worlds and beings, not known by the “first-called,” but known now by those hitherto in darkness.

...And the day when Your disciples understood in spirit who You are, Lord, was for them the happiest and sunniest day in their lives. I feel the same way now from my night!

If only it weren't for my leg pain! I would have been with You long ago, but I am lame and unable to walk, and now my despised legs deprive me of the opportunity to achieve the greatest bliss. Although now I endure everything with joy, for You, Lord, condescended to me, an insignificant grain of sand, and considered me worthy to speak with You in writing.

And You taught me so great things and revealed to me so many wonderful and spiritual things that such a Teaching can only come from You, Lord, but never from a person!

What did I know before about life after the death of the body? All the sages of the world could not explain this to me. Although, according to our religious legends, our gods are immortal, these legends are as far from life as dreams in which you either walk on the sea or sail on a ship on land!

You, Lord, have proven to me in word and deed that only after the death of the body does true, spiritual, perfect and free Eternal Life begin!

And henceforth, eternal gratitude to You, Lord, for all Your endless mercies will be the goal of my life, that’s why I write to You about this, although I realize that all my gratitude is nothing before Your Grace!

God! What can I give to You when everything I have is Yours and from You?!

And it seems to me that sincere gratitude to You, coming from the depths of the heart, is the most worthy thing for humanity, since ingratitude as such is inherent in it most of all.

That is why, apart from gratitude, I cannot bring anything as a gift to You! I will also tell You that from now on I have decided to arrange everything in my country according to Your Will and Your instructions.

I fulfilled Your desire and not only released that state criminal, but also accepted him into my school and admitted him to my table.

Perhaps, in doing this, I, as they say, overdid it a little, but my human mind does not undertake to discuss this act, so I am writing to You about it, for You will show me the true path and guide me.

You alone, Lord! Jesus! - my Love and sons, humility! Let Your Will be done!”

The Lord's fifth answer:

“Listen, my beloved son and brother Abgar!

Now I have 72 disciples and among them are 12 apostles, but all of them taken together do not have your Faith, although you are a pagan and have never seen Me, nor have you seen the countless miracles that have not stopped since the day of My Birth.

And let your heart be filled with great hope, for it will happen and has already partially happened that I will take the Light from the children and give it to you - the pagans, for only recently have I found among the Romans and Greeks living here a faith that cannot be found in all of Israel.

Love and Humility disappeared from the hearts of the Jews, and among you pagans, I found the fullness of these feelings.

As a result, I will take the Light away from the children and give it to you, I will give My entire Kingdom from now on and forever! And children can eat the scum of this world.

Do you want My Will to become law in your country? For now it is difficult, because everything requires a certain maturity. My Law is Love. If you want to introduce something from Me in your country, then introduce this Law, and you will see how easily everything will go with My Will!

For understand: My Will and My Law are so closely connected with each other that, in essence, they constitute one whole, just as I and the Father are one whole!

Of course, much is still associated with My Will, but you are not yet able to understand this. When My disciple comes, he will initiate you into everything. And, as soon as he baptizes you in My Name, the Spirit of God will descend on you and will continue to guide you.

You acted rightly with the criminal, and understand that I am now doing the same with you, the pagans.

And may this act of yours serve as a mirror of what I am doing now, and in the near future I will fulfill it completely. The last one is for your peace and blessing!

Abgar's sixth appeal to the Lord:

(Written 10 weeks later)

“Abgar, the insignificant prince of Edessa, to Jesus the Savior, who appeared in the vicinity of Jerusalem, for the salvation of all nations with a pure heart, who voluntarily wish to live according to His Word!

Lord!.. You are not only the best healer in my eyes, but the Creator and Lord of the universe from century to century!

Therefore, only You can I tell about the terrible state disaster that has befallen us, begging You from the very depths of my heart to take this terrible disaster away from us.

As You should know, about ten days ago we had a mild earthquake, which, thanks to You, destroyed almost nothing.

But on the second day after the earthquake, the water throughout the country became cloudy, and everyone who drank this water first suffered from insane headaches, and then lost their minds and became like those possessed.

By my decree, I immediately prohibited the use of local water throughout the country until further notice, and in the meantime ordered all my subjects to gather in Edessa, where they receive from me wine and water, which is delivered to me from afar by ship.

I think that these orders did not cause me any harm, for true Mercy and Love for my people prompted me to do this.

With complete humility in my heart, I ask You, Lord! Help me and my people! Deliver us from this trouble!..

May Your Holy Divine Will be done!”

When the Lord read this message, He became indignant in spirit and exclaimed, and His voice sounded like thunder: “Satan! Satan! How long will you tempt the Lord and your God?! What have these small and hardworking people done to you? Why are you torturing him?! But, so that you may again know in Me the Lord and your God, I command you: “Get out of that country forever!” Amen! You were once content to scourge the body of people in order to tempt them, as I allowed this to happen to Job, but what are you doing now with My land?! If you have courage, attack Me, but leave My land and the people who carry Me in your heart until the time that will be given to you for the last test of your free will!

And only after these words the Lord called one of the disciples, who wrote the following answer to Abgar.

The sixth answer of the Lord:

“My beloved son and brother Abgar!

It was not your enemy who did this to you, but My enemy! You don't know him, but I have known him for a long time!

But he didn’t have long to rule. Soon the prince of this world will be defeated. Do not be afraid of him, for for you and your people I have already defeated him.

And from now on you can again use water in your country. It has already been cleaned and rendered harmless.

Do you see? While you loved Me, something bad happened to you. But under the influence of this misfortune, your Love for Me intensified and became stronger, which is why it prevailed over the power of darkness, and from now on you are forever free from the fiends of hell.

That is why Faith is subjected to great temptations and tests, and she has to go through fire and water! But the flame of Love drowns out the fire of trials, and the water evaporates under the influence of the power of Love.

What happened now to your country under the influence of nature will one day happen spiritually to many because of My Teaching!

And those who drink from the puddles of false prophets will go crazy!

Accept My Love, My Blessing and My Grace, My brother Abgar!”

Abgar's seventh appeal to the Lord:

(Written 9 weeks after Abgar received the Lord's sixth answer and delivered to the Savior five days before his entry into Jerusalem)

Abgar, the insignificant prince of Edessa, to Jesus the Savior, who appeared in the vicinity of Jerusalem as the salvation of all nations, the Lord Anointed from century to century, God of every creature and all men and spirits - both good and evil!

…God! From Your first letter, which You most mercifully deigned to write to me, I know that, according to Your own Will, everything must come true to You as the insidious Jews are now planning...

I, as a Roman vassal and a close relative of the Emperor Tiberius, have spies devoted to me in Jerusalem, who are especially vigilant about the arrogant clergy there.

So, my faithful servants reported to me in detail about the plans of these obstinate and proud scribes and Pharisees and what they are planning to do to You. They not only want to harass you and kill you in their own way, that is, stone you or burn you, no! They consider this insufficient for You!

They intend to subject You to the most inhuman execution, showing the highest and unheard of cruelty!

God! Just listen to me: these beasts in human form are going to nail You to the cross and leave You on it until You die on this pillory a slow death and in terrible torture!..

They want to expose you as a state traitor and instigator of last year's popular uprising against the government.

By this they hope to gain leniency from the Romans in order to continue their vile work. Of course, they will not succeed, and You know better than me that they will not be able to fool the Romans.

God! If You only deign to accept a favor from me, Your most devoted friend and admirer, I will immediately send messengers to Rome and to Pontius Pilate, and I guarantee that these beasts themselves will fall into the hole that they are digging for You!

But, knowing You, Lord, as I know You, and that You do not need anyone’s advice, much less advice coming from people, I am sure that You will act as You see fit; but I, as a person, considered it my duty to convey to You in detail everything that I had learned and to warn You!

At the same time, I ask You to accept my most sincere gratitude for the great mercy shown to me and my people.

God! Just tell me: what can I do for You?! May Your Holy Will always be done!”

The Lord's last answer:

“Listen, My beloved son and brother Abgar!

Everything really is as you wrote to Me, but nevertheless everything must be fulfilled with Me according to My Word!

For otherwise no person will achieve Eternal Life!

Now you are still not able to understand this, but I ask you: do not take measures to justify Me, for your efforts will be in vain - such is the Will of the Father Living in Me, from Whom I came in the form of a man!

And may the Cross to which I will be nailed not frighten you!

For from now on this Cross will be the cornerstone of the Kingdom of God, as well as His gates until the end of time!

I will only stay in the grave for three days!

On the third day I will rise as the eternal conqueror of death and hell, and I will judge with righteous judgment all the wicked, but for those in My heart I will open the Gates of Heaven!

When in a few days you see the sun darken, then know that your best friend and brother died on the cross!

Let this not frighten you, for everything must be fulfilled!

When I rise from the dead, then, at the same time, you will see a sign from Me, by which you will know My Resurrection!

Accept, my beloved brother Abgar, My Love, My Grace, and may My Blessing be with you!”

“The Lord's letters contain the basic teachings of His gospel and a brilliant summary of our salvation through the sacrificial death of the Savior. Thus, the correspondence of Jesus with Abgar can be called a “little Gospel”, revealing to us the Love of our Heavenly Father, who mercifully bestowed salvation on His children - His Teaching, His death on the cross and His victorious resurrection from the dead.

For the attentive reader, some discrepancies between the versions presented in different sources will be obvious.

Apostle Thaddeus: “We have left ours. Shall we take someone else’s?”

Let's return to Movses Khorenatsi. The historian writes:

“After the ascension of our Savior, the Apostle Thomas, one of the twelve, sent from there one of the seventy - Thaddeus to Edessa to cure Abgar and preach the word of the Lord. He, having appeared, went into the house of a certain Tubia, a Jewish nobleman, according to rumors - from the Bagratuni family, who at one time hid from Arsham and did not renounce Judaism, like his other relatives, but remained faithful to its laws until he believed in Christ. The news about Thaddeus spread throughout the city; Abgar heard and said: “This is the one about whom Jesus wrote” and immediately called him. And as soon as he entered, Abgar saw a wondrous vision on his face. And rising from the throne, he fell on his face and bowed to him. And all the nobles who were present were surprised, for they did not see the vision. And Abgar said to him: “Are you really the disciple of the blessed Jesus, whom he promised to send here to me, and can you cure my illness?” And Thaddeus answered him: “If you believe in Christ Jesus, the Son of God, the desire of your heart will be given to you.” Abgar told him: “I believed in him and in his Father. Therefore, I wanted to come with my army and destroy the Jews who crucified him, but was stopped by the Roman authorities.”

After these words, Thaddeus began to preach the gospel to him and his city and, laying his hand on him, healed him... He also healed all the sick and sick in the city. And everyone believed and Abgar himself and the whole city were baptized...

The Apostle Thaddeus baptizes a certain master of silk headdresses and, giving him the name Adde, ordains him as the spiritual head of Edessa and leaves him in his place with the king. He himself takes a letter from Abgar, (ordering) everyone to listen to the Gospel of Christ, and arrives to Sanatruk, the son of the king’s sister, who ruled our country and troops ... "

So Abgar became the first baptized king in history. As a reward for the healing, he offered Thaddeus valuable gifts, which he rejected with the words: “We left ours. Shall we take someone else’s?”

Apostle Thaddeus brought to Armenia the tip of the spear with which a Roman soldier pierced the crucified Christ. Preaching in Armenia, the apostle converted many pagans to Christianity, including the king’s daughter, Sandukht. Meanwhile, King Abgar writes several letters to his nephew Sanatruk and other kings, telling about his healing and urging them to accept Christianity. Despite all the efforts of his uncle, Sanatruk remained deaf to all admonitions: he ordered Thaddeus and Sandukht to be put to death.

It would take another two and a half centuries for the Armenian king Tiridates to legitimize Christianity as an official religion in his state in 301, declaring Armenia the world's first Christian country.

The miraculous image of the Lord

Abgar’s love for the Savior was embodied not only in their correspondence, but also in their actions. By order of the king, the statue standing in front of the central gate of Edessa was destroyed. According to existing custom, everyone who wanted to enter the city had to first bow to this statue and only then go through the gate.

At this place, by order of Abgar, a stele was erected with the Image of the Lord Not Made by Hands, the inscription under which read: “Christ God, everyone who trusts in You will never lose faith in You.”

The Holy Face of Jesus Christ, presented by the Savior to King Abgar, was recognized and revered as an authentic portrait of the Lord and served as a model for all Christian iconography.

The portrait had a difficult fate. In 944, during the reign of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, the Byzantine emperor of Armenian blood, the Holy Image was transported from Edessa to Constantinople. In 1362, the Holy Face was forcibly taken from the Byzantine capital to Genoa by captain Leonardo Montaldo. 22 years later, the captain, already the Doge of Genoa, presented the Image of the Lord Not Made by Hands to the Armenian Church of St. Bartholomew. In 1507, when Genoa was captured by King Louis XII, the Holy Face was stolen and taken to France. Soon the Genoese bought the Image and the relic returned to the Church of St. Bartholomew, where it is kept to this day in a silver case decorated with precious stones.

It is noteworthy that the Image Not Made by Hands was placed on the banners of Russian troops to protect them from enemies. In the Russian Orthodox Church there is a pious custom, when a believer enters the church, to read, along with other prayers, the troparion to the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands.

In December, the Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates St. Abgar, the first king of Armenia to believe in Christ. In 2016, the saint's feast day falls on December 6th.

Edessians - descendants of King Abgar of Edessa

According to legend, the Edessians from the North Caucasian village of Edissia (local Armenians call Edessia) are distant descendants of the inhabitants of Great Edessa, who, by the will of fate, ended up near Old Shemakha (the village of Kilvar), located in the territory of Eastern Transcaucasia.

But even here they did not find a peaceful life. Only at the beginning of the 18th century there was hope for deliverance from slavery. It was inspired by the Caspian campaign of Peter the Great in 1722-1723. However, the departure of the Russian army from Transcaucasia made the life of the Armenian population even more unbearable. This is what Turkish-speaking Armenian peasants wrote to Peter the Great (who had by then died in God) on October 28, 1725: “The population of our villages was forcibly turned into Turks, our manuscripts, books and churches were burned, our priests were exterminated. Many people were cut off by the sword because of their faith. Now we are Turks during the day, and at night we become Armenians, we have no other choice. Our way out is you yourself, our request is the following: for the sake of Christ... send troops, free us... after which we will all be among your troops...” The answer came only at the end of the century (1797) in the form of a letter of complaint from Emperor Paul I to the Armenians who moved to the Derbent region: “Hearing the request of the Armenians of Derbent and other surrounding areas, I entrust those who wish to move to carry out such resettlement and, upon arrival, choose the type of life characteristic of them, receiving land for their consumption.”

Two years later, the Kilvarians founded the Kasaeva Yama tract, north of Mozdok (in 1851, at their urgent request, the village was renamed the town of Edissia - Edessia). The Edessians not only managed to preserve the faith of their ancestor Abgar, but also returned to the original language of Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the Armenian alphabet.

It is necessary to talk specifically about the very grace of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. When he performed many wonderful miracles and all nations knew about Jesus, Abgar, the prince of Edessa, who suffered from black leprosy and an unpleasant infirmity, heard about it. And wanting to see the Creator himself with his own eyes and not being able, Abgar sent a pleading message to Jesus, saying in it: “I have heard about you, Lord, and about your healings, performed only by word. You give healing to the sick: to the blind - sight, to the lame - the ability to walk, to the deaf - to hear. You cleanse lepers and heal those tormented by long-term illnesses. And you healed the bleeding woman who touched your clothes and raised the dead. And I heard and understood in my heart that you are one of the two who came down from heaven, and that you are the Son of God. I also hear, Lord, that the Jews are grumbling against you and want to kill you. My city is small, but the people in it are kind. And it will be enough for both of us.”

Jesus says to Ananias, sent by Abgar to Jesus: “Know from now on, because you believed without seeing me, health is prepared for you. I was sent to fulfill all the truth, and then I have to ascend to where I descended. And so, I will send you one of my disciples, Thaddeus, so that he can heal your illness.”

When Abgar heard such words, he sent a scribe skilled in writing icons to Jerusalem to write the image of Jesus secretly on the shroud. And Luke came to Jerusalem, and entered the congregation where Jesus was teaching, and, standing in a remote place, began to paint the image of Jesus’ face with natural colors, wondering how he would be able to comprehend the incomprehensible divine Word. However, the occultist secretly made it clear what was happening. And immediately Jesus called out, saying: “Luke, Luke, Abgar’s ambassador, give me the shroud that you brought from Abgar.”

And Luke went into the congregation and gave the shroud to Jesus. And immediately Jesus asked for water and washed his most pure and divine face with water and wiped it with a shroud. O miracle, beyond the mind, beyond reason! That simple water was transformed into colors and, rolling down, fixed itself on the shroud, and the image of Jesus appeared on the shroud, so that everyone was horrified and in fear. And Jesus gave him to Thaddeus the Apostle and sent him to the city of Edessa, where Abgar lay sick on his bed for six years. And Luke the ambassador set off with Thaddeus, carrying the image not made by hands. And they came to a place called Hierapolis, and stayed outside the city at an inn. And being afraid, they hid the image of the Lord between two clay slabs. And a pillar of fire appeared from heaven and stood over the place where the hidden image of the Lord was. When the guards saw such a miracle, they screamed in a loud voice. And when all the people in the city heard, they were alarmed, and there was great confusion in the city. Thaddeus and Luke quickly took the image of the Lord and set off on their way. When the townspeople came to the place where the pillar of fire stood, they were horrified and fell on their faces and, looking, saw that that image of the Lord was imprinted on one of the stones. They, the townspeople, took this print and carried it to the city. And when they entered the city gates, behold, the blind, the lame, the demon-possessed and the lepers began to gather, screaming and crying: “Jesus, Savior of the Most High God, have mercy on us!” And, touching the likeness of the image of the Lord, they received healing. When the townspeople saw this glorious miracle, they glorified the all-merciful God and believed in the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

When Thaddeus and the ambassador approached the city of Edessa and were a mile away from it, a certain lame man crawling appeared and, seeing the apostles of the Lord, shouted, saying: “Have mercy on me!” And the apostle of the Lord, who carried the image of the Lord, touched him, and immediately the lame man jumped up and ran quickly into the city ahead of the apostles. And when they saw him, all the townspeople marveled, saying: “Isn’t this the son of that widow who crawled on his knees?” Some said: “He,” and others: “Looks like him.” And they quickly reported him to Prince Avgar. And he called him to him and asked him: “Who healed you?” The young man answered, saying: “When I was a mile from the city and asked passers-by for alms, a certain man was walking along the road with a friend. I started asking them for alms. And one of them touched me, and, jumping up, I recovered completely, as you see me.” Avgar thought that it was Christ, and sent many servants to meet him. And as they walked, they met the apostles bearing the image of the Savior not made by hands. And when they came to Avgar’s room, where he had been lying on his bed, weak for six years, Avgar, seeing the urn with the image of Jesus Christ on it, immediately wanted to get up from the bed on which he was lying. And he immediately jumped up from his bed and became healthy in an instant with his whole body, as if he had never been sick. And he was freed from incurable suffering, and fell before the most pure image, and began to bow with love. And then Abgar said to the Apostle Thaddeus: “What should I do?” And the apostle said to him: “Be baptized!” And he was baptized in the city of Edessa with his wife and children, and the apostle baptized everyone belonging to his house. And his whole city was baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Prince Avgar ordered that most pure and wonderful shroud on which the image of Christ be placed above the city gates, having equipped an honorable and well-made place. He gave the order that every person entering or leaving the city should first bow to the holy and honorable image, and then enter the city or leave, writing over it: “Much merciful Lord, Christ our God, hope for all countries of the world, have mercy us, because we believe in you. Anyone who hopes in you will not be mistaken in his expectations.”

Then, when many years had passed, a certain idolater became the ruler of that city; he wanted to destroy that divine icon of Christ, putting in its place a demonic statue of vile idols. Having learned about this, the bishop of that city conceived a plan. Since the place was round, as if in the form of a stone vault where the image of the Savior was, the bishop at night, when no one knew, lit a lamp in front of the divine image and covered it with bricks. He fenced off the image of the icon with slabs and lime from the outside and made the wall smooth. And since the icon became invisible, the wicked man abandoned his plan. “Why,” he said, “has such a treasure become invisible?”

Then, many years later, the Persians came and wanted to take the city of Edessa by storm. The townspeople cried out to God with tears, asking for mercy and help from him. And immediately and soon liberation was found. One night, a luminous woman appeared in a vision to Eulalia, the bishop of that city of Edessa, saying to him: “Above the city gates is hidden an image not made by hands of the Savior Christ. By taking it, you will quickly deliver this city and its people from troubles.” And she showed him that place. The bishop, with great joy, as soon as it began to get light, dismantled the fence and found the most pure image of Christ, not made by hands, and a burning lamp. On the brick laid to preserve the icon, another image, indistinguishable from the first, was imprinted. Oh miracle! For so many years that lamp did not go out, but the treasure was not discovered. When the bishop took the most pure icon and stood over the gates of the city and raised his hand up, holding in his hand that honest and miraculous image of Christ, it was as if the Persians were being persecuted by fire. And having suffered thus, the disgraced Persians retreated from the city of Edessa. Some died, others were beaten.

But it was God’s will that this holy image of the Lord should reside in the glorious and God-protected city of Constantinople. Romanus, the Greek king who was then in power, sent two thousand liters of gold and ten thousand silver and two hundred Saracens, noble men, to the owner of the city of Edessa, so that he would send him that most pure icon, the image of the Lord, and he would give him long-term peace if will get what he wants. The king sent one hundred bishops, two thousand and six hundred priests, and forty thousand deacons, and abbots, and monks, and monks to the city of Edessa for an amazing, and wonderful, and praiseworthy treasure, who can name the number. And having come to the city of Edessa, they took that most pure image of the Lord, begging with tears, and psalms, and songs calling out: “O Master, Lord, have mercy!” And when they approached the Greek country, it became known to the king and patriarch that they had already approached with an image not made by hands. The king came out with all the dignitaries, and the patriarch with all the clergy, and all the people - countless men and women. The sea was covered with ships with candles and incense. And when they came together, they began to exclaim: “Glory to you, most merciful ruler, who wished to come to us, your unworthy servants! Glory to you, most generous Lord, who has given us the opportunity to worship your most pure image, sinners! Glory, Christ, to your will, for you arrange everything for the benefit and for the salvation of the human race!” And when everyone entered the city, the patriarch carried over his head the golden ark, in which there was a treasure more valuable than the whole world. The people following them shouted: “Lord, have mercy!” And others sang various hymns: “Christ coming clearly is our God!” Others shouted loudly: “Rejoice, city of Constantine! Behold the king, your deliverer has come. Not on a colt, as before, to Jerusalem, but now on a most pure icon, wanting to save us from the delusion of evil idols.” Many sick people, without number, received healing: the blind received their sight, the deaf began to hear, the lame began to run faster than chamois, the dumb began to speak, and all the demoniacs found healing. Still, they cried out in a loud voice: “Receive,” they said, “the city of Constantine, glory and joy. And you, Roman, Tsar Porphyrogenitus, strengthen your kingdom!” And they entered the Church of the Wisdom of God on the 16th day of August, and they accepted this honest treasure. The king, and the saint, and simply the whole multitude joyfully bowed to him and, after kissing him, laid him in a gold-plated shrine. And from here - the bright triumph of the coming of the divine image of the divine-human image of Christ, our true God, we celebrate, sending glory to him with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Leafing through the “Caucasian calendar for 1846” (published by the office of the Caucasian governor, Tiflis, 1845), in the section “Chronological display of noteworthy events in the Caucasus region” we came across an interesting date: “33rd year after the birth of Christ - Acceptance of the Christian faith Armenian king Avgar." There are many surprising things hidden in this date. Even many of those who saw with their own eyes the Savior and the miracles He performed doubted the truth of His teaching. At the same time, the king of a distant country accepts the teachings of Christ in the year of His crucifixion. How could Abgar know about what was happening? What gave him confidence in the infallible truth of a teaching unfamiliar to him? In search of answers to these questions, we turned to the bishop of the Armenian Church, the historian of the 5th century, Saint Movses Khorenatsi.

MOVSES KHORENATSI ABOUT ABGAR, SON OF ARSHAM

In his “History of Armenia” Movses Khorenatsi talks about how the Armenian king Abgar heard about Jesus Christ and his miracles.

The nobles of King Abgar (Avgar) were sent to the city of Betkubin (or Eleutheropolis - a city in Judea, 40 km southeast of Jerusalem) to resolve government affairs.

The historian cites the text of King Abgar’s message to the Savior:

“Abgar, son of Arsham, ruler of the country, (sends) greetings to Jesus the Savior and Benefactor, who appeared in the country of Jerusalem.

The messengers who delivered the letter met Jesus in Jerusalem. The answer to Abgar’s message was the words of the Savior, recorded by the Apostle Thomas:

Movses Khorenatsi points out that “the image of the Face of the Savior is kept in the city of Edessa.”

TESTIMONY OF EUSEBIUS OF CAESARIA

The bishop also cites a letter “written by Abgar the toparch (ruler of the country, district - M. and G.M.) to Jesus and sent to him through Ananias the messenger to Jerusalem”:

“I have heard about You and Your healings, which You perform without medicines or roots. They say that You make the blind sighted, the lame walking, and you cleanse lepers, and you drive out unclean spirits and demons, and you heal those tormented by a long-term illness, and you raise the dead... And therefore I considered it necessary to ask You to take the trouble to come to me and the disease that I have, to heal. I also heard that the Jews murmur against You and want to do You harm. I have a small city and a beautiful one, which is enough for both.”

In “Ecclesiastical History” I found a place and answer “Jesus through Ananias the messenger to the toparch Abgar”:

REVELATIONS OF JAKOV LORBER

Abgar's first appeal to the Lord:

“Abgar, King of Edessa - Glory to Jesus the Healer, who appeared in the vicinity of Jerusalem!

Therefore, I write to You and ask You: deign to come to me and heal me of my illness.

I also heard that the Jews are plotting evil against You. I own a small but quite comfortable state, and there is enough space for both of us.

Therefore, come to me, my honored Friend Jesus, and stay to live in my capital, where everyone will carry You in their arms and in their hearts.

I am waiting for You with the greatest impatience in my heart!

Sent with my faithful messenger and servant Brach."

The Lord's first answer:

Truly I tell you: the time is approaching when everything will come true to Me, according to the Scriptures, after which I will return to Him from Whom I came from Eternity.

Have patience with your minor illness.

As soon as I am in heaven, I will send you My disciple, and he will help you and give true healing to you and all yours.”

Written by Jacob, a disciple of the Lord, near Nazareth, and given to Brach, messenger and servant of the king of Edessa.

Abgar's second appeal to the Savior:

“Abgar, the unfortunate prince of Edessa, to Jesus, the good Healer.

Honor and glory to the Lord!

Jesus, kindest Savior!

My eldest son and heir lies dying. He was so happy with me about Your possible arrival in our city. An evil fever has laid him down and threatens to carry him away every minute.

I know from my servant that You heal such sick people even at a distance - without any medicine, but only by the power of Your will.

Jesus! Savior! I beg You: save, save, save my son now and do not put it off until after Your Ascension announced by You. After all, I am sick too.

Written in my capital Edessa. Sent by the same faithful servant."

The Lord's second answer:

“Abgar! Great is your faith, and this alone would heal your son; but because I have found more in you than in all Israel, I will also do more for you than you think!

Although you will lose your son in this visible world, you will be enriched spiritually a hundredfold!

If we want to achieve the Eternal and Imperishable, we should not cling to the transitory and perishable...”

At the end of his letter, the Savior mentions that one of these days a poor wandering young man should come to the city of Abgara: “Accept him, and with this you will make my heart glad.”

Abgar's third appeal to the Lord:

“Abgar, insignificant prince of Edessa - to Jesus the Savior, who appeared in the vicinity of Jerusalem, Eternal Glory!

A famous painter lives in my capital. I called him, and according to the young man’s words, he immediately drew Your half-length portrait.

The face amazed us, but when the young man assured us that this is exactly what you look like, Lord, our joy was boundless.

I take this opportunity to convey to You, along with this letter, through my messenger, Your portrait. I ask You: express to the messenger Your opinion regarding the resemblance to You.

Remember us, Lord, in Your heart!

May Your Holy Will be done for us!”

The Savior's third answer:

(Sent 10 days later with the same messenger)

“My beloved son Abgar! Accept My Blessing, My Love and My Grace!

But you, without seeing Me, believed that I am the One God, and now you love Me, as you have long since been reborn from the flame of My Spirit.

Henceforth, remain steadfast, despite what you hear about Me from the Jews, filled with malice, who will soon deliver Me into the hands of the executioners!

If you hear this and still do not doubt Me, then, after your son, you will be the first to spiritually take a living part in My Resurrection after death!..

As for the similarity of the portrait with My appearance, your messenger, who has already seen Me three times, will tell you about this in detail.

If anyone wishes to have my image and is guided by the same arguments as you, then there will be no sin in this - but woe to those who make an idol of Me!

And keep that image secret to yourself for now.

Written in Judea by a disciple who is close to My heart, and sent by the same messenger.”

Abgar's fourth appeal to the Savior:

(Written 7 weeks after his third appeal)

My precious Savior! Jesus! Now what You said in Your second letter has been fulfilled: two days ago my son rested painlessly!

On his deathbed, with tears in his eyes, he asked me to write to You again and say how grateful he is to You for saving him from suffering and fear of death.

After these words, my son closed his eyes.

Therefore, I ask You, my priceless Savior: deliver me from this mental torment and torment...