112

imparting not a sacrifice nor unleavened bread, but bread and a cup. But those who record the birth of Christ in the #22εφʹ year and the passion in the #22εφλγʹ are mistaken, not knowing the exactness of the year.

During the times of the incarnate sojourn of Christ our true God, there was a certain toparch of the city of Edessa, by name Abgar. Therefore, when the fame of the wonders of Christ our God had spread everywhere, the said toparch, having also heard, was astonished at these things and longed to see Christ. But he was not able, on account of being incurably sick. He therefore wrote a letter to him, which he sent by Ananias, one of his couriers, who also happened to be skilled in the art of painting. And Abgar instructed him to capture on a wooden tablet the likeness of Christ’s appearance. The letter of Abgar, word for word, runs as follows. "Abgar, toparch of the city of Edessa, to Jesus the good savior, who has appeared in the city of Jerusalem, greetings. I have heard the things concerning you and your healings, how they are performed by you without medicines; for as the story goes, you make the blind to see again, the lame to walk, you cleanse lepers, and with a word you drive out unclean spirits, and you heal those tormented by long illness and you raise the dead. 1.309 Having heard all these things about you, I have concluded in my mind that you are God and, having come down from heaven, you do these things, or you are the son of God, doing these things. For these reasons, therefore, I have written to beseech your power and goodness to take the trouble to come to me, so that you may heal the affliction which I have. For I have also heard that the Jews murmur against you and wish to harm you. But I have a very small city, which will suffice for both of us. Farewell." And the courier, having gone to Jerusalem and given the letter to the Lord, was staring intently at him, but being unable to stand near him because of the throng of the crowd, he climbed up on a certain rock that was raised a little from the ground and sat down, and at once he fixed his eyes on him and his hand to the paper, and tried to copy the likeness of what he saw. And he was in no way able to capture him, because he appeared with one and then another countenance. But the Lord, as the knower of secrets and examiner of hearts, knowing his intention, called him over, and having asked to wash, a cloth folded in four was given to him after he had washed, on which he also wiped his immaculate and divine face. And, oh the wonder, immediately the image of his form was imprinted on the linen cloth, which he also gave back to Ananias, saying "Go, and give it to him who sent you." And the Lord also wrote a letter back to Abgar, with the following words: "Blessed are you, Abgar, for having believed in me without having seen me. For it is written of me, that those who have seen me will not believe in me; but those who have not 1.310 seen me, they will believe and will live. But concerning what you wrote to me, that I should come to you, it is necessary for me to fulfill all things for which I was sent, and after fulfilling them, to be taken up to the Father who sent me. And when I have been taken up, I will send to you one of my disciples, named Thaddeus, who will both heal your affliction and will grant to you eternal life and peace, and for your city he will be a sufficient defense so that none of her enemies may prevail against her." Adding at the end also a seal marked with seven Hebrew letters, which, when translated, mean this: a divine wonder, a vision of God. And the toparch Abgar, having received Ananias with great joy, fell down and worshipped the holy and immaculate icon of the Lord with much faith and longing, and was immediately healed of his diseases, with a small trace left on his forehead. For Abgar was afflicted by two diseases, one a chronic gout, and the other a black leprosy, consuming his body. And he was afflicted by pains from his joints and was troubled by the evils of leprosy, from which came to him the shame of disfigurement, on account of which not even to be seen

112

μεταδιδοὺς οὐ θύματος οὐδὲ ἀζύμων, ἀλλ' ἄρτου καὶ ποτηρίου. Οἱ δὲ τὴν γέννησιν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀναγράφοντες εἰς τὸ #22εφʹ ἔτος καὶ τὸ πάθος ἐν τῷ #22εφλγʹ σφάλλουσι, μὴ τὴν ἀκρίβειαν τοῦ ἔτους ἐπιστάμενοι.

Κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους τῆς ἐνσάρκου ἐπιδημίας Χριστοῦ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἦν τις τοπάρχης πόλεως Ἐδέσσης, ὀνόματι Αὔγαρος. διαδοθείσης οὖν πανταχοῦ τῆς τῶν θαυμασίων φήμης Χριστοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν, ἀκούσας καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ ῥηθεὶς τοπάρχης ἐξίστατο ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ ἐπόθει ἰδεῖν τὸν Χριστόν. οὐκ ἠδύνατο δὲ διὰ τὸ ἀνιάτως νοσεῖν. γράφει τοίνυν ἐπιστολὴν πρὸς αὐτόν, ἣν ἀπέστειλε δι' Ἀνανίου τῶν αὐτοῦ ταχυδρόμων, ὃς ἐν πείρᾳ ἐτύγχανε καὶ τῆς ζωγραφικῆς τέχνης. παρήγγειλε δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ Αὔγαρος λαβεῖν ἐν σανίδι τὸ ὁμοίωμα τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἰδέας. ἡ δὲ ἐπιστολὴ τοῦ Αὐγάρου κατὰ ῥῆμα διέξεισι τάδε. "Αὔγαρος τοπάρχης πόλεως Ἐδέσσης Ἰησοῦ σωτῆρι ἀγαθῷ, ἀναφανέντι ἐν πόλει Ἱεροσολύμων, χαίρειν. ἤκουσταί μοι τὰ περὶ σοῦ καὶ τῶν σῶν ἰαμάτων ὡς ἄνευ φαρμάκων ὑπό σου γινομένων· ὡς γὰρ λόγος, τυφλοὺς ἀναβλέπειν ποιεῖς, χωλοὺς περιπατεῖν, λεπροὺς καθαρίζεις, καὶ ἀκάθαρτα πνεύματα λόγῳ ἀπελαύνεις, καὶ τοὺς ἐν μακρονοσίᾳ βασανιζομένους θεραπεύεις καὶ νεκροὺς ἐγείρεις. 1.309 ταῦτα πάντα ἀκούσας περί σου κατὰ νοῦν ἐθέμην ὅτι θεὸς εἶ καὶ καταβὰς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ταῦτα ποιεῖς, ἢ υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ θεοῦ, ποιῶν ταῦτα. διὰ ταῦτα τοίνυν γράψας ἐδεήθην τῆς σῆς ἰσχύος καὶ ἀγαθότητος σκυλῆναι καὶ ἐλθεῖν πρός με, ἵνα τὸ πάθος ὃ ἔχω θεραπεύσῃς. καὶ γὰρ ἤκουσα ὅτι καὶ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι καταγογγύ ζουσί σου καὶ βούλονται κακῶσαί σε. πόλις δέ μοί ἐστι σμικρο τάτη, ἥτις ἐξαρκέσει ἀμφοτέροις ἡμῖν. ἔρρωσο." ὁ δὲ ταχυ δρόμος ἀπελθὼν ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ δοὺς τῷ κυρίῳ τὴν ἐπιστο λήν, ἦν ἐπιμελῶς ἀτενίζων αὐτῷ, μὴ δυνάμενος δὲ πλησίον αὐ τοῦ στῆναι διὰ τὸ συρρεῦσαν πλῆθος, ἐπί τινα πέτραν μικρὸν τῆς γῆς ἀνεστηκυῖαν ἀναβὰς ἐκαθέσθη, καὶ εὐθὺς ἐκείνῳ μὲν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῷ δὲ χάρτῃ τὴν χεῖρα προσήρειδε, καὶ τὴν τοῦ φαι νομένου μετέγραφεν ὁμοιότητα. καὶ οὐδαμῶς ἠδύνατο αὐτὸν κα ταλαβεῖν διὰ τὸ ἑτέρᾳ καὶ ἑτέρᾳ ὄψει φαίνεσθαι. ὁ δὲ κύριος, ὡς ἅτε κρυφίων γνώσεων καὶ καρδιῶν ἐξεταστής, γνοὺς τὴν ἐν θύμησιν αὐτοῦ μετεκαλέσατο αὐτόν, καὶ ζητήσας νίψασθαι ἐπε δόθη αὐτῷ ῥάκος τετράδιπλον μετὰ τὸ νίψασθαι, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ἀπε μάξατο τὴν ἄχραντον καὶ θείαν αὐτοῦ ὄψιν. καὶ ὢ τοῦ θαύμα τος, παρευθὺς ἐνετυπώθη τῆς αὐτοῦ μορφῆς τὸ ἀπεικόνισμα ἐν τῇ σινδόνι, ἣν καὶ ἀπέδωκε τῷ Ἀνανίᾳ εἰπών "ἄπελθε, καὶ ἀπό δος αὐτὴν τῷ ἀποστείλαντί σε." ἀντέγραψε δὲ ὁ κύριος καὶ ἐπι στολὴν πρὸς τὸν Αὔγαρον, ἐπὶ λέξεως ἔχουσαν οὕτως "μακάριος εἶ, Αὔγαρε, πιστεύσας ἐν ἐμοὶ μὴ ἑωρακώς με. γέγραπται γὰρ περὶ ἐμοῦ, τοὺς ἑωρακότας με μὴ πιστεύειν ἐν ἐμοί· οἱ δὲ μὴ 1.310 ἑωρακότες με αὐτοὶ πιστεύουσι καὶ ζήσονται. περὶ δὲ οὗ ἔγρα ψάς μοι ἐλθεῖν πρός σε, δέον ἐστὶ πάντα πληρῶσαί με δι' ἃ ἀπεστάλην, καὶ μετὰ τὸ πληρῶσαι ἀναληφθῆναί με πρὸς τὸν ἀποστείλαντά με πατέρα. ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἀναληφθῶ, ἀποστείλω σοι ἕνα τῶν μαθητῶν μου, ὀνόματι Θαδδαῖον, ὅστις καὶ τὸ πάθος σου θεραπεύσει καὶ ζωὴν αἰώνιον καὶ εἰρήνην σοι παράσχῃ, καὶ τῇ πόλει σου γενήσεται τὸ ἱκανὸν πρὸς τὸ μηδένα τῶν ἐχθρῶν κατισχῦσαι αὐτῆς." ἐπιθεὶς ἐν τῷ τέλει καὶ σφραγῖδα γράμμασιν Ἑβραϊκοῖς ἐνσημανθεῖσαν ἑπτά, ἅ τινα μεθερμηνευόμενα ταῦτα δηλοῦσι, θεοῦ θεαθὲν θαῦμα θεῖον. ὁ δὲ τοπάρχης Αὔγαρος δεξάμενος περιχαρῶς τὸν Ἀνανίαν, πεσὼν προσεκύνησε τὴν ἁγίαν εἰκόνα καὶ ἄχραντον τοῦ κυρίου πίστει καὶ πόθῳ πολλῷ, καὶ πα ραχρῆμα ἰάθη ἀπὸ τῶν νόσων αὐτοῦ, μικροῦ τινὸς λειψάνου ὑπο λειφθέντος ἐν τῷ μετώπῳ αὐτοῦ. ἦν γὰρ ὁ Αὔγαρος δυσὶ νοσή μασι ταλαιπωρούμενος, ἑνὶ μὲν ἀρθρίτιδι χρονίᾳ, ἑτέρᾳ δὲ λέπρᾳ μελαίνῃ, ἐκδαπανώσῃ τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ. ὃς καὶ ταῖς ἀπὸ τῶν ἄρ θρων ὀδύναις συνείχετο καὶ τοῖς τῆς λέπρας ἐταλαιπωρεῖτο κακοῖς, ἀφ' ἧς ἐγένετο αὐτῷ ἡ τῆς ἀμορφίας αἰσχύνη, δι' ἣν οὐδὲ θεα