PART IV. SEMINARS

ASSYRIAN CHRISTIANS

(Excerpts from the book "Deeds of Assyrians in Asia", Rabbi Benyamin Arsanis. Teheran, 1954)

Assyrians adopted Christianity in around 13 to 50 AD when they had a state, Osroena (Orkhai, the capital, now it is the town of Urfa) and a king, Abgar Ukama by name.

The first patriarch was Mar Addai, one of the seventy Christ's disciples. Then he was succeeded in his work to teach Assyrians to Christ by patriarchs Mar Agai, Mar Polut, Mar Mali, Mar Zaya and others as well as by bishops, priests and monks from monasteries in numbers.

Also it is a fact that Christianity was spread among Assyrians by the apostle Mat Tuma Shlikha who proceeded to travel in India after he had baptized the Assyrians of Urmia. In the memory of this baptism .the 3rd of July is a great holiday ("Shilka d 'Yamati") which still is to observed around the lake of Urmia every year.

According to the apostle Mar Addai the king Abgar Ukama first heard his envoys tell about Jesus Christ as a man who used to cure people from heavy illnesses. Actually the king had sent his envoys to Savinus in Palestine, a physician to the emperor Tibelius. Those envoys were Mar yakhv, Shamshagram and Khannan Tvulara. The latter envoy made a report on his journey back in Orkhai. The king Abgar suffered from a fatal disease and when he learnt about Jesus Christ he decided to go to Jerusalem promptly, but eventually he did not venture to set on such a long and perilous t11p as it was to be made through the territory of Rome which was hostile to him at the time, Therefore the king sent his envoy Khall1lan Tvulara with a letter for Jesus Christ. The king wrote, "Abgar Ukama to Assja Jesus", Then he went on, "Jesus, you are the God" sent to us from Heaven and you are the Son of God. I should like to invite you to come to Orkhai to stay and heal the king. "

Khannan Tvulara found Jesus in the home of the Jew Gjamliil and gave him the letter from his king. Having read it Jesus said, "Go and tell your Master who sent you here my words: Glory to you who did not see me but believed in me as it was said of me that those who see me but do not believe in me, and those who do not see me will believe me". You want me to come, but I call1lot do it just because I was sent here to do the things I am to finish. And then I shall ascend to see my Father who sent me here. When I do it, I shall send one of my disciples to you. He will cure you and get you back on your feet. And your people, they will be a part of eternal life. "

After his conversation with Jesus Christ Khannan Tvulara made an oil portrait of counterpart and took it back to Orkhai, The king Abgar received that portrait with great respect and put it up in one of his palaces.

In the town of Apisus (Efes) there is a stone where the king Abgar's message to Jesus Christ and Jesus' answer were calved out. The letter became very popular and later was translated into Greek by Evsevius. This way Jesus Christ's message was to be found in the historical chronicles of the Church. The portrait of Jesus Christ has some mentioning in the historical documents of Greeks and Armenians as well. This portrait was in Orkhai until 540 AD. The image of Christ portrayed on canvass saved the town of Orkhai from the army of the Persian king Khosrov. This image then was transported to Constantinople. In the following years it went lost and no one knows where it is now

After Sulaka (ascension of Lord) apostle Mar Tuma sent Mar Addai, a disciple to Jesus Christ, to the town of Orkhai to let him accomplish things Jesus had promised to come. Mar Addai arrived in Orkhai and found his lodging in the Jew Tuvija's place. This Jew helped him to be received by the king Abgar Ukama.

Mar Addai cured the king and his many subjects and turned them all into Christianity as well. Looking at the deeds of Mar Addai the priests Shuyada, Tavdnavu, Pirus and Deiku entered the church and came to the altar where they used to perform sacrifice rituals for God Nabu-Bil. They all began to cry, "Oh! That's true that he is a disciple of the Wise and Glorious whose magic deeds in Palestine everybody's heard of." With these words they destroyed the altar and became Christ addicts.

Then Christianity came into the whole Assyria and then spread in all of Syria as far as Kurdistan, and later its ideas even reached France. In the following years, Assyrian monks brought Christianity into all Asian countries.

The adoption of Christianity by the king Abgar Ukama was described by the Greek Evsevius in conformity with Mar Addai's teachings. This chronicle later was found in Russia and first published in London. After ward its version in the Assyrian language was published by the British missionaries in Urmia (Iran). Now it is in the archives.

Marona Arsanis