Jacob Lorber - Correspondence of Jesus Christ with King Abgar of Edessa

Revelations of Jacob Lorber

1800-1864

Published according to the edition: " Der Briefwechsel Jesu mil Abgar Ukkama Fuerst von Edessa " "

Publisher address:

Lorber-Verlag, 7120 Bietigheim-Bissingen, Postfach 229 Deutschland-GERMANY

All rights, including the right of republication, translation and proofreading, are reserved to the publisher Lorber-Verlag.

Translation: L.P. von Offenberg, born. Gudim-Levkovich

Proofreader: Natalya Kushnir

Abgar's first appeal to the Lord

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

1. 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.

2. 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.

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

4. 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.

5. 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.

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

Sent by my faithful messenger and servant, Brother.

The Lord's first answer

1. “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 Eternal Life.”

2. “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.

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

4. "Have patience with your minor illness.

5. "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, the unfortunate prince of Edessa, to Jesus the good Healer.

Honor and glory to the Lord!

1. Jesus, most kind 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

Note. In the 6th volume of the Great Gospel of John, the Lord mentions the king of Edessa Abgar, who was looking for Him and because of Him came to Damascus, but no longer found the Lord there.

Abgar's third appeal to the Lord.

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

1. From Your message, full of mercy, which You, Lord from century to century, deigned to most mercifully write for the joy of my son and me, an insignificant worm living in the dust, I see that only the highest Love lives in You. And it cannot be otherwise, for You are the One God of all heavens and this earth!

2. And, knowing the boundless love of my son, You gave me such great and immeasurable consolation. I am powerless to thank You for this in any way, unless in the ashes of my insignificance I fall on my face before You, asking You to accept gratitude from me and my son.

3. Therefore, accept our sincere gratitude as a guarantee of our Love for You, and remember us, Lord, with Your incomprehensible meekness.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

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

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

10. 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.

11. Our hearts are full of Love for You, for from now on You are our greatest treasure, our greatest consolation and adornment of our hearts in life and in death!

12. 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!

1. “I often say here in Judea to those whom I have delivered from all kinds 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 told Me from the depths of their hearts: "Lord! I love you!"

2. “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.

3. “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 !

4. “From now on, 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!

5. “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!

6. “Truly, truly, I say to you, those who believe that My teaching comes from God will rise from the dead on the last day, when everyone will be judged by righteous judgment and receive what they deserve!

7.“But those who love Me, like you, will never taste death, for faster than thought they will be caught up from life in the flesh - into Eternal Life and will enter the abode of My Father from everlasting to everlasting!

8. “And keep this in your heart until I am resurrected, 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!

9. “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.

10. “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!

11.“And keep that image secret with you 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!

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

2. 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.

3. 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 true Life from everlasting to everlasting, 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 am alive! I am alive! I live through You, and in You - forever!"

After these words, my son closed his eyes.

4. 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 !

5. 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!

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

But let Your Will be done, not mine.

The fourth answer of the Lord.

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

1. “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!

2. “And you do well to mourn him, for there are few righteous people in this world, and those who are like your son are worthy to be mourned.

3. “Truly I say to you: “And I give a tear to your son. All worlds arose at that time from the same tear of Mine, and from the same tear Heaven will now be reborn!

4. “Truly I tell you: “Sincere tears are the property of heaven, they are like priceless diamonds and adorn the heavens forever!”

5. “Tears of malice, hatred, envy and anger strengthen the underworld in its foundations!

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

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

8. “From now on, be generous and merciful, and you will find mercy in return! 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!

9. “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!

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

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

12. “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!

Amen!"

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.

Glory to Thee from the children of midnight!

1. God! Where is the mortal who is able to comprehend Your immeasurable Love for us, people who are only Your creations? And You want to renew and change everything with Love! And for this you yourself chose a path that, according to my human concepts, is almost unthinkable and unacceptable for God!

2. And, although You are now on earth, which You could destroy with one breath, although You live among people as an ordinary person, You do not cease to rule the universe and protect it with Your Spiritual-Divine nature.

3. And every speck of dust on earth, and every drop in the sea, and the sun, and the moon, and countless stars - all listen to the Almighty Voice of Your heart, Which is precisely the very essence of all things and all creations of the universe.

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

5. 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.

6. 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!

7. 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!

8. 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!

9. 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!

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

11. 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.

12. 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.

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

14. 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 obedience! Let Your Will be done!

The fifth answer of the Lord.

Listen, my beloved son and brother Abgar!

1. “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.

2. “And let your heart be filled with great hope, for it will happen and has already partly 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 Israel.

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

4. “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 the children can eat the refuse of this world.

5. “Do you want My Will to become the law in your country? It’s difficult for now, 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 easy everything will go with My Will!

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

7. “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 by you.

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

9. “And let 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!

Amen!

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!

1. God! Forgive me for daring to disturb You again, but You know that people, when misfortune happens to them or something incomprehensible to them in nature, always turn for help to famous doctors, who, as a rule, are experienced in the secrets of nature.

2. But how much higher are you for me than all the doctors in the world! You are not only the best healer in my eyes, but the Creator and Lord of the universe from century to century!

3. 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.

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

5. 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.

6. 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.

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

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

9. For the water is still muddy, and it still muddies the minds. God! I know that all good and evil forces are subject to You and obey You. Have mercy on us, and, for the sake of my people, deliver us from this disaster!

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 has this small and hardworking people done to you? Why are you torturing them? 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!

1. “It was not your enemy who did this to you, but My enemy! You do not know him, but I have known him for a long time!

2. “But he does not 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.

3. “And from now on you can use water in your country again. It has already been purified and neutralized.

4. “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.

5. “This 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.

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

7. “And those who drink from the pools 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 sixth answer from the Lord and handed 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!

My Lord and God! Living entirely in my heart and completely filling my thoughts!

1. 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.

2. And although it is unclear to me how all this will happen, from a purely human point of view, my heart, filled with Love for You, hurts for You and is indignant at such unheard-of injustice.

3. You not only cannot help but know my sincere feelings, but you also understand them much better than me, a mere mortal. But that I, Lord, have every reason to write to You, will become clear in my letter from what is said below.

4. 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.

5. 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!

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

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

8. And they are going to carry out this intention of human malice on the eve of the approaching Easter holiday!

9. God! Be that as it may, this outraged me to the core! I know that these monsters want to kill You not because You call yourself the Messiah! It doesn't bother them at all!

10. I know for certain that this fiend of hell does not believe in God at all, much less in You! And how often do they openly blaspheme when talking to each other!

11.But they have a different intention: see! these animals know that Rome, like a watchful Argus, is watching their tricks. As you know, just last year at Easter another popular conspiracy against Rome, prepared by the clergy, was uncovered.

12. And no matter how cunningly and clandestinely they worked, yet the shrewd Pilate brought them to light, and when the people gathered in the courtyard of the temple, Pilate ordered about five hundred people to be seized and beheaded.

13. There were more beggars than rich ones, and they were mostly Galileans, and therefore subjects of Herod. This marked the beginning of the enmity between Pilate and Herod.

14. This was the first blow to the clergy, and soon a second one followed, but from Rome, in the form of a cruel charter against the clergy of the temple.

15. Now they want to whitewash themselves in the eyes of Rome, and at all costs they need to achieve, if not the complete destruction of this charter, then, as a last resort, softening it in their favor, and their lot has fallen on You!

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

17. 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.

18. 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!

19.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!

20. 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.

1. "Listen, My beloved son and brother Abgar!

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

3. “For otherwise no man will attain Eternal Life!

4. “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!

5. “And let not the Cross to which I will be nailed frighten you!

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

7. “I will only remain in the grave for three days!

8.“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 who are in My heart I will open the Gates of Heaven!

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

10. “Let this not frighten you, for all things must be fulfilled!

11. “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 translation from German into Russian was completed by Lyudmila Pavlovna von Offenberg, born Gudim-Levkovich on December 20, 1940 in Geneva.

Translation proofreading and typesetting completed by N.M. Kushnir on April 9, 1992 in Berlin.

Notes on contents.

Walter Lutz

In 1844, Jacob Lorber recorded the “Correspondence of Jesus with Abgar Ukkama, Prince of Edessa.” This book magnificently captures the Divine example of Love for one's neighbor given to us by Jesus Christ.

Likewise, this document is an example of how vividly, deeply and tenderly the Lord teaches people and attracts them to Himself.

From historical sources it is known that Abgar Ukkama, the prince or king of Mesopotamian Mesopotamia, suddenly fell ill during his trip with a peace mission to Persia, which led to paralysis of both legs.

This is why, having heard about the miraculous healer Jesus, Abgar writes to Him: “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 , Doing such things, You must be at least the Owl of Almighty God. Therefore, I write to You and ask You: deign to come to me and heal me from my illness... Everyone will carry You in their arms and in their hearts. I wait With the greatest impatience in my heart!"

The Lord answers this call for help through one of his apostles: “Blessed are you, Abgar! For you have Faith without seeing Me!”

What was Abgar’s faith that deserved such attention from the Lord? She was not blindly gullible, since Abgar learned in detail and thoroughly about the Jewish Wonderworker, His abilities, character and the miracles He performed. But Abgar's faith was not an empirical, rational faith; the honest, suffering and kind prince through his efforts gained the confidence that this wise, gracious and omnipotent saint must be either God or the Son of God; This is the prince’s credo and allowed him to feel the “greatest impatience” in his heart. So, it was not the faith of reason, but the faith of the heart, genuine heartfelt Love that led him to this. - And only because of this Jesus was able to answer him: “Blessed are you, for you have Faith!”

But Abgar was only at the beginning of his path of development of Love and Faith. It still seemed to him that Jesus, this Healer of the Lord, must personally in corporation , come to him in order to heal him. In addition, in his call for help, Abgar thinks only about his physical healing.

This is why Jesus gives him in his first response message such a seemingly strange and clearly unable to satisfy Abgar advice: “Have patience with your slight illness. As soon as I am in heaven, I will send you My disciple, and he will help you and will give true healing to you and all yours."

So, He does not heal the king immediately, but gives him consolation: in future times, after the death of the Lord, one of His disciples will come to him and heal him.

Probably, many of us would say after such advice: “I am also a saint! Anyone could write such meaningless consolation to me! And in addition, I am blessed, for I have faith! No, he is not a miracle worker!”

It is possible that a similar voice was heard in Abgar’s soul. But the king, forced by his suffering to look deep into himself, listened to the Voice of the Lord in his heart, which explained to him the true meaning of the Lord’s answer and strengthened his disposition and Faith. -

A little later, when Abgar's eldest son and heir fell ill with a cruel and incurable fever, Abgar, in his great grief and despair, again turns to Jesus, the “good Healer,” in the following words: “I know from my servant that such sick people You heal even from 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 is ready to sacrifice his life for You. Say one word, and Your "The 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 also sick."

Despite the fact that he himself had not yet been healed of his illness, Abgar grew in his faith so much that he was able to write: “I know that You heal such sick people!” - without drugs, by Word and Will, and without Your personal presence on the spot , but over vast distances, like from Your country to mine."

There is already great progress in faith and inner knowledge. In addition, Abgar writes that his son loves the Lord so much that he is ready to die for Him.

The Lord answers the one who called for help: “Abgar! Great is your faith, and this alone would have healed your son; but because I have found more in you than in all Israel, I will do more for you than you think!”

Increased faith could help the well-being of the earthly, physical life of the son, but - the Love found by the Lord in the hearts of Abgar and his son is “greater than in all Israel”; -That’s why the Lord can do much more for both of them than they think!

But what is this “More”, opposed to Love?

“Although,” the Lord continues through His Apostle, “you will lose your son in this visible world, you will be enriched spiritually a hundredfold!”

Because of this true, inner, based on the great Faith of Love for the Lord, 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 perishable. This is why our Heavenly Father puts us, so to speak, “on a diet” in this world, in order to prepare us for the bliss of life in heaven.

The Lord supports Abgar, however, with a comforting, confident prediction: “Do not think that when your son is no longer in this visible world, he will really die! No and no! But he will wake up from the deadly sleep of this world to eternal life - in the Kingdom Mine, spiritual, not mortal."

And these words also apply to all of us, all those who, in Love for the Lord, renounce earthly things! It is always worth thinking about this answer from the Lord, which brought comfort to Abgar!

But with his obedient and devoted disciple Abgar, the Lord goes even further in his school of Faith: at the end of the same message, the Lord writes: “One of these days a poor young man will come to your city. Accept him, and with this you will please My heart. the grace that I bestow upon your son, namely, to be the first and before Me to enter My Kingdom, to which I myself will return after I am ascended on the tree."

Why are these words a further step in the education of Love?!

If we return to Abgar’s first letter to the Lord, we will see that in his message the prince, as stated above, asks only for himself.

In him, who has just embarked on the path of Love and Faith, at first only Love for himself speaks, the desire for physical healing - this is what makes him write to the wonderful Jewish Healer.

This is, as a rule, the path of each of us at the beginning. In our misfortunes, sent to us by the wise Lord, we seek, when all other means fail, help from the invisible God. And the One whom we seek blesses such a beginning in His mercy and Love, strengthening the abandoned anchor of selfish love on His Divine day of life.

But the Lord does not stop at this selfish love for those who seek salvation, even at the beginning of development. Our Love, spreading beyond the boundaries of our “I,” must gradually embrace not only our neighbors, but also all of the Lord’s creatures.

In Abgar's second letter, begging to save his son, we see an obedient disciple of Eternal Love on a higher level - in love for his son, favorite and heir to the throne. -Such love for one’s own children is already one of the types of love for one’s neighbor, with the help of which the Lord teaches people (and in the animal world, higher animals) to renounce their needs and devote themselves to other beings, in this case, children.

Therefore, at the end of his second letter, the Lord goes further with his obedient disciple, mentioning that one of these days a poor wandering youth should come to the city of Abgara. "Accept it and you will make My heart happy."

Thus, Abgar is given the opportunity to extend his love to a stranger, a stray, a poor wanderer - one of many! He must help him, because the Lord shows his own son great mercy and takes him away from the earthly world!

Again, many of us might say, “A good replacement for my son and heir!” - But how does Abgar behave?

We find the answer in the third letter. In it, the king thanks for the heavenly prophecy concerning his son, and briefly notes that the specified young man is “already with him.”

So, Abgar accepted the poor wanderer, according to the desire of the Lord, giving him good shelter.

But, being modest and reserved, Abgar does not praise himself for his action, but only briefly mentions that the young man is “already with him.”

Here we see Abgar moving along the path of philanthropy - from selfish love - through love for his neighbor - to selfless love for a stranger who means nothing to him.

And here Abgar’s third letter tells us about a promising and thought-provoking event. - Thanks to this stranger they accepted, the king and his son gain the opportunity to receive a portrait of Jesus - in a miraculous and at the same time spiritually understandable way.

“In my capital,” says Abgar, “there lives a famous painter. I called him, and from the words of the young man, he immediately painted Your half-length portrait. The face amazed us, but when the young man assured that You, Lord, are exactly what you look like , - our joy was boundless."

What is the spiritual meaning of the above? - Why is the portrait of the Lord so important at this stage in the development of Abgar’s love?

Possession of a portrait should mean for all of us, moving from love for ourselves - to love for our neighbor, to pure, self-sacrificing love that accepts the poorest of the poor - that the spirit living with this love in our heart revives the image of the Lord in it - to our greatest bliss and highest joy.

Through his apostle, the Lord writes to Abgar in a reply message: “Abgar! Abgar! If only you knew, if only you were able to understand how dear you are to Me and what a joy you are for My fatherly heart! This could bring you endless bliss.” destroy!"

And about the all-encompassing love felt by Abgar for his neighbor and for God, the Lord writes: “Those who believe that My teaching comes from God will rise from the dead on the last day, when everyone will be judged by a righteous court and will receive what they deserve. But those who have loved Me like you , will never taste death, for faster than thought they will be caught up from life in the flesh - into Eternal Life and will enter the abode of My Father from everlasting to everlasting!"

Possessing such stunning words of consolation and prophecies, as well as a portrait of the Lord, Abgar could write with deep peace in his heart in his fourth letter that a few days ago his son died quietly, and his last request was to convey deep gratitude to the Lord for He took him in so graciously. His son, writes Abgar, rested in deep joy, and his last words were: “You, the One, are my Love forever and ever! I am alive! I am alive! I live in You, and in You - forever!”

Following this voluntary, joyful and complete sacrifice of the most precious thing on earth, following a declaration of deep faith and ardent love, the correspondence tells of the next, even more outstanding accomplishment.

Unlike the previous letters of the Lord, written not by Him personally, but dictated by Him to His apostles, we have before us the “handwritten” answer of the Lord Jesus, written moreover in Greek, i.e., in the language common to the pagans at that time as the previous letters were written in Greek.

In this seemingly insignificant episode, however, a deep meaning is hidden.

If in our love for Jesus we have improved so much that in our unshakable faith, in our fiery love for the Lord we are able to forget about everything earthly, even if it is dearer than anything in the world, and renounce everything that is ours, then the Lord, who spoke to us before through his servants (archangels and guardian angels), He Himself will descend to us, and in the closet of our heart He will speak to us not in Hebrew, that is, in the external, biblical dialect of the Lord, but in the true language of our heart, comprehended through inner word.

What do these words teach us: “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! "?

In these words, prefaced by the Lord with the meaningful appeal “My beloved son and brother Abgar!” and addressed directly to Abgar in a language he understands, is the essence of all His teachings directed to us and into our hearts.

In a letter to Abgar, the Lord, in his desire to enlighten and teach, goes even further: here He moves on to the highest and final degree of love for one’s neighbor - love for our enemies, noting as if inadvertently: “Behold, a criminal is 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!”

Such a command was by no means easy for Abgar. For this new task, which he received on the path of healing, was to teach him the most difficult thing: to judge a state criminal, an extremely dangerous man, whom Abgar kept in a punishment cell, not according to the laws of wisdom and justice, but according to the laws of love and mercy.

Abgar passes this test too. And already three weeks later he writes in the next, fifth letter to the Lord: “I fulfilled your desire and not only released that state criminal, but also accepted him into my school and allowed him to my table. Perhaps, by doing this, I , as they say, I 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."

In addition, Abgar, to whom at this stage of the development of love the very essence of the world-creating and world-ruling deity was revealed in Jesus - an outwardly ordinary man - wants, with gratitude in his heart, to immediately introduce in his country all those reforms and commandments that the Lord will advise .

To this selfless proposal, the Lord responds to his “beloved son and brother Abgar” that he will give him all the light and all the bliss due to the children of the Lord, and reveals to him the basis of his Kingdom and all holiness with the words: “My Law is Love.”

True, it is said further, there is much more in the Will of the Lord than Abgar is able to comprehend now. But when the Spirit of the Lord descends on him, he will be able to understand everything that is still unclear. And Abgar acted correctly with the criminal: “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 completely fulfill it.”

So, Abgar, who nobly treated his enemy, rose, so to speak, to the pinnacle of Love for his neighbor. One would have to assume that after this his earthly life would become one of pure bliss, and nothing would stop his love from pouring out to all the people of Abgar.

But Abgar's sixth letter - a new call for help - convinces us of the opposite, again leading us to thoughts and reflections. In it, the long-suffering king writes: “Lord! Forgive me for daring to disturb You again, but You know that people, when misfortune happens to them or something incomprehensible to them in nature, always turn to famous doctors for help... But How much higher are You for me than all the doctors in the world! Not only are You 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... How should You feel? It is known that 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 They lost their minds and became like possessed." - All measures taken by Abgar were ineffective. - “With complete humility in my heart, I ask you, Lord! Help me and my people! Deliver us from this trouble!”

It is noteworthy in these words of Abgar that he, who fulfilled everything that the Lord demanded of him - he, who accepted the unknown poor man and forgave his enemy - is not blinded by pride and despair after the disaster that befell him. He does not say to the Lord in spiritual arrogance: behold, I have fulfilled everything You required, I am so good, and You allowed this to happen to me! No, in his letter we read: “With complete humility in my heart, I ask You, Lord!”

And despite the new misfortune that has come to his country, Abgar writes in complete and unshakable confidence: “Lord! I know that all good and evil forces are subject to You and obey You.”

We see how, during difficult trials, Abgar’s faith, which originated in his first letters, grows into conviction and the highest trust!

And the correspondence further tells about the real reason for the terrible incident: “When the Lord read this message, He was indignant in spirit and exclaimed, and his voice sounded like thunder: “Satan! How long will you tempt the Lord and your God?! But, so that you may again know in Me the Lord and your God, I command you: “Get out of that country forever!” - And the Lord writes to Abgar: “It was not your enemy who did this to you, but My enemy! You do not know him, but I have known him for a long time! My enemy is the invisible prince of this world. Don’t be afraid of him, for for you and your people I am his I've already won."

What does this answer from the Lord mean, and what do the events described in the last letters about the life and spiritual development of Abgar mean?

If God's opposite, the prince of this world, notices that a certain soul in its development of Faith and Love may escape from his control, he stakes everything to prevent it. But since he cannot shake such a soul in its spiritual possession, that is, in its Faith and Love for God, he is forced to turn to the material basis of man, to his “earthly surface.” On this “surface” he organizes with all his strength the most destructive “Earthquakes”, trying to shake and destroy the material existence of a person - and if this does not achieve the goal, he can poison springs and wells, that is, he strives to poison and spoil a person with a poisonous blasphemy.

Don't we often see this in spiritual life? Each of us has probably experienced this to a greater or lesser extent.

If such a purely material shock does not lead a person to despair, but, on the contrary, he emerges from it with even greater faith, relying on the support of the Heavenly Father and His omnipotence, then the moment comes when evil loses over such a person not only its tempting power, but also threatening power, and the Lord defeats and binds the enemy for him - for a mature spirit does not need such unkind power, which was previously a means of training and strengthening in faith.

The Lord explains this deep meaning of recent events to Abgar as follows: “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."

After Abgar receives this deep explanation about the amazing ways of education and guidance of the Lord, everything related to the earthly and worldly ceases to be any significant for him. From now on there is room in his heart for only one thing - for the Lord Jesus!

Now the main place in Abgar’s thoughts is not occupied by his own “I,” not his own son, not the poor wanderer, not the enemy of his state, and not even his people. In his unspeakable gratitude and Love, he can only exclaim: “My Lord and God! Who lives entirely in my heart and wholly fills my thoughts!”

He thinks only about the Lord and about the torment of the cross that awaits him, and longs for only one thing: “Lord! Just say: what can I do for You?! May Your Holy Will always be done!”

In such fiery selflessness of spirit, Abgar is close to the angels, whose essence is only to look at the Lord, not wanting anything for themselves, but ready at any moment to rush to fulfill the Lord’s instructions.

"Lord! Just tell me: what can I do for You?!" These words are the pinnacle of perfection achieved while ascending along the path of Faith and Love. At this peak stand those angels and archangels who have gone through the difficult school of earthly life and achieved their goal, obeying Divine Omniscience.

The Lord entrusts to them the deep secrets of His plan of creation and healing, so that they can carry out the tasks entrusted to them.

So the Lord reveals to Abgar in his last letter why everything should happen to Him as predicted.

The secret of the cross is revealed to Abgar: “And let not the Cross to which I will be nailed 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!”

Even the triumphal resurrection is predicted for the king: “I will remain only three days in the grave! On the third day I will rise as the eternal conqueror of death and hell, and will judge all the wicked with righteous judgment.”

“But for those who are in My heart,” this is how the letter ends, “I will open the Gates of Heaven!”

* Considering from this point of view the “Correspondence”, reconstructed for us by the revelation given to Jacob Lorber, we can conclude that in this small, meaningful Gospel, written in the living form of a true life story, there is a clear and convincing teaching about the true way of healing, reliably leading to the Lord.

Here we observe all stages of spiritual development, from simple faith in a healer-miracle worker gifted by God's grace to a solid knowledge of the Love, Wisdom and Power of the Lord, imprinted in Jesus. In addition, all types and manifestations of Love are given here - from selfish love, thirsting only for deliverance from temporary bodily suffering, to the highest spiritual and pure love for Jesus and the Father.

And everyone who reads this book will probably understand that the Light that enlightened Abgar pours out from the highest heavens, from the purest, unclouded spring of divine Wisdom and Love.

Afterword

Robert Ernst

“Jesus did many other miracles before His disciples, which are not written in this book,” says the Gospel of John (20:30). And how could it be otherwise! For three years the Lord preached, healed the sick, comforted the crying and performed miracles.

Is it possible to imagine that all the events of these three years could have been written down and fit into a few pages of the four Gospels?!

But much of what was not written down was preserved by tradition. These traditions or evidence existed partly in the form of written sources - sometimes genuine, sometimes created by the imagination of the people, not to mention fakes. Thus, in the first Christian millennia, a certain, very extensive new literature was formed, providing not only rich material for thought and research, but also - let’s make a reservation right away - fertile ground for scientific skepticism.

“This rather diverse and numerous literature, soon formed in imitation of the sacred books, was given the name “Apocrypha.” This name is derived from the Greek word “apocryphos” (“ apokryphos ") and means “hidden, secret.” At first, this word probably denoted those secret books, access to which in various sects was open only to initiates. Hence it is clear that the church from the very beginning prohibited these strange, mysterious speculations that did not correspond to the sacred and full of light to the Teachings of the Lord Christ, as false writings. But the name "Apocrypha" applied not only to works prohibited by the church as false teachings. Soon this began to be called the entire body of texts, which were not recognized as inspired writings, and which for this reason were not included in the text of Holy Scripture. Among these texts there were those that, containing pure and true teaching, were allowed for private use by the church fathers, despite the fact that the public reading of such texts in the Christian community was prohibited by them. this fact explains our interest in this vast, but, unfortunately, forgotten literature, which reflects Christian principles. Along with works of dubious content, we also find in it good books that inherited genuine testimonies... And if the church, primarily concerned about the impeccable protection of the purity of the Gospels, did not certify these books as the word of God... then at least it did not challenge their right to exist as a deep and powerful expression of her own tradition..."(Jacques Hervieux, Was nicht im Evangelium steht..., Aschaffenburg, Pattloch-Verlag, 1959. p. 6 and 7).

One of these early apocryphal documents is the correspondence between Jesus and Abgar Ukkama, the ruler of Edessa. Although theologians doubt the authenticity of this correspondence, it is historically confirmed that a king named Abgar Ukkama was the fifteenth ruler of the kingdom of Ozroen. According to the chronicles of Edessa, he twice decided the destinies of the people of his country: for the first time since 4 AD. BC. to 7 AD, and after that from 13 to 50 AD. AD (Wed. Gutschmid, Untersuchungen bär die Geschichte des Kimigreiches Osrhoene. Mem. der Akad. v. St. Petersburg-Diet. Theol. Cath. Bd.l. Spalte 67. Stichwort "Abgar" v. JJParisot.)

Abgar, in Syriac abgar, awgar, in Greek Abgaros or Augaros , - a name of Semitic origin (cf.P. Smith, Thesaurus syriacus. Spalte477). Syrian linguists see in the name Abgar a synonym for hagira = "lame" . Perhaps the king received this name in connection with an illness, which gave rise to his desire to write to the great miracle worker from Palestine with a request to free him from many years of suffering.

The king's nickname was Ukkama, or more precisely, ukhama , i.e. "black" In Greek it became Ouchama or Ouchanias (cf. Assemani, Bibliotheca orientalis. Rom, 1719. Bd. 1. Spalte 420.)

The historical authenticity of the correspondence between Abgar and Jesus is denied by most theologians due to its supposed impossibility. But one of the local legends of the 3rd century AD. introduces us to the correspondence authored by Jesus.

This statement is based on the so-called. Decretum Gelasianum , relating to the collections of the Frankish church and containing a list of "acceptable and unacceptable books." Decretum classifies the correspondence as unacceptable apocryphal books. This denial may be based on the views of the church teacher Augustine, who argued that the authentic letters of Jesus did not exist.(Wed . Augustinus, Contra Faust. 28.4; De Consensu evangelistarum 1, 7,11.)

In the Syrian church the tradition of correspondence between Jesus and King Abgar was an indisputable fact. This is reported in Syrian documents from the era of early Christianity. The Syriac liturgy mentions correspondence as a historical fact. " Doctrina Addai ", approximately around the 4th century AD, takes over the old tradition and develops it. It is remarkable that in Edessa, even before 170 AD, there was a significant Christian community. Consequently, Christian missionaries arrived there relatively early, who found there hearts open to the Teachings of Christ.(Wed . Bibliotheca Orientalis. Bd. 1. Spalte 393; and : Diet. Theol. Cath. Bd.l. Spalten 68-72.) - Rubens Duval points out in his "Histoire politique, religieuse et litteraire d"Edesse (Extrait du Journal asiatique, Paris, 1892, S.81), that the old tradition of correspondence between Jesus and Abgar constantly found wide response in the East.

But the best witness to the authenticity of the correspondence between Jesus and Abgar is, without a doubt, Eusebius of Caesarea (d. 339 AD). “Eusebius stands, as it were, at the turn of two eras. He owes his education, interests, his works devoted to the treasury of the past to the Prenician era, but as a bishop and church leader he stands at the center of the new... Constantinian era. Born in 263 Palestine, possibly in Caesarea, he received his brilliant education in the school founded by Origen and the famous library of the residence thanks to Pamphylius... In 313 he became a bishop and had a great influence on the Emperor Constantine, thanks to his learning... For all times Eusebius remained primarily a great historian of Christian antiquity... His main work is a ten-volume history of the church from the founding of the church to the victory of Constantine over Lysinius (324 AD)... Eusebius, of course, is not yet able to paint a picture of history in its genetic development; basically it offers only a collection of materials: facts, excerpts from early Christian works and other documents, arranged colorfully, but mainly in chronological order. Even before the Diocletian persecution of Christians began (303 AD), Eusebius's book was published in 7 volumes. However, the rapid change of historically important events forced him to make many additions and changes to his work... Already in the 4th century AD. "History of the Church" was translated into Syriac, and a little later into Armenian. In 403 AD Rufinus made a Latin translation, and also wrote a continuation of the story up to 395." ( Berthold Altaner, Patrologie. Freiburg i. Br., Herder, 1938. S. 141-143.)

According to . Verschaffel (Diet. Theol. Cath. Bd 5.; Teil 2; Spalte 1528), Eusebius of Caesarea can be called the "Christian Herodotus" and the "father of church history." He possessed incomparable historical knowledge concerning the first Christian centuries.

And this magnificent expert on history, Eusebius of Caesarea, left us with his own handwritten confirmation of the existence of correspondence between Jesus and King Abgar. At the end of the first volume of his "History" ( Migne, Patr. Graeca 20, 121-124. 136. 137.) Eusebius writes that he found this correspondence in the archives of the city of Edessa. According to him, the royal collection of letters contained historical documents about the events in Edessa and the years of the reign of King Abgar. Eusebius writes that he translated with great care the correspondence between Jesus and Abgar from Syriac into Greek.

This account of Eusebius is followed by a translation of the first two letters. The reader of the History of the Church in our time can only regret that Eusebius did not publish the correspondence in full. But we must remember that for Eusebius the main thing was to establish and prove historical facts. The History of the Church would have been too cluttered if he had started publishing all the old documents. In addition, Eusebius always indicates the source from which the documents were taken, so that anyone interested in the history of the issue has the opportunity to further study them. Therefore, Eusebius adds that you can familiarize yourself with the sources in the public library of Edessa.

To two letters Eusebius adds a message about the missionary activity of a certain Thaddeus (or Addaeus), who was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus. Apostle Judas or Apostle Thomas sent him to Edessa to preach the Gospel there. Thaddeus explained the teachings of Christ to King Abgar, healed him and preached the Gospel with such fervor that he converted most of the people.

These details are also described in Doctrina Addai . This work, written in Syriac, also contains the first two letters of Jesus and Abgar; in addition, it contains a message that one of Abgar’s subjects made a portrait of Jesus for his king.

Of course, every Christian who loves the Lord can only regret that historical documents have preserved only two of the Lord’s letters to the king of Edessa. For, unfortunately, all the old documents of the royal archive in Edessa are now lost, which was greatly facilitated by wars, etc.

But nothing that the Son of Man taught, preached or inspired on earth can disappear without a trace. By Divine providence and the Grace of the Lord, humanity has been given the opportunity to know the holy works of the Lord in all their fullness.

In a similar way, the correspondence of Jesus with King Abgar, recorded by Jacob Lorber, the scribe of the Lord, dictated to him by the inner Divine Voice, has reached us.

We have established that the first two letters of this correspondence are not a translation of an existing Text - neither from Syriac, nor from Greek, nor from Latin. The text, dictated in German, apparently repeats the lost original, which is integral with the lost letters, but reproduced through dictation by Lord Lorber.

We have also established that the text of the dictated letters coincides in the most detailed way with the Greek text of Eusebius’ letters; the text Doctrina Addai indicates additions in sentences.

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.

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Saint Mandylion. History of the relic (1)

Icon from a triptych kept in the Museum of the Sinai Monastery. Prince Avgar takes on the Image Not Made by Hands. The central part of the triptych with the Image Not Made by Hands itself has been lost

The day of August 16, 944 became the most important day in the history of the miraculous image of Christ on the board, called in Byzantium “Holy Mandylion” (2) (TO AGION MANDYLION), and in Ancient Rus' “Holy Ubrus” (3). On this day, the precious relic, which the day before had been solemnly transferred to Constantinople from the distant Syrian city of Edessa, was placed in the reliquary church of the Grand Palace among other most important shrines of the empire. From this moment on, the general Christian glorification of the Mandylion begins, which becomes perhaps the main relic of the Byzantine world (4). In lists of Constantinople shrines and pilgrimage descriptions, it consistently occupies one of the first places.

The church calendar establishes on August 16 the annual celebration of the “Transfer of the Image Not Made by Hands from Edessa to Constantinople.” Soon after 944, a special “Tale of the Image Not Made by Hands” was created, the authorship of which was attributed to the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, a direct participant in the events (hereinafter, the Tale) (5). This work became the main source of information about the Mandylion; its abbreviated and edited versions were included in minologies and prologues throughout the Orthodox world; for example, the ancient Russian legend was already known in Kievan Rus (6).

Two legends about the emergence of the Image Not Made by Hands

In the middle of the 10th century. the creator of the “Tale” knew two legends about the emergence of the Miraculous Image of the Savior. According to the first story, the toparch of Edessa named Abgar, who suffered from serious illnesses, learned about the miracles of Christ and believed in Him. He sent a letter to the Savior asking him to come and heal him. Avgar also ordered his envoy Ananias, who knew how to draw, to make a portrait of Christ. The Savior, having received the letter, wrote a response in which he promised Abgar, who had not seen Him but believed, healing and eternal life, and his city of Edessa protection and inaccessibility. In addition, Christ, “having washed his face with water, and then wiped the moisture from it with the towel given to Him, deigned to imprint His features on it in a divine and ineffable way” (Tale, 13). The letter and the card with the Image Not Made by Hands were given to Ananias for Abgar, so that he would receive deliverance from suffering and illness (7).

No less authoritative is the Byzantine author of the 10th century. also considers another story about the emergence of the Mandylion, which in this version is considered as a relic reminiscent of the passion of the Lord. A miraculous image appears during prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Christ foresees his suffering on the cross: “When Christ had to go to his free death, when, revealing human weakness, He appeared to those struggling and praying, when sweat dripped from him like drops of blood, like indicates the Gospel narrative (Luke 22:44), then they say that taking this now visible piece of cloth from one of the disciples, he wiped the streams of sweat with it, and immediately His godlike image was imprinted” (Tale, 17). After the Ascension of Christ, the Apostle Thomas handed over the Image Not Made by Hands to the Apostle Thaddeus, whom he sent to Abgar in fulfillment of the promise of Christ. At the sight of the apostle bringing the Mandylion, Avgar was instantly healed, placing the cloth on his head, eyes and lips. He studied the “imprint of the image on the linen” and was amazed at its miraculous power, and the Apostle Thaddeus told him about the “image without paint from sweat” (Tale, 21). The Apostle Thaddeus, having performed many miracles and healed all the sick in Edessa, baptized Abgar and his family. The newly baptized ruler of Edessa glorified the Image Not Made by Hands. He attached it to the board, decorated it with gold, writing on the image the words: “Christ God, he who trusts in You will not perish” (Tale, 25). He installed a miraculous image in front of the main gates of the city in the place where the statue of the revered Greek deity had previously been located. And everyone had to bow to the “miraculous image of Christ” as the new heavenly patron of the city.

Mandylion in Edessa

The author of “The Tale of Emperor Constantine” did extraordinary work on source studies, and, striving for historical accuracy, collected those available in the middle of the 10th century. evidence of Mandylion. He directly refers to the fourth book of “Ecclesiastical History” by Evagrius Scholasticus (VI century) (8) and the text of the “Epistle of the Eastern Patriarchs to Emperor Theophilus” (IX century) (9). However, even this educated Byzantine historian could not provide a single early evidence of the Miraculous Image of Edessa.

Indeed, the first unambiguous story about Mandylion is given by Evagrius at the end of the 6th century. Until this time, Edessa, the correspondence of Christ with Abgar and the relic of the holy letter were reported in detail at the beginning of the 4th century. Eusebius of Caesarea (10) and at the end of this century the pilgrim Egerius (11). However, they do not even hint at the existence of Mandylion. The Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea, talking about the contemporary events of the siege of Edessa by the Persians in 544, also says nothing about the Image Not Made by Hands and reports only about the Letter of Christ (12). But we are talking, nevertheless, about the siege, during which, according to the later “History” of Evagrius Scholasticus, Mandylion performed the great miracle of saving Edessa. This silence allows a number of researchers to believe that the legend about Mandylion was formed no earlier than the middle of the 6th century. (13), perhaps in connection with a certain portrait of Christ that existed in Edessa.

Syrian apocrypha of the early 5th century. “The Teaching of Addai” says that the royal painter Hannan the archivist, sent by Abgar, “painted the image of Jesus with the best colors”: this “hand-made” portrait was brought to Edessa and solemnly placed in one of the chambers of Abgar’s palace (14). However, in the free Greek translation of this text, the so-called “Acts of Thaddeus,” dating from the first half of the 7th century, the story of the Miraculous Image of Christ on the board already appears (15).

The Image Not Made by Hands occupies an important place in early Armenian sources, since Avgar is considered by them as an Armenian king. The seminal “History of Armenia” by Movses Khorenatsi (5th or 8th century) reports on the message of Christ, which was brought by “Anan, the messenger of Abgar, along with the image of the face of the Savior, which is kept in the city of Edessa to this day” (16). The “History of the Hripsimian Saints,” which is attributed to Movses Khorenatsi, contains important evidence dating back to the era of Emperor Diocletian. Those who set off from Jerusalem to Armenia in search of the icon of the Mother of God, St. Hripsime and her companions “came to the city of Edessa, and, bowing to the image of the Savior, they were filled with joy, believing that they had seen the Word clothed in flesh. And again the appearance of miraculous visions prompted them to become hermits. And some of the wives separated from them and remained in this city, in the great church of Abgar, founded by Thaddeus” (17). One Syrian life of the 6th century also reports the worship of a certain image of Christ in Edessa. (18)

However, the earliest, and for a long time the only, message specifically about the Image Not Made by Hands in Edessa remains the text of the “Ecclesiastical History” of Evagrius Scholasticus (IV, 27), dating back to 594 (19). During the siege by the troops of the Persian Shah Khosrow, the city was miraculously saved from “an icon not made by hands, which was not created by the hands of people, but by Christ God sent to Abgar when he passionately desired to see him.” The icon was brought into a tunnel, with the help of which the Edessians were going to set fire to the siege fortifications of the Persians. The image was sprinkled with water, after which a few drops were sprinkled on the firewood, which miraculously caught fire. The resulting fire completely destroyed the Persian structures, which led to the lifting of the siege.

Remains of ancient Edessa (now the city of Urfa in Turkey)

“The Tale of Emperor Constantine” complements the short story of Evagrius and, based on sources unknown to us, also sets out the history of Mandylion from its appearance in Edessa to the siege of 544. It says that the grandson of Avgar retreated from Christianity and decided to destroy the Image Not Made by Hands in front of the city gates. Having learned about this, the Bishop of Edessa closed the “semicircular niche” with the Mandylion with tiles, having previously placed a lamp in front of the Image Not Made by Hands. Then I leveled the wall with bricks and plaster. The historian specifically notes that the tiles were needed to protect the “image-bearing canvas” from dampness and rotting (Tale, 28).

For several centuries the hidden Mandylion was forgotten. And only during the siege of Edessa by the Persian king Khosrov, when it seemed that nothing could save the inhabitants of the city, “a certain beautiful armed wife” appeared to Bishop Eulalia at night, who revealed to him the location of the Image Not Made by Hands. Eulalia found the Mandylion intact, and the lamp next to it unextinguished. “On the tile placed in front of the lamp for safekeeping, another likeness of that likeness was imprinted - it is still kept in Edessa” (Tale, 32). What follows is a story about the undermining. However, unlike the story of Evagrius, which is also retold in the Tale, the firewood is lit not with water consecrated by the icon, but with drops of oil from a lamp that has received miraculous power from many years of being next to the Image Not Made by Hands. Divine retribution was intensified by a special sacred rite - Bishop Eulalia, raising the Mandylion in his outstretched hands, walked around the city wall: an unexpectedly strong wind fanned the flames and directed it towards the Persians.

In this wonderful story, one can note a number of stable archetypal motifs (topoi), which are enshrined in Eastern Christian legends about miraculous icons, especially after the victory of icon veneration in 843. These include: the preservation of the walled up and the miraculous discovery, after a divine vision, of a glorified icon ; a mysteriously burning but unburnt candle or lamp, which itself becomes miraculous; washing the holy image with water, which after such consecration acquires miraculous power; the use of the icon as an apotropaia (protective amulet) and palladium (heavenly patron), placed near the gate; a liturgical procession (litiya) with a holy image along the walls of the city, which thereby receives the highest protection. The latter rite, well known in Constantinople, is still used in the services of the Orthodox Church. One might think that for many of these motifs, the “Tale of Emperor Constantine” about the most important miraculous icon served as a source and archetypal model.

Miraculous images and man-made lists

The motive for reproducing the miraculous image deserves special consideration - the appearance of both miraculous and painted copies. The Tale speaks of two miraculous imprints from St. Ubrus on the tiles. One “Holy Relic” (TO AGION KERAMION), which miraculously appeared opposite the Mandylion in a niche above the gate, remained in Edessa until 968. According to the Byzantine historian Leo the Deacon, in this year Emperor Nikephoros Phocas transferred the relic to the Church of Our Lady of Pharos in Constantinople, where 944 the Mandylion (20) was kept.

Another Holy Skull was venerated in Hierapolis. According to the Tale, Ananias, returning from Jerusalem to Edessa, stopped at the walls of Hierapolis, where he hid the Mandylion in a pile of recently made tiles. Around midnight, a “great fire” appeared over the location of the relic, resembling a fire: this radiance came from the holy image. A miraculous imprint appeared on a nearby tile, which the residents of the city kept and even in the era of the Tale (about 944) kept as a “sacred heritage and precious treasure” (Tale, 14). In 967, Nikephoros Phocas transferred this relic to Constantinople (21). Interestingly, Syrian tradition reports imprints on two tiles that were in the temple of Hierapolis, and were later available for viewing in the church founded by the Apostle Philip (22).

According to ancient legend, tiles with the Face of Christ Not Made by Hands were brought to Georgia from Syria by St. Anthony Martkopi - one of the founders of Georgian monasticism in the 6th century. This national relic, which, according to the text of the saint’s life, “works miracles to this day,” determined the exclusive veneration of the Miraculous Image in Georgia (23).

The ability for mystical reproduction was an important distinguishing feature of miraculous images of Christ. In the 6th century, when Byzantium did not yet know about the Edessa shrine, the miraculous image on a plate from the Asia Minor village of Kamuliana enjoyed wide popularity. This shrine was moved to Constantinople in 574, where it became the palladium of the empire, which was taken on the most important military campaigns and was considered as the true leader of the Christian army in battles with infidels (24). A Camulian linen cloth with the miraculous face of Christ was found floating in a spring by a certain Hypatia, who attached the miraculous cloth to her headdress. And then, says the legend of the 6th century, the image of Christ was mystically imprinted on this scarf. Two churches were built for the miraculous images. In addition, soon after its discovery, a special copy of the Kamulian image was made for the church in the village of Diabudin, which also became famous as miraculous.

A similar multiplication of Mandylion's replicas occurred in Edessa. The Tale tells of the first man-made copy made for the Persian king Khosrow shortly after his unsuccessful siege of Edessa (Tale, 39-42). According to this legend, which may have reflected some historical facts, the demon-possessed daughter of Khosrow declared that only the Image Not Made by Hands from Edessa could deliver her from the demon. Khosrow, remembering the miracle during the siege of the city, demanded Mandylion for himself. However, not risking sending the original shrine, the Edessians sent Khosrow a copy, “copying the unwritten written image, which was similar in everything and as similar as possible to the unwritten one, and making it as identical as possible” (Tale, 40). The icon-list turns out to be enough to perform the miracle of expelling a demon from the daughter of the Persian king, who returns this hand-made image to Edessa along with gifts. As is clear from the text of the Tale (47), the icon associated with this legend existed in Edessa as early as 943. Probably, the miraculous icon-list of the Image Not Made by Hands could have been venerated in Edessa since ancient times along with Mandylion and Keramion.

Testimony of the historian Evagrius:

“They say that the daughter of Chozroes was possessed by a demon, who shouted that he would not leave her until the image of Christ not made by hands was brought to her from Edessa. Khosroes begged the Edessians to send him the image to Ctesiphon, the then capital of Persia. The inhabitants of Edessa, not wanting to send away their shrine, made a copy of the image, which they sent to the Persian king. But as soon as the ambassadors crossed the border and entered the borders of Persia, the demon left the girl. Delighted by his daughter’s recovery, Khozra, in gratitude for this, rewarded the ambassadors and sent the icon back to Edessa...” (history.)

Another story about the creation of a copy of the Mandylion at the end of the 7th century. looks more realistic. It goes back to the lost “History” of the Jacobite patriarch Dionysius of Telmachre (d.845) (25). A certain Monophysite Athanasius, who lived in Edessa, became extremely rich during the reign of Caliph Abd al-Malik (685-705). One day he lent the city 5,000 denarii to pay tribute to the Arabs and took as collateral the Image of Christ Not Made by Hands. Not wanting to give up the shrine upon repayment of the debt, Athanasius ordered an exact copy of the Mandylion, which he gave instead of the original to the Orthodox community of Edessa, which previously owned the relic: “Then he called a very skilled painter and asked him to paint a copy. When the work was completed, a portrait appeared as similar to its sample as possible. For the painter darkened the colors in such a way that they looked like ancient ones. The Edessians some time later returned the gold and asked for the portrait to be returned. He gave them the newly made one and left the ancient image in his house. Later he revealed the secret to the faithful (Monophysites) and built the beautiful sanctuary of the baptistery. He finished it, spending a lot more money than he had expected: he spent it in honor of the image, because he knew that the original portrait sent with John tabellara remained in his house. Years later he brought the image and placed it in the baptistery” (26).

It is interesting that in this Syriac text the Image Not Made by Hands is described as an ancient pictorial icon, albeit with dull, “darkened colors.” Another interesting plot is the struggle for ownership of the true image between the various faiths of the city. As the Syrian Jacobite Patriarch Dionysius notes, the Chalcedonites (Orthodox) have owned the Image Not Made by Hands since the time of the “Greek kings” (in this context, from 578 - the beginning of the reign of Emperor Tiberius). And only a hundred years later, thanks to the cunning of Athanasius, the relic passed to the Monophysites.

Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus

Other sources also report that several icons of the Mandylion were simultaneously venerated in different Christian communities of Edessa. How serious the task of identifying the true relic was is evidenced by the Tale of Emperor Constantine. Sent in 944 to take the relic to Constantinople, Abramius, Bishop of Samosata, fearing that he would be deceived, demanded that all the copies of the Miraculous Image, including those from the Nestorian Church of Edessa, be submitted for examination: “And the sent one, pondering and caring, how would it they did not deceive with the extradition and did not give instead of the unwritten and true image painted at one time due to Persian violence, I found them both, and with them another, revered in the Nestorian church, also, as it turned out, taken from the prototype. Having taken them for identification, he immediately gave them away, and took only the true image of the Lord” (Tale, 47). This surprisingly specific story, most likely reported to the author of the Tale by Abraham of Samosata himself, clearly shows that in Edessa in the 9th century. There were several lists of icons revered as the Image Not Made by Hands. The establishment of the true shrine required a serious examination, for which, apparently, it was no coincidence that not a Constantinople official was sent, but a bishop from neighboring Samosata.

Miracles of the Mandylion in Edessa

It would be important to collect evidence of the miracles of Mandylion in Edessa, which in the Byzantine tradition were perceived as archetypal in relation to subsequent tales of miraculous images. The most famous miracles were the healing of Avgar and assistance during the Persian siege. They determined the perception of the Mandylion, on the one hand, as a celibate relic, on the other, as an apotropaia - a heavenly protector.

Perhaps the most vivid legend about the miracle dates back to Syrian sources of the 7th - 8th centuries. (27). It tells that a certain man from the East stole the Image Not Made by Hands, which was kept in the church of Edessa. When the thief stopped for the night at the monastery of St. Kozma and Damian outside the city, Mandylion suddenly filled with fire and began to burn the one who had kidnapped him. The thief threw the relic into the deep monastery well and immediately a pillar of fire descended from heaven onto the well. The mandylion was found, and from that time on, everyone who washed himself with water from the well received healing, especially those who, like King Abgar, were sick with gout.

In this tale, the plot motifs of fire and water are especially interesting. The burning but unburnt Mandylion appears already in “The Tale of Emperor Constantine” in connection with the miracle of the appearance of Keramion under the walls of Hierapolis (Tale, 14). It evoked the biblical image of the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:2) and the special fire signifying the presence of God. The image of a pillar of fire descending from heaven and pointing to a holy place also has biblical origins (Ex. 13:21-22; Num. 14:14; Neh. 9:19; Rev. 10:1). In the oldest tales of conversion to Christianity (Georgia by St. Nino or Armenia by St. Gregory the Illuminator), a pillar of fire marks the site of the founding of the first church. The theme of consecrated water in connection with the Mandylion appears already in the “History” of Evagrius Scholasticus, where it is said that it was with the consecrated water that firewood was set on fire during the Persian siege. We find the theme of the mystical connection of a miraculous image with a source in an earlier legend about the Kamulian plate, which floated in the water, but at the same time remained dry. The location or appearance next to a miraculous icon of a healing spring is a stable topos of Byzantine culture, one of the earliest examples of which is the Edessa legend about a well that began to work miracles after contact with the Mandylion (28).

Liturgical veneration of the Image Not Made by Hands

A special subject of historical reconstruction is the liturgical veneration of the Image Not Made by Hands in Edessa. Among the earliest evidence is the First Epistle of Pope Gregory II, cited in the Acts of the Seventh Ecumenical Council in 787. It says that to worship the Image Not Made by Hands, “the peoples of the East flock in large numbers to Edessa and offer prayers” (29). The Life of St. Euthymius of Sardis, written in 831, also testifies to the mass veneration of the relic in Edessa. St. Euthymius participated at the end of the 8th century. in the imperial embassy to the Arab Caliphate and, in his own words in the Life, “... having actually seen that in Edessa, the wisest and most revered of cities, a self-devoted and unhandwritten icon of us for the sake of the incarnate Son of God, I bowed to her along with many people” (30). The fact that the Image Not Made by Hands, once sent by Christ to Abgar, “is still worshiped by all of Edessa” at the beginning of the 9th century. reports “Chronicle of George Amartol” (31).

It is interesting that the Tale of Emperor Constantine says nothing about the services of Mandylion. Perhaps this is due to the fact that simultaneously with the Tale, around 944, a special “Word about the holy and miraculous icon of Jesus Christ our God, as it was revered in the city of Edessa by its inhabitants” (32) (hereinafter, the Word). In Byzantine manuscripts it often follows immediately after the Tale and, apparently, was also created by order of Constantine Porphyrogenitus in connection with the need to create new liturgical celebrations for the Mandylion in Constantinople. The Word contains unique details of the worship of the Image Not Made by Hands, which took place in the “Church of Edessa” (the main temple?) both on ordinary days and on the holiday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy (victory of icon veneration in 843).

According to this text, for most of the year the Mandylion was kept in the skeuofylakion (vessel depository, treasury of the temple). It was placed in a special icon case with doors closed with thin iron locks. Twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, believers were allowed to contemplate and offer prayers to the closed icon case, but no one could “neither approach nor touch the sacred image with their lips or eyes.” Only once a year, on Wednesday, during the “middle week” of Lent, was the only bishop, like the Old Testament high priest, allowed to enter the altar and open the icon case. “With an inviolable sponge dipped in water,” he washed the Mandylion, and distributed the blessed water squeezed out of the sponge to the believers, who rubbed their eyes with it and received cleansing.

On the first Sunday of Great Lent (the Feast of the Triumph of Orthodoxy), a special litiya took place - a religious procession with an icon. In skeuphylakia, the Mandylion rested on a special throne and was covered “on all sides” with a white cloth. Four bishops or priests, raising the throne with the icon, walked behind the bishop, who carried a cross in his hands. On the sides of the bishop they carried golden scepters, and behind them in rows were 12 ripids and the same number of censers and lamps. During the procession, the bishop stopped and crossed the people, who exclaimed: “Lord, have mercy!” As the procession entered the church, the bishop once again crossed the people “to the east, to the right and to the left.” Then the icon on its throne was installed in the altar of the temple to the east of the main altar “on another table, smaller, but fortified higher.” Only the bishop had the right to approach and kiss the icon, after which he exchanged the white plate of the icon “for another, painted in porphyry.” At the end of the service, the “divine throne”, accompanied by the same procession, returned to the skeuofylakion.

“The Word on the Transfer” not only provides a uniquely detailed description of the liturgical procession with the miraculous icon, which has no analogues in Byzantine sources, but is also a special liturgical commentary. The highly learned author offers a symbolic interpretation of almost all the main elements of the ritual. He uses earlier liturgical commentaries by Sophronius of Jerusalem, Maximus the Confessor, and Germanus of Constantinople. However, interpretations of the most original features of the ritual are completely independent. Thus, he explains the use of multi-colored covers: white symbolizes the eternity of God and divine light, while this unknown Byzantine liturgist understands porphyry as the embodiment of the invisible and ineffable essence of God, in the spirit of the apophatic theology of Dionysius the Areopagite. It is difficult to say to what extent the described Edessa rite corresponded to the practice of Byzantine worship that had developed by the middle of the 10th century. However, it seems likely that it could have had a noticeable influence on the development of liturgical processions with icons. I would also like to draw attention to the practice of covering the sacred image, which was inherited by both the Constantinople cult of the Mandylion and the entire subsequent tradition of venerating miraculous icons.

Mandylion and defense of icon veneration

Mandylion's fame grew gradually during the 7th century, spreading from East to West. In Byzantium, the glory of Mandylion is associated with the period of iconoclasm (730 - 843), when the Edessa image - a “God-created icon” that mystically appeared by the will of Christ himself - became one of the arguments of icon worshipers in their disputes with opponents of sacred images (33).

We find references to the Mandylion twice in the writings of John of Damascus (d. 749). In “An Accurate Statement of the Orthodox Faith,” he briefly repeats the story known to us from the first tradition of the Tale: “A certain story is also told that when Abgar, who reigned in the city of Edessa, sent a painter to make a similar image of the Lord, the painter was unable to do this because radiant splendor of His Face, then the Lord Himself, having applied the imation to His divine and life-giving Face, imprinted His image on the imation and in this form sent it to Abgar, who strongly desired it” (34). The author makes an important addition that the artist could not depict Christ “because of the shining brilliance of His Face.” This image of a radiant face subsequently had a noticeable influence on liturgical texts associated with the Mandylion. The context in which John of Damascus cites the legend of the Edessa Image is also noteworthy. It acts as some important and in many ways unique evidence of the ancient, “New Testament” practice of creating icons, about which nothing is said in the Holy Scriptures. In the chapter “On Icons” of this most important theological treatise, the Edessa Mandylion is the only and most important example of a specific icon image.

In his “defensive words” about holy icons, John of Damascus cites the story of the Image Not Made by Hands as a commentary on the reasoning of Dionysius the Areopagite about raising the minds from sensory images to divine contemplations (35). There is another theme here that will be developed in subsequent liturgical texts. The mandylion, created by “humane” divine providence, allows you to sensually contemplate the invisible Lord.

In the “Acts of the Seventh Ecumenical Council” (787), which restored the veneration of icons, the Image Not Made by Hands is mentioned several times, including in the previously cited letter of Pope Gregory II, reporting on the widespread veneration of the icon in Edessa (36). The appearance of the legend about Mandylion in this document does not seem accidental. The popes were well informed about the Edessa shrine. According to the testimony of Pope Hadrian at the Council of 769 in Rome, Pope Stephen (752-757) heard the story of the Image Miraculous from travelers arriving from the East (37). Apparently, already in the 8th century. The authority of the relic was very high. This is confirmed by the recently published Greek list of nine main miraculous images of the East and West, which came down to us in a 10th-century manuscript. from the Venetian Marciana (Marc. Gr. 573) (38). The list was part of the so-called Florilegium, a collection of testimonies on the veneration of holy images, probably compiled for one of the 8th century popes. The relic image, revered in the city of Edessa, reveals a number of the most important shrines of Christianity: “In Edessa we have [an image] given by Christ himself to the artist Abgar, who tried with faith, according to written evidence, to draw Him” (39). Noteworthy is the high status of the legend, about which there are well-known written evidence.

The Mandylion is also described in lesser-known Greek works of the 8th century, which circulated among monastic circles especially devoted to icon veneration. The author of “The Elder’s Instructions on Holy Icons” sets out in some detail the legend about the Icon Not Made by Hands in Edessa, referring to a certain story by Father Ephraim (Syrin?): “The Elder said: The Lord and our God has revealed himself, and thanks to the many miracles He performed, rumors spread about There was silence throughout the whole earth, and all the nations were amazed. And one king, named Abgar, moved by divine zeal to see Him, could not do this due to the fact that he himself was a Syrian. And he sent his ambassadors to Him with the following request: “Come to us, for we have heard about Your great miracles that You perform among the Jews. Come also to us, so that we may believe that You are the light and glory of the nations.” The Lord says to them: “I have not been sent to anyone else except to the house of Israel.” And the king said to them: “If He comes, very good, but if not, bring me an exact image of His appearance, so that I can direct my love to him.” And having worked hard, they were unable to depict His holy appearance. Seeing their faith, Christ, our Lord and Savior, took the syndon and with His own hands applied it to His immaculate face, so that His immaculate image appeared without wood or paint. And He gave it to the envoys of King Abgar and blessed both them and the king and the city, laying its foundations, as our father Ephraim narrates in his will, and this story is false” (40).

In modern scholarship, evidence of the Mandylion dating back to the era of early iconoclasm is sometimes seen as a later interpolation, introduced into the most authoritative texts both before and after the victory of iconoclasm in 843 (41). There is no agreement among researchers on this issue; it can be quite difficult to confirm or refute critical judgments due to the lack of precisely dated texts. However, there is virtually no doubt that by the beginning of the 9th century. The Edessa Mandylion and its history were widely known in Byzantium (42). During this era, in his theological treatises against the iconoclasts, Patriarch Nicephorus (806-815) speaks several times about the Edessa Image (43). “The Life of St.” tells about him. Euthymius” and is reported in the correspondence of Theodore the Studite (letter 409, 818-819).

Of primary importance is the “Message of the Three Eastern Patriarchs,” where the Image of Edessa is introduced into the context of the most important arguments of icon venerators and heads the list of 12 most important miraculous icons (44). A fairly detailed legend, sanctified both by the form of the cathedral resolution and by the authority of the authors - the patriarchs of Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, became one of the most important sources of information about Mandylion in Byzantium in the 9th century, which the author of “The Tale of Emperor Constantine” used as a historical document for about a hundred years. years later.

It is interesting that the oldest version of this text - the so-called “Epistle to Theophilus” of Pseudo-Damascene, apparently dating back to the original message of 836, mentions only five miraculous icons, and the story about the Edessa Image is given third after the news about the icon of the Mother of God by Evangelist Luke and legends about Our Lady of Lydda (45). In our opinion, this difference in the hierarchy of plots is not accidental. For several decades of the 9th century. By the time the final edition of the Epistle was compiled, the legend about the Image Not Made by Hands became absolutely recognized, and its status as the first icon was unshakable.

Comparing the versions of the legends, we can notice that the content in the two versions remains virtually unchanged. It goes back to the so-called “second story” about the appearance of the Holy Face, in which the artist sent by Abgar is not mentioned, and the image on the board appears during prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (Tale, 16-22). The image on the towel (soudarion) appeared as an imprint of divine sweat: “When he wiped the sweat from his clean face with his holy hands, the appearance of his holy appearance was immediately imprinted on this canvas. And his absolutely precise features, as if in paint, were depicted by his divine action. And it should be said that his divine image was preserved unchanged on the miraculous canvas” (46). Apostle Thaddeus handed over the Image Not Made by Hands to King Abgar, who saw Christ “reflected in it as in a mirror.” Some characteristic details are also important in the legend. So, for example, it is said that “it is precisely this holy imprint that the famous and glorious Edessa still possesses, like a royal scepter. In this she boasts and is proud, for Christ, our true God, shows signs and wonders to the people, showing such great grace here” (47). The “Message of the Eastern Patriarchs” emphasizes the connection of the Mandylion as a “sweat imprint” with the Passion of the Lord, the idea of ​​numerous miracles and the theme of power. Possession of the greatest relic of Christ, compared to the “royal scepter,” is a sign of supreme power.

The latter idea was especially attractive to the Byzantine emperors, who proclaimed themselves God's viceroys on earth. Possession of the first icon and first relic of Christ could become a visible confirmation of their exclusive rights. In this regard, it is significant that the establishment of icon veneration and the glorification of holy images after 843 formed the basis of the ideology of the emperors of the Macedonian dynasty, who collected relics and miraculous images from all over the Christian world in Constantinople (48).

Transfer of the Mandylion from Edessa to Constantinople

In this historical context, the acquisition of the famous Mandylion, the most important relic of Christ, which found itself on the territory of the Arab Caliphate and thus, as it were, captured, seemed to be a task of state-political significance. The Tale of 944 tells about the repeated efforts of Emperor Roman Lekapin (920-944) to rescue the Image Miraculous and the Letter of Christ to Abgar. Finally, the Edessa emir agreed to give up the shrines on the following conditions: the emperor guaranteed the safety of the cities of Edessa, Kharan, Sarotsi and Samosata, released 200 captives, and paid 12,000 silver ransom coins (Tale, 44-46)(49). Byzantine historians confirm the data of the Tale and highlight the security guarantees provided by the emperor as the main condition for obtaining the relic. In the “Biography of Romanus I,” Theophan’s successor testifies: “The inhabitants of Edessa, in which the precious image of Christ is kept, driven to despair by the Roman army that besieged the city, sent ambassadors to Tsar Romanus and asked to lift the siege, promising to give up the precious image of Christ. In exchange for this gift, they asked for their prisoners from among the nobles to be returned to them, and also for the gift of chrisovul with the promise that the Roman army would stop devastating their land” (50).

Abramius, Bishop of Samosata, was sent for the Image Not Made by Hands and the Letter of Christ. Having overcome the resistance of the Edessians, who did not want to part with their “amulets,” and having installed the authentic “Image Not Made by Hands,” he took the relics out of the city. According to the Tale written by a contemporary, the long and solemn journey to the Byzantine capital was accompanied by numerous signs, wonders and predictions. The first miracle was that the ship with the relics, without the help of oars, “controlled by the divine will alone,” crossed the Euphrates. By touching the casket with relics and even at the mere sight of it, the blind began to see, the lame and withered recovered, the paralyzed began to walk (Tale, 48-52).

The author of the Tale, close to Emperor Constantine, talks about a miraculous prophecy that occurred in the Eusebius Monastery of Our Lady (Theotokos tou Eusebiou), where the embassy stopped on the way. A certain demon-possessed person approached the casket with the Image Not Made by Hands displayed in the monastery church and predicted the beginning of the sole reign of Emperor Constantine, which he associated with the arrival of the Edessa shrine in the capital: “Receive, Constantinople, glory and joy, and you, Constantine Porphyrogenitus, your kingdom” ( Tale, 53). After these words, the demoniac was healed. Understanding the fateful nature of this episode, the author of the Tale, written during the reign of Constantine Porphyrogenitus, points to many witnesses. Indeed, in addition to a large group of local hierarchs who accompanied the casket with relics, in the Eusebius Monastery there are high ranks who arrived from Constantinople, accompanied by military detachments. The Miraculous Image is greeted as an emperor returning from a long victorious campaign. This point is also emphasized by Byzantine historians: “When the holy image or face of Christ was brought to Constantinople, the patrician and paracimomen Theophanes went to the Sangar River, where he met him with sparkling lamps, due honor and chants” (51).

Of enormous historical significance is the description of the triumphal bringing of the Mandylion to Constantinople, information about which has come to us both in the “Tale of Emperor Constantine” (56-65) and in some other sources (52). Mandylion reached the capital on August 15, 944. Since this day fell on the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God. The casket with the relics was brought to the main Constantinople temple of Our Lady at Blachernae (in the distant northwest corner of the city near the wall), where it was placed in the “upper church” (“sacred wash”?) (53). On the occasion of the holiday, the emperors who were in Blachernae worshiped and kissed the casket (54). Then, accompanied by soldiers and many lamps, the casket was transferred to the imperial trireme, which sailed along the waters of the Golden Horn to the Great Imperial Palace, and the relics were transferred to the palace church of Our Lady of Pharos.

The main celebrations took place the next day, August 16. The young emperors (Constantine Porphyrogenitus and two sons of Roman Lecapinus) “with psalms, singing and abundant illumination” again loaded the relics onto the imperial trireme and sailed with them along the walls of Constantinople (55). The author of the Tale specifically explains the meaning of the action: this is a protective mystical “girdling of the city” with the power of sacred relics (Tale, 57), similar to Eulalia’s walk with the acquired Mandylion along the walls of Edessa.

The action was also rooted in the actual Constantinople tradition of the 6th-9th centuries, when the patriarchs, during sieges of the city, walked around the walls with the most important shrines of the capital - the Tree of the Cross, the Robe of the Mother of God, Her icon and a certain miraculous image of Christ (56). During the most famous siege of the Byzantine capital by the Avars in 626, Patriarch Sergius carried the miraculous icon of Christ along the walls of Constantinople - an event interpreted in Byzantium as the most important symbolic rite, undoubtedly well known to the author of the Tale. According to the sermon of Theodore Sincellus, delivered just a year after the miraculous salvation, “just as Moses, who once helped his people win the battle against the Amalkites, raised his hands, so our new Moses (patriarch) raised in his most pure hands the image of God the Son, whom the demons fear : he is said to have been not made by hands (acheiropoieton). He did not need material support after Christ allowed himself to be crucified in the name of peace. Like an invincible weapon, he carried this image along all the city walls” (57). One can guess that in the minds of the Byzantines, the encircling city of Mandylion seemed to replace the ancient famous shrine of the “Image of Christ Not Made by Hands” from the beginning of the 7th century, which in 944 no longer existed in Constantinople.

The next act of the sacred ritual was the entrance to the city through the Golden Gate. Having reached the western edge of the city by sea, the procession with Edessa relics passed along the wall to the main gate, which, like the ancient gates of Jerusalem, was called “Golden” (58). At the same time, the Tale likens the casket with shrines to the “new ark,” which allows us to understand the symbolic intent of the entire procession. The image of the true King David should have arisen in memory, “with shouts and trumpets” carrying the ark to Jerusalem - the city of David (2 Sam. 6: 2-18). It is noteworthy that the image of King David carrying the ark, as one of the most important topoi, will be included in the Orthodox service of the holiday on August 16 (59).

In this context, the Jerusalem theme of the Golden Gate, through which, according to legend, the Messiah, who appeared to save the world, would have to enter, acquired particular relevance. The entrance of the Miraculous Image, identified with Christ the Messiah himself, was intended to confirm the idea of ​​Constantinople as the New Jerusalem and the chosen city of salvation. Upon entering through the Golden Gate, a slightly different circle of associations arose, connected with the theme of the imperial triumphs that took place here (60). Christ in the Image Not Made by Hands returns to his city, like the supreme emperor and eternal conqueror. It is interesting that the tradition of the triumphal return of the relic had its own prehistory: thus, Emperor Heraclius returned to Jerusalem the famous relic of the Holy Cross, captured from the Persians in 630 (61) - an event annually remembered by the Orthodox Church on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (62). The Byzantines were also familiar with triumphal processions with miraculous images of Christ. During the reign of Justinian, between 554 and 560, the Camulian Image was carried around the cities of the empire. The reporting author of the Syrian chronicle of 569 describes the procession as an imperial triumph (adventus), which he, in turn, interprets as a symbolic prototype of the Second Coming (63).

From the Golden Gate, a national procession singing psalms and hymns headed to the main church of Hagia Sophia. A colossal procession moved along the main street of Mesa through the entire city. As an eyewitness and the author of the Tale notes, the gathered crowds of people believed “that through this the city would be worthy of sanctification and greater strength and would remain unharmed and inaccessible forever” (Tale, 59). The theme of inaccessibility was directly related to the legend of Mandylion’s miracles at the walls of Edessa and the universally known promise of the city’s safety in the final lines of Christ’s letter to Abgar. Confirmation of the divine nature of what was happening was the miracle of healing of a paralyzed man, who recovered from one glance at the casket with shrines. It is noteworthy that the story of miraculous healing is given as a kind of guarantee of future salvation.

Ancient image from Genoa

Upon entering the Church of Hagia Sophia, the Image Not Made by Hands and the Letter to Abgar were placed in the altar and a special service was performed in their honor. From the Great Church, the procession with the shrines headed to the nearby Great Imperial Palace, where in the main reception hall (Chrysotriclinium) the relics were again greeted by the “senior emperor” Roman Lekapin, who due to illness could not participate in city celebrations. One of the most important rites of the entire celebration is performed in Chrysotriclinia

transference - The miraculous image of Christ is placed on the imperial throne, “not foolishly believing that it will truly sanctify the royal seat and introduce those sitting on it to righteousness and meek goodness” (Tale, 63).

The quoted commentary by the author of the Tale can be significantly supplemented based on knowledge of Byzantine realities. The mandylion on the main imperial throne embodied the key ideologeme of Byzantium - Christ is the true ruler of the empire, whose only viceroy on earth is the current emperor. In the rite of transferring the Mandylion, this fundamental thought acquired a mystical reality. It is known that above the throne of Chrystriclinius there was a mosaic image of Christ on the throne, restored after the victory of the icon-worshippers in 856-866. (64) In his book “On Ceremonies,” Constantine Porphyrogenitus notes that the emperors always prayed in front of this icon when leaving St. Sophia and upon returning to the palace, expressing “slavish submission and reverence for the King of kings” (65). It was the main icon of the empire in the 9th-10th centuries. depicted on gold coins as a state symbol. The mandylion, placed on the real throne on August 16, 944, formed a single composition with this mosaic icon of “Christ on the Throne”. The miraculous and man-made images of Christ are united into one whole, enriching each other with additional meanings. The triumphal theme of the throned Christ naturally turned into a reminder of the Redemptive sacrifice, embodied in the Mandylion as an imprint of bloody sweat. One may recall that before its appearance in the Chrysotriclinium, the last location of the Image Not Made by Hands was the altar, apparently the main altar of Sophia of Constantinople. The transfer of the Mandylion from the holy meal to the holy throne symbolically united the two most important thrones, signifying the dual unity of the priesthood and the kingdom, visibly revealed through the Image of Christ Not Made by Hands.

In the Chrysotriclinium, a “petitionary prayer” was performed in front of the Mandylion on the throne, after which it was finally transferred to the palace temple of Our Lady of Pharos, where it found its permanent place.

The complex and, at first glance, even confusing movement of the Mandylion around the city was supposed to mystically connect all the most important sacred centers of the Byzantine capital, create the image of a city consisting of temples and sacred palaces inseparable from them, and ultimately represent the spatial icon of Heavenly Jerusalem. In this regard, the final petition of the “Tale of Emperor Constantine” addressed to Mandylion is significant: “Keep this queen of cities unbesieged and grant to us, who have pleased your prototype, Christ our God, to be accepted into the Heavenly Kingdom.”

Mandylion in Constantinople. 944-1204

The placement of the Mandylion in the Church of Our Lady of Pharos was far from accidental. This small temple, located in the depths of the Great Palace behind the Chrysotriclinium, was a special reliquary church where Byzantine emperors kept their main shrines (66). In 944, the church contained the most important relics of the passion (including the Tree of the Cross, the Crown of Thorns, Nails from the Crucifixion, the Purple of Christ), which, according to the story of the Primary Chronicle, back in 912 Emperor Leo the Wise showed the Russian ambassadors how the embodiment of “true faith” (67).

The mandylion complemented the row of passionate relics (68). From very few sources we know that, together with selected relics of the Passion, the Mandylion left the Pharos church several times. As stated in the “History” of George Kedrin, during her wedding with Michael IV (1034-1041), Empress Zoe sent relics of the Pharos Church, namely the Tree of the Holy Cross, the Mandylion, the Letter of Christ to Abgar and the icon of the Mother of God, to the rebellious patrician Constantine Dalassin as a guarantee his safe return to Constantinople. We encounter here a special Byzantine practice, when the main relics of the empire in an acute political situation are used as collateral. The shrines served as a kind of guarantors of the oath; their enormous material value and priceless spiritual significance were intended to confirm the imperial promise, which, however, was not fulfilled in this particular case (69).

The Ark with the Mandylion, along with other relics of the Pharos Church, could be taken out to participate in special liturgical processions. During the reign of the same Michael IV in 1037, a terrible six-month drought occurred; in an effort to prevent a catastrophe, the emperor organized a lithium-procession with a prayer for rain from the Great Palace to Blachernae. At the same time, the Mandylion was solemnly carried through the entire city from the reliquary temple of Our Lady of Pharos to the other main reliquary temple in Blachernae, also dedicated to the Mother of God, the permanent protector and patroness of Constantinople (70). The relics were in precious arks, which the emperor's brothers carried in their arms.

Miniature from the 12th century. from the Madrid manuscript of the Chronicle of John Skylitzes (fol. 210v) records this important historical event (71). The text of the manuscript at the top and bottom of the miniature states: “The brothers of the basileus staged a litany. John carried the Holy Mandylion (agion mandylion), the great domestic - the Epistle of Christ to Abgar, Protovestiary George carried the holy shrouds (agia spargana). They walked on foot from the Great Palace to the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae. And here the patriarch served his second service. However, the rain did not start.” In the miniature of the “Madrid Skylitze”, at the head of the procession, two people in long shirts, reminiscent of surplices, are walking towards the Blachernae Temple. They carry processional crosses on long poles, apparently including relics of the Holy Tree. Behind them are three figures (the emperor's brothers mentioned in the text) with reliquary caskets on their covered hands. Behind the members of the imperial family are depicted bishops, indicating the liturgical nature of the ceremony, and then the people praying. As the miniaturist and the text of the manuscript suggest, the first of the arks contains the Mandylion. The Miraculous Image, as once in the transfer procession of 944, connects the most important sacred centers of the Byzantine capital. Christ, residing in the miraculous Mandylion, is solemnly and servilely brought into the space of the city. Members of the imperial family, carrying the Image Not Made by Hands on foot, demonstrate their submission to the true ruler and supreme protector, who sanctifies with his presence the Christian world deprived of drought.

It is significant that particles of the Mandylion, among other Passion relics and relics of saints, could be invested in especially valuable imperial reliquaries, which were sent to foreign rulers as the highest gift. One of these reliquaries, created in Constantinople in the 12th century, was sent to Rus' and is now kept in the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin (72). The reverse of the breastplate icon-encolpium with the enamel image of the “Descent into Hell” is decorated with a Greek inscription listing the relics inside this reliquary. Along with the Chiton, the Chlamys, the Lention, the Shroud, the Crown of Thorns and the Blood of Christ, the “part of the Mandylion” is also mentioned. The collection of relics, which included the relics of selected saints, points to the shrines of the court Pharos church and the Byzantine emperor as the only possible customer of the precious encolpium. Only by his will could a holy particle be separated from the plate with the Image Not Made by Hands. Interestingly, the compiler of this unique collection of relics apparently had a special history of Mandylion in mind. The relics include three rare relics of the Apostle Thomas, whose veneration was associated with the cult of the Image Not Made by Hands in Edessa (73). The inscription on the encolpium from the Moscow Kremlin allows us to see a special facet in the living veneration of the relic of the Image Not Made by Hands, about which other historical sources are silent.

What do we know about the veneration of the Mandylion in the Great Imperial Palace? At first it was placed in the Pharos church to the right of the altar (in the southern aisle or apse?) and was probably available for contemplation and worship. An expressive episode has come down to us in the Life of St. Paul of Latre, compiled shortly after his death (955) (74). St. Paul asked Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus to attach a piece of cloth to the Mandylion and send it to him. While all the people saw nothing but the cloth, St. Paul saw the face of the Savior mysteriously reflected on it. The story is interesting as an example of the creation of a secondary relic through touching the original - a ritual that may reflect established Constantinople practice. The episode is notable not only for indicating the possibility of touching the Mandylion in the reliquary temple, but also for the desire in the 10th century. recall the ancient tradition of the miraculous reproduction of the Miraculous Image, the very ability to contemplate which is already associated with holiness.

What did the Mandylion look like when it was brought from Edessa? Unfortunately, not a single clear description has reached us, but what is known allows us to get some idea. In the Tale of Emperor Constantine, compiled by a man who saw the Mandylion, it is said that Avgar fixed linen fabric on a board, “decorated with gold that is still visible” (gold setting?), and wrote the words “Christ God, whoever trusts in You will not perish” (Tale, 25 ), placed, most likely, on the salary. Very important is the testimony of the Tale about Avgar’s reflection on whether the image not made by hands was made with “material colors,” and the story of the Apostle Thaddeus about “the image without paints from sweat” (Tale, 21). Apparently, they were directly related to the impression of the face of Christ on the Mandylion in the middle of the 10th century, which is confirmed by other sources.

Of particular importance is the recently published “Sermon of Gregory Referendarius on the Bringing of the Image of Edessa,” written, as indicated in the very title of the text, after 944. (75) The author, “archdeacon and referendarium of the Great Church of Constantinople” (St. Sophia), was sent by the emperor to Edessa to study all documents related to the Image Not Made by Hands. In his description of the Mandylion, he states that the image “was sealed with drops of sweat from the agonizing face of the Author of life (Acts 3:15), which fell like drops of blood (Luke 22:44), and with the finger of God (Exodus 8:15) . These were the only decorations that bloomed the true imprint of Christ, adorned with drops flowing from his own side. Both are full of teaching: here blood and water, there sweat and appearance. What a resemblance! For this came from One and the Same. But the source of living water must also be seen in His image, and He, teaching, gives water to the face-forming moisture of sweat, which every body exudes. Like a spring that bubbles up as if from vessels that moisten the tree of life...” (76).

Unfortunately, the quoted text of Gregory Refendarius, who undoubtedly saw the relic, cannot be considered as an expert opinion. This is a church sermon, burdened with complex metaphors inherent in Byzantine rhetorical works. The testimony about Mandylion's connection with the sufferings of the cross should not be taken literally. To a greater extent, this is a tribute to the Eucharistic symbolism of the Mandylion and one of the ancient legends about the creation of the Miraculous Image on a board with drops of sweat falling like drops of blood during Christ’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (Tale, 17). However, the testimony of Gregory Refendarius about the unusual image, made not with paints, but with prints of sweat, is so persistent and eloquent that we have the right to see in it a reflection of the real features of the Edessa Image (77).

An impressive detail is reported in the Chronicle of Pseudo-Simeon Magister. After Mandylion's arrival in Constantinople, the old emperor Romanus Lecapinus, his two sons and Constantine Porphyrogenitus gathered to view the image miraculously “on the holy towel of the Son of God.” However, they did not see any clear image: “The emperor’s sons said that all they saw was that it was a face. But the son-in-law (of the emperor) Constantine said that he sees eyes and ears” (78). The given data give every reason to believe that the face of Christ on the Mandylion was very poorly visible and almost monochrome in color.

One can only assume that Byzantine artists had some idea of ​​the real appearance of the relic. At the same time, the Edessa image itself was practically not available for viewing in Constantinople. Apparently, both ancient ones made in Edessa and new ones written after 944 served as models for numerous replicas, which themselves were perceived and revered as sacred relics, mystically connected with the miraculous prototype. Perhaps it is precisely such special miraculous lists that the Vatican and Genoese icons of the Mandylion that have come down to us can be traced back to (79). A characteristic feature of both icons is not only the same size, coinciding with the size of a human face, but also the image of Christ’s face that tends to be monochrome, which can be explained by the desire to point to an ancient prototype (80).

The Edessa Mandylion itself, soon after its appearance in Constantinople, was forever placed in a closed golden case (casket, ark), and the desire to see the Face Not Made by Hands began to be perceived as sacrilege. In a Latin pilgrimage description of the shrines of Constantinople in the 11th century, published several years ago. (the so-called “Anonymous of Tarragona”) a story about this tradition has reached us: “This most precious plate (linteum), marked by the face and touch of the Lord Jesus, is revered more than the rest of the shrines of the palace, preserved with great care, so that it is always enclosed into a golden ark (aureo vase) and locked in the most secure manner. And while all the other shrines of the palace are shown to believers at one time or another, this plate, which contains the image of the face of our Redeemer, is not shown or opened to anyone, not even to the Emperor of Constantinople himself. During this time, the ark was opened, where there was such a holy thing, and the city was struck by an incessant earthquake, threatening everyone with inevitable death. It was revealed from above through visions that terrible evil would not retreat from that city until that cloth, preserving the image of the face of the Lord, was hidden in a secret place and removed from human sight. And so they did. They enclosed that holy cloth in a golden ark and carefully closed it, and the earthquake stopped, and the wrath of heaven calmed down. Since then, no one has heard that they opened that ark and looked at what was there, for everyone believes and fears that everything will be struck by a terrible earthquake if they try to open it” (81).

The evidence given is the most detailed account of the Mandylion in Constantinople after 944. An educated Latin pilgrim who spent a lot of time in the Byzantine capital undoubtedly retold a Greek tradition not preserved by other sources. The theme of hiding a shrine under fear of a universal catastrophe has deep mythological origins. Ancient Greek palladiums - wooden statues of Pallas Athena and Artemis of Ephesus - were hidden from the eyes of believers and punished those who saw them. The archetypal image was of the Ark of the Covenant, which the high priest could see only once a year in the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem Temple (Heb. 9:7). Let us recall that back in Edessa, according to the “Tale of the Veneration of the Image Not Made by Hands” of the 10th century, only the bishop could see the Image Not Made by Hands once a year, while believers worshiped a closed reliquary with a Mandylion inside. The inaccessibility of the Holy Face, which strengthened the mystical feeling, acted as a kind of guarantee of the highest holiness, in the perception of which the apophatic and cataphatic ideas of God, contemplated and at the same time absolutely inaccessible, were united into an inseparable whole.

The idea of ​​hiding shrines was reflected in special rituals associated with the veneration of Mandylion and Keramion. According to the testimony of the Pisan Leo Tuscus, a Latin theologian and official translator at the court of Manuel Comnenus, during Lent both relics were covered with special covers. In his polemical treatise “On the heresies and abuses of the Greeks” (c. 1177), this Latin, well informed about all the customs of Constantinople, reports: “During Great Lent, Saint Mandylion (sancti mantellis) and Saint Keramion are covered with veils until Holy Saturday” (82 ). Leo Tuskus connects this ritual with another Lenten ritual that also takes place on Holy Saturday. At the same time, the main miraculous icon of the Pharos Church - the Mother of God Oikokyra (domina domus), usually standing behind the altar, was taken away and closed in the imperial bedchamber, the doors of which were curtained with fabrics (83). The impossibility during the period of grief and repentance to contemplate the face of the Mother of God Oikokyra or the “Lady of the House” (one might think - the patroness of the palace church and the imperial house), as well as the demonstrative concealment of precious reliquaries with the Mandylion and Keramion should have become, apparently, preparations for the Easter celebration - the return to the sacred space of the Faros temple-reliquary of the most important miraculous images of Christ and the Mother of God, a kind of festive theophany.

In the XI - XII centuries. Many pilgrims report about the Mandylion in the Church of Our Lady of Pharos of the Great Imperial Palace (84). An important testimony from 1200 was left by Nicholas Mesarit, who was the custodian of relics in the Church of Our Lady of Pharos (85). However, we find virtually no new information in these messages. We learn that the Mandylion was venerated along with Ceramion, brought to the palace church in 968 (86). From 1032 to 1185, a letter from Christ to Abgar (87) was kept in the palace church, so that a complete set of the most important Edessa relics was collected. It is noteworthy that they were placed in close proximity to the main relics of the Passion of the Lord, and such a context undoubtedly influenced the perception of Edessa shrines.

Precious evidence of the location of the relic in the space of the temple is brought to us by Robert de Clari, a direct participant in the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204. Talking about the sights of the “Holy Church” of the palace, he reports with topographical precision and the specificity of a military man what he saw: “There were two rich vessels of gold (vaissiaus d'or), which hung in the middle of the church (capele) on two thick silver chains; in one of these vessels there was a tile (tuile), and in the other - a piece of linen (touaile)” (88). Knowledge of the structure of the Byzantine temple suggests that the Mandylion and Keramion were suspended from two supporting arches and placed opposite each other. In such an unusual arrangement of relics one cannot help but discern a special design that needs explanation.

In our opinion, Mandylion and Keramion, shown facing each other, apparently were supposed to evoke the great miracle that happened in the niche above the gates of Edessa - the reproduction of a miraculous face on the tile that covered this niche (89). According to the “Tale of Emperor Constantine,” between the images, from the moment the niche was closed until the miraculous discovery of the relics, an unquenchable candle burned as a sign of continuous worship (Tale, 28). Shown in the center of the temple, as if hanging in the air, two relics created a mystical space of a miracle happening - a reproduction of the Miraculous Image, a visibly revealed revelation and a kind of Theophany. The sacred space of the Edessa gate niche, created by two icons, acquired a monumental dimension in the space of the palace reliquary temple. The liturgical context was also important - the miracle of the appearance of a miraculous image was compared with the miracle of the transfiguration of the holy gifts in the Eucharist. The Byzantine ideal of post-iconoclast times was realized in this program with possible perfection: the Icon and the Eucharist were united in a single spatial image. In our opinion, it was this authoritative and sacred example that underlay one of the central themes of the entire Byzantine temple decoration of the 11th - 15th centuries, namely the placement of images of Mandylion and Keramion on the eastern and western domed arches.

The images of Mandylion and Keramion located opposite each other, evoking the sacred spaces of the Edessa niche and the Church of Our Lady of Pharos, were perceived by the Byzantines as a stable topos. His correct understanding was undoubtedly facilitated by the sermons that were read during the celebration of the Image Not Made by Hands. Recently one of these Byzantine texts was published - the so-called. “The Didascalia of Constantine Stilbes on the shrines of Mandylion and Keramion,” most likely pronounced on the feast of August 16 under Patriarch George Xyphilinus between 1194 and 1197. (90). In the didascalia, two miraculous images of Christ are presented as one whole - a miraculous theophany lasting over time. The text itself is constructed as a complex and poetic interweaving of historical legends about relics, biblical images and high theology, revealing the symbolic meaning of the revealed icons. Such sermons were an integral part of holiday services. They clearly show how deep the theological and liturgical understanding of the Mandylion was in the era preceding the conquest of Constantinople by the crusaders.

image of Christ from the chapel of St. Matilda, Vatican

Turning to the Byzantine liturgical tradition, we can note that by the 11th century. The divine service of the holiday of August 16 is taking shape - the Transfer of the Image Not Made by Hands from Edessa to Constantinople. It is reflected in typikons and service menaions. For example, in the Constantinople Evergetid typicon, which was most widely used in Byzantium in the 11th-12th centuries, it is indicated that at Matins on August 16, the “Orality of Metaphrastus on the Holy Mandylion” (an abbreviated synaxarical version of the “Tale of Emperor Constantine”) is read. Among the readings at the liturgy, the text from the “Second Epistle to the Corinthians” (2 Cor. 3:4-11) (91) was especially highlighted. Reference is also made to the Gospel texts without indicating specific chapters. They are named in another influential Studiysko-Alekseevsky charter. These are readings from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 9:51-55; 10:22-24; 13:1), which are supplemented by verses from another apostolic letter (Colossians 1:12-18).

The early history of the canon to the Image Not Made by Hands is interesting, in which at the turn of the 11th-12th centuries. significant changes have been made. This was probably influenced by the theological debate about the nature of holy images initiated by Leo of Chalcedon (92). At the end of the 11th century. this Byzantine metropolitan consistently opposed the melting down of precious liturgical utensils with icon images, which was carried out by order of Emperor Alexei Komnenos to replenish the state treasury. Leo of Chalcedon believed that the holiness of the image (character) is partially transferred to the very matter of the image, which, accordingly, cannot be destroyed. Among the arguments in support of his rightness, the Byzantine theologian also cited one of the troparions of the contemporary canon to Mandylion (93). A church council convened by the emperor in 1095 condemned Metropolitan Leo, rejecting all his theological arguments (94). One of the practical consequences of the cathedral was the disappearance of the 12th century manuscript menaia. troparion to Saint Mandylion, which Leo of Chalcedon quoted in his epistle. This episode of theological and liturgical censorship allows us to see another facet of the intense religious life that surrounded the relic of the Image Not Made by Hands in the Byzantine capital until 1204.

This date was the last in the fate of the relic, clear information about which no longer appears in historical sources. There is no doubt that Mandylion was captured by the Crusaders. However, unlike many other captured shrines of the Byzantine capital, it disappears from view. The death of the greatest shrine gave rise to legends. According to the most popular of them, the Mandylion, along with other looted treasures, was sent by Doge Enrico Dandolo to Venice. However, by God's providence, the ship with the Mandylion sank not far from the shore in the Sea of ​​Marmara. In the 19th century The Greeks of Constantinople reverently indicated the “exact” place of the death of the Venetian ship and, accordingly, the underwater location of the Image Not Made by Hands (95). However, this popular story should be considered more of a folklore fantasy than a historical plot, since it is not confirmed in ancient sources.

In recent years, a version has become widespread that the relic of the image of Christ not made by hands has survived to this day and has become world famous under the name of the Shroud of Turin. In the writings of Sindonologists (researchers of the Shroud), the identification of the two relics became almost universally accepted, since it provided a rare opportunity to explain the obscure history of the Shroud before the 13th century. (96). According to this theory, the Shroud, folded in such a way that only the face of Christ was visible, was brought to Edessa and was revered there as the Image Not Made by Hands on the plate. After 1204, the relic could be owned by the Knights Templar, from which the Shroud passed to the de Charny family in France, where it was first publicly demonstrated in the mid-14th century.

Unfortunately, the Mandylion-Shroud hypothesis, despite the understandable enthusiasm of numerous supporters, does not fit well with existing facts (97). It conflicts with the known descriptions of the Mandylion and, first of all, with the data of the “Tale of Emperor Constantine”, the author of which, as is clear from the text, saw the relic itself brought from Edessa. The Image not made by hands was carefully examined by the Byzantines both in Edessa and after being brought to Constantinople in 944. It is impossible to imagine that the difference between the four-meter shroud and the plate mounted on a board and decorated with a gold frame could not have been noticed.

However, in our opinion, the most important argument is the existence in Constantinople of two completely different relics, the Mandylion and the Shroud. Both were kept in the Church of Our Lady of Pharos and are simultaneously mentioned in pilgrimage descriptions starting from the second half of the 11th century. In 1200, Nicholas Mesarit, an absolutely informed keeper of the relics of the Pharos Church, reports on the Image Not Made by Hands. “imprinted as if on a primeval canvas” and completely separately about another relic of “Christ’s comb-sheets” (98). In 1204, the crusader Robert de Clari is the only witness who reports the image of Christ on his tomb shrouds; elsewhere in his “Conquest of Constantinople” he speaks of the Mandylion relic (99). Thus, on the eve of the Fourth Crusade, the Byzantines knew about the relic of burial shrouds with the image of Christ (possible Shroud of Turin), but did not at all confuse this shrine with the Mandylion.

In our opinion, the most likely version is that the Mandylion, along with most of the relics of the Pharos Church, ended up in the possession of Baldwin II, the Latin king of Constantinople, who sold these shrines to the French king Louis IX the Saint. According to this theory, in the middle of the 13th century. The mandylion ended up in the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris - a Gothic court chapel specially built to store the Crown of Thorns and other relics of the imperial Pharosian church. The relic of the Miraculous Image disappears without a trace only in 1792 during the destruction of Sainte-Chapelle by French atheist revolutionaries.

It should be noted that this is the only version based on documentary evidence, namely numerous inventories of 22 important relics from the 13th century. kept in a special reliquary ark above the altar of Sainte-Chapelle (100). The most important among the inventories is the official act of June 1247, according to which Baldwin II officially transferred all rights to 22 Byzantine relics to King Louis IX (101). In this protocol-accurate list of the main relics of the Pharos Church, in eighth place, between the Iron Chain of Christ and the Stone of the Sepulchre, the “Holy plaque fixed on a board (sanctam toellam tabuae insertam)” is mentioned. In another even earlier description of the relics of 1241, the sacred object is said to be “the Board which touched His face when the Lord was taken down from the cross” (102). In other inventories, the relic is called tabula, mappa, mappula, “fixed on a board with a holy cloth (trelle) with the face of Our Lord Jesus Christ,” “veronica,” “an image of the holy face of Our Lord or veronica,” and, finally, simply “holy face ” (103).

From a number of inventories from the 13th to the 18th centuries. It becomes clear that Louis IX, among the relics of the Pharos Church, the authenticity of which was confirmed by Baldwin II, received a certain board with the face of Christ, which was fixed on a board. The image of Christ allowed the compiler of inventories of the 16th century. identify it with the Roman “Veronica”, which looked like the Byzantine Savior Not Made by Hands. More detailed inventories and engravings of the 18th century. give an idea of ​​the structure and appearance of the reliquary, which in the Great Reliquary of Sainte-Chapelle was located under the cross-reliquary of the Holy Spear to the right of the central Crown of Thorns (104). The board with the board was placed in a Byzantine flat casket with a sliding lid (approximately 60 x 40 cm). It was covered with thin plates of gilded silver and decorated with precious stones. The descriptions leave no doubt that we are talking about a small cloth attached to a board. The entire background around the face of the face was covered with thin gold plates, leaving only the face of Christ itself visible.

Among the relics of the Pharosian church, only the Mandylion matched the descriptions of the Sancta Toella of Sainte-Chapelle. It is noteworthy that, as we know from the “Tale of Emperor Constantine” (25), the board with the Image Not Made by Hands was also attached to the board and decorated with a gold frame. It is no less significant in this context that the ancient iconographic copies of the Constantinople relic - the Genoese and Vatican Mandylions - are decorated in exactly the same, rather unusual way. The entire background, except for the face of Christ, is covered with a smooth gold plate of the frame, as if cutting out the face with a sharp outline, with a characteristic trident at the bottom for the flowing strands and beard. The reliability of the ancient Byzantine testimony about the Edessa relic finds unexpected confirmation in the French inventories of the New Age. The identification of the Constantinople Mandylion and the Parisian Sancta Toella seems to us more than probable.

However, there is one very significant objection to this identification. Why did the greatest Byzantine relic remain virtually unknown in the West? In our opinion, the explanation can be found in the fact that Saint Louis IX created the state, absolutely dominant cult of the Crown of Thorns, for which the special blessing of the pope was received. It is interesting that in the same XIII century. The popes created the Roman cult of the so-called “Veronica” (vera icona), a similar in meaning - a miraculous image of Christ on a plate, venerated in St. Peter’s Cathedral (105). Special veneration of the Byzantine Image Not Made by Hands in Paris would constitute dangerous competition for the Roman cult. It is possible that some oblivion of the Byzantine Mandylion (“Holy Platus”) in the Catholic world was the result of a special agreement between the popes and the French kings, a kind of payment for Rome’s full support of the cult of the Crown of Thorns and the status of Sainte-Chapelle as the main reliquary of the Christian world. However, here we must stop our reasoning, since we are entering on the shaky ground of undocumented guesses and logical assumptions.

Apparently, we cannot give a final answer about the fate of Mandylion, as well as the two relics of Keramion. One can only state with certainty the fact that since 1204 in the Byzantine world, the relic of the Image Not Made by Hands no longer exists. However, for our plot it is much more important that, having disappeared as a real object, the life of the Mandylion as the most important iconic image of Christ not only did not stop, but even received a new impetus for development. In hundreds of copies, the Mandylion is distributed throughout the Orthodox world and, especially, in Ancient Rus'. The desire to establish a mystical connection with a really existing relic of the True Image was an inexhaustible spiritual source and a constant stimulus for the development of the iconography of the Savior Not Made by Hands, which became the dominant theme of all Orthodox art.

Notes:

1. Evseeva L.M., Lidov A.M., Chugreeva N.N. The Savior Not Made by Hands in a Russian icon. Moscow, 2005. P.12-39.

2. In Byzantine sources, the relic of the Image Not Made by Hands was also called himation, rakos, soudarion, ekmageion, heiromaktron, othony. The word “Madilion”, most likely coming from the Arabic mandil (towel), became widespread in the 10th century, and from the 11th century. the inscription “IC XC. TO AGION MANDYLION” appears in Byzantine images of the Image of Christ Not Made by Hands on a plate in the status of the official name of a relic and an iconographic type (an early example in the Cappadocian paintings of Karanlik Kilise in Goreme). The history of the term is discussed in the work: Walter Chr. The Abgar Cycle at Mateic // Studien zur byzantinischen Kunstgeschichte. Festschrift fuer H.Hallensleben. Amsterdam, 1995, pp. 223-224.

3. Translation of the Greek soudarion (shawl, shawl, blanket). In the most ancient Old Church Slavonic manuscripts of the gospels, this was the name of the scarf with which the head of the resurrected Lazarus was tied (John 11:44). See: Old Church Slavonic Dictionary (based on manuscripts of the 10th-11th centuries). M., 1994. P. 723

4. There is considerable literature about Mandylion. The main body of Greek texts was published in the fundamental academic publication: Dobschutz E. von. Christusbilder. Untersuchungen zur christlichen Legende. Leipzig, 1899. Hft.I.S.102-196, 158*-249*; Hft.II. S.29**-156**. For Russian translations and research into early Syriac texts related to the Mandylion, see: Meshcherskaya E.N. The legend of Avgar is an early Syrian literary monument. M., 1984; Meshcherskaya E.N. Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles. M., 1997.

The history of the relic is discussed in more detail in the article: Cameron A. The history of the Image of Edessa: the telling of a story // Okeanos. Essays presented to Ihor Sevcenko. Harvard Ukrainian Studies. 1983. T.7. P. 80-94 (with main bibliography). Among the latest publications, it is necessary to highlight the collection of articles: The Holy Face and the Paradox of Representation. Ed. H. Kessler, G. Wolf. Bologna, 1998.

5. Apparently, the creator of the Tale was one of the close associates of Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus. A translation of the Greek text into Russian has been specially prepared and is published for the first time in the appendix to this publication. The translation is based on Dobschutz's critical edition. A new critical edition of the text is currently being prepared by Bernard Flusin. Note that some modern researchers admit the direct participation of Emperor Constantine in the compilation of the Tale.

6. It has come down to us in a 13th-century manuscript, the language of which indicates an earlier origin of the text. See: Meshcherskaya. Apocryphal acts. P.143-152

7. This story is also known in another more detailed version from the text of the “Message to Abgar,” created in connection with the transfer from Edessa to Constantinople in 1032 of the relics of Christ’s Letter to Abgar. The text survives both in the original Greek and in translations into many languages. It states that “ Christ ordered the envoy Abgar, an artist by profession, to come to the synagogue where he was sitting preaching to the people. The messenger entered the synagogue and began to paint the image of Jesus, but he could not convey his features. Then his companion said: “Go and give the payment that you have from Abgar. And in front of everyone, he came up, fell at the feet of Jesus and gave him the cloth. The Lord, having washed his hands in water, washed his face and, putting a cloth on his face, imprinted his face on it. Thus, the image of Jesus appeared on the cloth, which amazed everyone sitting in the synagogue. Having handed over the payment to the messenger, Christ sent him to Abgar" See: Acta Apostolorum Apokrypha. Ed. R.A. Lipsius. Darmstadt, 1959. S.281-282

8. Evagrius Scholasticus. Church history. IV, 27 (Translated and compiled by I.V. Krivushin. St. Petersburg, 2001. P.211-215)

9. The Letter of the Three Patriarchs to Emperor Theophilos and Related Texts. Ed. by J.A.Munitiz, J.Chrysostomides, E.Harvalia-Crook, Ch.Dendrinos. Camberley, Surrey, 1997. P.lii-liii, 32-35. For Russian translation, see: The Legend of Miracle-Working Icons in the “Message of the Eastern Patriarchs to Emperor Theophilus” // The Miracle-Working Icon in Byzantium and Ancient Rus'. Ed.-comp. A.M.Lidov. M., 1996. P.429

10. Eusebius of Caesarea. Church history. I, 13 (M., 1993. P.41-44)

11. Egerie. Journal de voyage (Itinéraire). Ed. P.Maraval. P., 1982 (Sources chrétiennes, 296)

12. Procopius of Caesarea. War with the Persians. II,12. (M., 1993. P.119)

13. Dobschutz believed that the legend of the Image Not Made by Hands arose shortly after the siege of Edessa in 544 in the Greek-speaking Chalcedonian circles of that city (Dobschutz. Op.cit. S.120). Cameron associated the “acquisition of the image” with the special historical situation of the Persian military threat in the middle of the 6th century. (Cameron. Op.cit. P.84-86).

14. New edition of the text “Teachings of Addai”: Desreumaux A. Histoire du roi Abgar et de Jesus. Turnout, 1993. Rus. lane see: Meshcherskaya E.N. Apocryphal acts. pp. 79-80, 64. The legend about the hand-made portrait is reflected in the Arab-Christian “World History” of Agapius of Manbij (about 941): “ Hanan, who was a painter, after receiving this answer from our Lord the messiah. - May He be glorious! - wrote a portrait of our Lord the Messiah on a square board, - may He be glorious! - beautiful colors; and returned with this painting to Edessa, where he presented it to his ruler Abgar the Black. Abgar accepted this treasure with great reverence as an unprecedented gift.”(Jesus Christ in historical documents. St. Petersburg, 1999. P.441).

15. Acta Thaddaei // Acta Apostolorum apocripha. Lipsiae, 1891. S. 273-278; Palmer A. Une version grecque de la légend d’Abgar // Histoire du roi Abgar et de Jesus. Brepols, 1993. P.137

16. Movses Khorenatsi. Story. Yerevan, 1990. P.86

17. Stepanyan L. Hagiographic monument “History of the Hripsimyan saints” // Armenia and Christian East. Yerevan, 2000. P.381. In the Armenian tradition, there are several legends about Avgar and the Image Not Made by Hands. One exotic apocrypha, known in the texts of the 12th century, but going back to an older Syriac original, tells of a non-sewing tunic that appeared from heaven and was sent by Abgar to Christ, their personal meeting after the resurrection in Jerusalem, and other equally incredible details, see: Marr N.Ya. The essay of John Chrysostom about the unsewn Chiton, who descended from above, and the story of Abgar, the king of the Armenians // Collection of students of Professor V.R. Rosen. St. Petersburg, 1897. pp. 81-96

18. This life of St. Daniel from Galasha (6th century) says that the saint received blessings from the image of Christ in Edessa. However, this evidence is considered as a later interpolation, see: Drijvers H.J.W. The Image of Edessa in the Syriac Tradition // The Holy Face. P.17

19. Evagrius Scholasticus Church history. Books III-IV. St. Petersburg, 2001. P.213-214. In recent literature, this story in the history of 594 is sometimes considered as a later interpolation: Chrysostomides J. An investigation concerning the authenticity of the Letter of the Three Patriarchs // The Letter of the Three Patriarchs. P.XXIV-XXXVII. Drivers, based on an analysis of Syrian sources, supported the opinion of the interpolation made in Constantinople around 787. In his opinion, the earliest historical evidence of the Image of Edessa Not Made by Hands dates back to the beginning of the 8th century, and the legend takes shape in Edessa of the 7th century. around the real fact of the existence of a pictorial icon of Christ, which is mentioned in the text of the “Teachings of Addai” of the early 5th century, see: Drijvers. Op.cit. P.30. At the same time, the opinion about interpolation in the text of Evagrius was not supported by a number of researchers. See: M. Whitby, Evagrius and the Mandylion of Edessa, Bulletin of British Byzantine Studies, 20 (2000). P.90-91. Bernard Fluzin and Christopher Walter disagree with the opinion on interpolation, whom I sincerely thank for discussing this issue with me.

20. “Having occupied the city (Edessa), Emperor Nicephorus took the sacred tiles and, reverently placing them in a casket made of gold and precious stones, gave them for safekeeping to the Church of the Virgin Mary, which was located at the palace.”: Leo Deacon. Story. IV, 10 (M., 1988. P.40). Basic information about Keramion’s relic, see: Raff T. Das ‘heilige Keramion’ und ‘Christos der Antiphonites’ // Festschrift L.Kretzenbacher. Munich, 1983. S. 145-149

21. Yahya of Antioch reports that Keramion was captured by Nikephoros Phocas in the Syrian city of Mempetze (Hierapolis) in 966 (Histoire de Yahya-ibn-Sa'id d'Antioche. Ed. J.Krachkovsky, A.Vasiliev // Patrologie orientale , 18 (1924), pp. 730-732). According to the anonymous legend “On the transfer of the miraculous Ceramion from Hierapolis by Nikephoros Phocas” (BHG 801n), this relic was brought to Constantinople on January 24, 967, first to the Blachernae temple, later transferred to Hagia Sophia, and finally placed in the Church of All Saints of the Great imperial palace. See: Halkin F. Inedits byzantines d’Ochrida, Candie et Moscou. Bruxelles, 1963. P.253-260.

22. The legend has come down to us in Chronicon ad annum 1234 pertines, based on earlier Syrian historians of the 8th - 9th centuries. See: Drijvers H.J.W. Op.cit. P.24

23. Mikeladze K. Reflection of the legend about the miraculous image of the Savior in Georgian art // The miraculous icon in Byzantium and Ancient Rus' / Ed.-comp. A.M.Lidov. M., 1996. P.90-95. Skhirtladze Z. Canonizing the apocrypha: the Abgar cycle in the Alaverdi and Gelati Gospels // The Holy Face. P.69-93. The oldest Georgian encaustic icon that has come down to us, presumably the 6th century, is the miraculous image of the Anchiskhat Savior (now, the Georgian Art Museum in Tbilisi) - belonged to the iconographic type of the Savior Not Made by Hands. According to legend, known from Georgian sources of the 12th century, the icon was brought by the Apostle Andrew from Hierapolis. A later version of the legend identifies the icon with the Edessa image itself, which was transferred to Constantinople and, during the iconoclastic persecutions of Emperor Leo the Isaurian, ended up in Georgia (Ibid. P.71-72).

24. The origin of the Camulian image is described in detail in the Syriac “Ecclesiastical History” of Zechariah the Rhetor (XII.4), dating back to the 6th century. : The Syriac Chronicle Knows as that of Zachariah of Mitylene. Trans. F. J. Hamilton and E. W. Brooks. L., 1899. P. 320. Belting H. Likeness and Presence. A History of the Image before the Era of Art. London., Chicago, 1995. P. 53-55. There was another version of its origin, it is set out in the “Homily on the Finding of the Camulian Image Not Made by Hands,” attributed to St. Gregory of Nyssa and apparently created no earlier than the iconoclastic era. See: Dobschutz. Op.cit. S.12***- 18***.

25. The story is given in his “Chronicle” by Michael the Syrian: Chronique de Michel le Syrien patriarche jacobite d’Antioche (1166-1199). Ed. J.-B. Chabot. Paris, 1901. P.476-477. See analysis of this text: Drijvers. Op.cit. P.21-22. Dionysius of Telmakhres notes that he learned this tradition from his maternal grandfather Daniel, son of Moses of Tur Abdin. Thus, the story itself arose no later than the 8th century.

26. Segal J.B. Edessa. 'The Blessed City'. Oxford, 1970. P.214

27. The story is told in the Chronicle of 1234 (Anonymi auctoris Chronicon ad annum Christi 1234 pertinens. Ed.J.-B.Chabot. Louvain, 1916-1920, 1937, 1974. II,135, 101,102), but goes back to earlier For the stories of Dionysius of Telmachre and Theophilus of Edessa, as well as local legends that appeared in the 7th-8th centuries, see: Drijvers. Op.cit. P.29

28. The water of the well, according to legend, healed both Christians and non-Christians. It especially helped against leprosy, elephantiasis and gout (“Avgar’s disease”). Soon after the defeat of Edessa in 1144, the well in the destroyed monastery was visited by the new ruler of the region, Zangi, who, having been healed of a leg disease, ordered the founding of a hospital at the well. See: Sigal. Edessa. PP.250-251. It is interesting that this miraculous well was revered back in the 19th century. According to the legends of the Armenians of Urfa (Edessa), near the city there was the “well of Mandylion” (Jeb-al-Mendil): Avgar was healed of leprosy by water that filled the well in which the Image Miraculous was hidden, see: Smirnov Ya.I. Word of the 10th century about how the image of the Savior was revered on Ubrus in Edessa // Commentationes philologicae. Sat. articles in honor of I.V. Pomyalovsky. St. Petersburg, 1897. P.9.

29. Acts of the VII Ecumenical Council // Acts of the Ecumenical Councils. Kazan, 1891. T.7. P.17 (Mansi, 13. Col.192).

30. Gouillard J. La vie d’Euthyme de Sardes // Trauvaux et Mémoirs, 10 (1987). P.35

31. Georgius Syncellus. Ecloga Chronographica. Ed. A.A. Moshammer. Leipzig, 1984. P.399.21 - 400.3

32. Dobschutz. Op.cit. S.107**- 114**. For a translation of most of this text, see: The Miraculous Icon. P.127-128.

33. Cameron A. The Mandylion and Byzantine Iconoclasm // The Holy Face. P.33-54. Based on various sources, the author shows the gradual increase in the popularity of Mandylion in the era of iconoclasm, specifically emphasizing the role of the Palestinian monastery of St. Sava, the monastery of St. John of Damascus, in this process

34. De fide orthodoxa IV, 16; PG. T. 94. Col.1173A; John of Damascus. An accurate exposition of the Orthodox faith // Works of St. John of Damascus. Source of knowledge Transl. D.E. Afinogenova, A.A. Bronzova, A.I. Sagardas. M., 2002. P.313

35.PG. T.94. Col.1261B. John of Damascus. Three words of defense against those who condemn holy icons or images. Per. A.A. Bronzova. St. Petersburg, 1893. P.24-25

36. Grotz H. Beobachtungen zu den zwei Briefen Papst Gregor II. an Kaiser Leo III // Archivum Historiae Pontificiae, 18 (1980). S.9-40

37. Ibid.

38. Alexakis A. Codex Parisinus Greacus 1115 and its Archetype. Washington, 1996. PP.348-350

39. Ibid. P.348 (translated by A.Yu. Nikiforova)

40. See: Melioransky B.M. George of Kiprianin and John of Jerusalem, two little-known fighters for Orthodoxy in the 8th century. St. Petersburg, 1901. P.6, XX-XXII. Quote in the lane A.Yu. Vinogradova

41. Chrysostomides. Op.cit. P.XXVII - XXXII. However, not all researchers are convinced by the author’s arguments. I would like to take this opportunity to thank K. Walter and B. Flusen for discussing this issue with me.

42. This point of view, with indication of all primary sources, is substantiated in detail in the work: Afinogenov D.E. On the problem of the Edessa Ubrus and the Letter of the Three Eastern Patriarchs (in press).

43. Nicephori Refutatio et Eversio. Ed. J.M. Featherstone (Corpus Christianorum, Series Greaca, vol.33). Turhout, 1997. 7, 54-56; 184, 56-59; Nicephori Antirrhetici adversus Constantinum Copronymum // PG. T.100, col. 260A, 461AB

44. The Letter of the Three Patriarchs. P.32-35; Miraculous icon. P.428

45. The Letter of the Three Patriarchs. P.150-153

46. ​​Miraculous icon. P.428

47. Ibid. P.429

48. One of these collectors of shrines was Leo VI the Wise (886-912), see: Lidov A.M. Miraculous icons in the temple decoration. About the symbolic program of the imperial gates of Sophia of Constantinople // Miraculous Icon. P.47, 61.

49. Arab historian of the first half of the 11th century. Yahya of Antioch reports an interesting detail: the Emir of Edessa asks the Baghdad Caliph for permission to make a deal, who gathers a council of Qadis and lawyers to decide on the transfer of Mandylion to the Greeks. See: Histoire de Yahya-ibn-Sa'id d'Antioche. Ed. J.Krachkovsky, A.Vasiliev // Patrologie orientale, 18 (1924). P.730-732

50. Successor of Theophanes. Biography of the Byzantine kings. Published by Ya.N. Lyubarsky. St. Petersburg, 1992. P. 178.

51. Successor of Theophanes. P.178

52. These sources were recently analyzed in a special study: Patlagean E. L’entrée de la Sainte Face d’Edesse à Constantinople en 944 // La religion civique à l’époque mediévale et moderne. Rome, 1995. P.21-35. The author assumes direct participation in the development of the ritual of bringing the Image into Constantinople of the Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus himself - the author of the famous treatise “On the Ceremonies of the Byzantine Court” (De ceremoniis)

53. About the Blachernes Temple and its structure, see: Papadopoulos J. Les palais et les églises des Blachernes. Thessalonike, 1928. The upper church probably refers to the “Sacred Wash” (agion lousma) located at the top, where, according to the testimony of Constantine Porphyrogenitus, there were several revered icons (De ceremoniis. Col. 551-556)

54. Later, Mandylion’s first meeting with the emperor - the kissing of the Image Not Made by Hands in Blachernae - was captured in a 12th-century miniature. from the Madrid manuscript “The Chronicle of John Skylitzes” (l.131a): Grabar A., ​​Manoussacas M. L’illusration du manuscrit de Skylitzé de la Biblioteque Nationale de Madrid. Venice, 1979. Fig.158. P. 77, 157-158

55. This episode is presented in the so-called Synaxal version somewhat differently: the young emperors, with the participation of Patriarch Philaret, carry a casket with a relic on their shoulders, moving from Blachernae to the Golden Gate. See: Synaxariu Ecclesiae Constantinoplitae. Ed. H.Delehaye. Bruxelles, 1902. P.897-904; Patlagean. Op.cit. P.25

56. Loparev Chr. Old testimony about the position of the robe of the Virgin Mary in Blachernae in a new interpretation // VV. 1895. II/4. P.581-590.

57. Complete edition of the Greek text of the sermon: Sternbach L. Analecta Avarica. Cracow, 1900. P.305

58. For a recent study of the Middle Byzantine Golden Gate of Constantinople, see C. Mango, The Triumphal Way of Constantinople and the Golden Gate, Dambarton Oaks Papers, 54 (2000). PP.173-188

60. About the Byzantine triumphs of the 8th-10th centuries. see: McComick M. Eternal Victory. Triumphal Rulership in Late Antiquity, Byzantium, and the Early Medieval West. Paris, 1986. PP.131-188.

61. MacCormack S. Art and Ceremony in Late Antiquity. Berkeley, Los Angelos, London, 1981. P.84-92

62. Skaballanovich M. Exaltation of the Honest Cross. Kyiv, 1915. P.9-10

63. The Syriac Chronicle Knows as that of Zachariah of Mitylene. Trans. F. J. Hamilton and E. W. Brooks. L., 1899. P. 320; Kitzinger E. The cult of images in the age before Iconoclasm // Dumbarton Oaks Papers, 8 (1954). P. 99-100, 124

64. For this icon, see: Breckenridge J.D. Christ on the lire-backed throne // DOP. 1980-1981. T.34-35. P. 247-260; Lidov. Miraculous icons. P.53

65. Belyaev D.F. Byzantina. Book II. Daily and Sunday receptions of Byzantine kings and their festive exits to the Church of St. Sophia in the 9th-10th centuries. St. Petersburg, 1893. P.16, 35, 47, 229, 244.

66. About this church, Theotokos tou Farou, built by Constantine V in the mid-8th century. and rebuilt under Michael III (842-867), see: Janin R. La géographie ecclésiastique de l’Empire byzantin. Paris, 1953. I. T.3. P.241-245 (on p. 244, see a detailed list of relics for Nicholas Mesaritus and Anthony of Novgorod). Lidov A.M. Church of Our Lady of Pharos. The imperial reliquary temple as an archetype of sacred space // Byzantine world: the art of Constantinople and national traditions. Abstracts of reports of the International Conference, Moscow, October 17-19, 2000. St. Petersburg, 2000. P.37-40

67. The Tale of Bygone Years // PLDR. XI - early XII century. M., 1978. P.52-53

68. Note that the passionate and eucharistic meaning of the Mandylion will gradually intensify in the 10th-12th centuries. as the entire Byzantine culture became “liturgized.” The most striking evidence of this process can be found in Byzantine iconographic programs. See: Gerstel Sh. The Miraculous Mandylion. The image of the Savior Not Made by Hands in Byzantine iconographic programs // The Miraculous Icon. P.76-87.

69. Dobschutz. Christusbilder. S.176

70. Ibid. S.176-177

71. Grabar A., ​​Manoussacas M. L’illusration du manuscrit de Skylitzé de la Biblioteque Nationale de Madrid. Fig.246. P.108

72. Sterligova I.A. Reliquary icon “Descent into Hell” // Christian relics in the Moscow Kremlin. Ed.-comp. A.M. Lidov. M., 2000. P. 36-39

73. Ibid. P.38

74. Vita S.Pauli Junioris // Wiegand Th. Der Latmos. Berlin, 1913. S.127

75. Dubarle A.-M. L’homélie de Grégoire le Référendaire pour la réception de l’image d’Edesse // Revue des études byzantines. 1997. T.55. P.5-51. See also the chapter in the book: L’image d’Edesse dans l’homélie de Grégoire le Référendaire // Dubarle A.-M., Leynen H. Histoire ancienne du linceul de Turin. Paris, 1998. T.2. PP. 35-46

76. Dubarle A.-M. L'homélie de Grégoire le Référendaire. P.28-29

77. It is interesting that the testimony of Gregory Refendarius echoes the data of the Syrian treatise on the Image Not Made by Hands in Edessa, which has come down to us in a Latin manuscript of the 10th century. (Vossianus Lat. Q 69). It talks about the image of Christ written in blood. See: Zaninotto G. L’immagine Edessene: impronta dell’intera persona di Cristo. Nuove conferme dal codex Vossianus Latinus Q 69 del secolo X // L’indentification scientifique de l’Homme du Linceul Jesus de Nazareth. Paris, 1995. P.57-61

78.PG. T.109. Col.812A-813. The continuation of the text is noteworthy: the impressions of the young emperors are interpreted by the monk Sergius, who was present when examining the Mandylion. He connected the vision of eyes and ears with the eyes of the Lord, turned to the righteous, and His ears - to their prayers. But the face of the Lord is turned towards sinners to drive away the memory of them from the earth (Ps. 33:16). This prediction in the context of subsequent historical events is considered as the triumph of the righteous Constantine Porphyrogenitus and the overthrow of the sons of Roman Lekapin.

79. Il Volto di Cristo. Ed. G. Morello, G. Wolf. Roma, 2000. Cat.III.I; III.2. P.91-92. See also chapter L.M. Evseeva in this edition

80. However, the effect of monochrome may be a consequence of conscious stylization under the ancient “mysterious” Image. Having had the opportunity to carefully examine both images at the “Face of Christ” exhibition in Rome in March 2001, I came to the conclusion that the visible pictorial layer of the Vatican and Genoese Mandylion can be dated to the 14th-15th centuries. Herbert Kessler, who saw icons without frames, shares the same opinion. I thank Professor Kessler for discussing this issue with me. The existing opinion in the scientific literature about the date of the Vatican Mandylion is before the 6th century, based on subjective stylistic analogies, in our opinion. cannot be accepted. See: Bertelli K. Storia e vicende dell’immagine edessena // Paragone, 217/37 (marzo 1968). P.10; Belting H. Likeness and Presence. P.210

81. Ciggaar K.N. Une description de Constantinople dans le Tarragonensis 55 // REB. 1995. T.53. P.120-121. Rus. lane see: Tarragona anonymous. “About the city of Constantinople.” Latin description of the relics of Constantinople of the 11th century. Per. OK. Maciel Sanchez // Relics in the art and culture of the Eastern Christian world. Ed.-comp. A.M. Lidov. M., 2000. P.158-159

82. Bacci M. Relics of the Pharos Chapel. A view from the Latin West // Eastern Christian relics. Ed.-comp. A.M. Lidov (forthcoming)

83. Bacci M. La Vergine Oikokyra, Signora del grande Palazzo. Lettura del un passo di Leone Tusco sulle cattive usanze dei greci // Annali della Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa. Serie IV. Vol. III,1-2 (1998). P. 261-279

84. One of the earliest evidence of the end of the 11th century. in the so-called “Anonyme Mercati”, which is based on the Greek guide to the shrines of Constantinople: The Miraculous Icon. P.439. Latin evidence is collected in the work: Bacci M. Relics of the Pharos Chapel. In addition to the Latins, Anthony of Novgorod reports about the Image Not Made by Hands, listing the relics in “ royal gold plates"he points" ubrus, on it there is an image of Christ and two ceramides”: Book Pilgrim. Legend of the places of saints in Constantinople by Anthony Archbishop of Novgorod in 1200. Ed. Khr.M. Lopareva. St. Petersburg, 1899. P. 19

85. After listing the 10 relics of the passions, called the Decalogue (by analogy with the Ten Commandments), it is said about Mandylion and Ceramione: “ I will now present to you the Lawgiver himself, captured as if on a primitive canvas and inscribed on soft clay as if by some miraculous pictorial art" See: Nikoloas Mesarites. Die Palastrevolution des Johannes Komnenos. Ed. A. Heisenberg. Wurzburg, 1907. S. 29-32; Nikolay Mesarit. Decalogue on the relics of the Passion kept in the Church of Our Lady of Pharos in Constantinople. Per.A.Yu. Nikiforova // Relics. P.129

86. See note 16

87. There is some unexplained oddity in the history of the relic. According to the text of the Tale of 944, the Letter of Christ was brought to Constantinople along with the Mandylion. However, according to other Byzantine sources (George Kedrin, John Zonara), it was captured in Edessa in 1032 by the military leader George Maniac, who sent the Letter to Emperor Roman Argir (PG. T. 122. Col. 233 C; T. 135. Col .177 C). The letter is kept in the Church of Our Lady of Pharos and was repeatedly mentioned by pilgrims until 1185, when it was stolen and disappeared without a trace.

88. Robert de Clari. La conquete de Constantinople. Ed. P. Lauer. Paris, 1956. P.82; Robert de Clary. Conquest of Constantinople. M., 1986. P.59-60. It is curious that the author sets out a strange folk legend about the appearance of images of Christ on boards and tiles, which has practically nothing in common with the famous legend of Avgar.

89. Lidov A.M. Relic as an iconic image in the sacred space of a Byzantine temple // Relics. P.28-29

90. Flusin B. Didascalie de Constantin Stilbes sur le Mandylion et la Sainte Tuile // Revue des Etudes Byzantines. 1997.T.55. P.53-79. The text in the manuscript is named “Didascalia of the blessed monk Cyril, the future Bishop of Cyzicus, who at that time was a deacon and didaskal of Chalkitis (Church of Christ Chalkitis of the Great Imperial Court - A.L.).”

91. Dmitrievsky A.A. Description of liturgical manuscripts stored in libraries of the Orthodox East. T.1. Kyiv, 1895. P.489-490

92. The plot was identified and analyzed in the study: Grumel V. Leon de Chalcedoine et le Canon de la Fete du Saint Mandilion // Anallecta Bollandiana. 1950. T.68. P.135-152

93. Ibid., P.136-137, 143-152 (edition of the Greek canon quoted by Leo of Chalcedon)

94. Weyl Carr A. Leo of Chalkedon and the Icons // Byzantine East, Latin West. Art-historical studies in honor of Kurt Weitzmann. Princeton, 1996. P.579-584. Analysis of the theological controversy with a detailed bibliography of the issue.

96. First put forward by Ian Wilson in his best-selling book: Wilson J. The Shroud of Turin. The burial cloth of Jesus Christ? L., 1978. P.92-164. Detailed argumentation in a special monograph: Dubarle A.-M. Histoire ancienne du Linceul de Turin. Paris, 1985.

97. For criticism of this hypothesis, see: Fiey J.M. Image d’Edesse ou Linceul de Turin // Revue d’Histoire Ecclessiastique, 82 (1987). P.271-277; Cameron A. The Sceptic and the Shroud // Cameron A. Continuity and Change in the Sixth-Century Byzantium. London, 1981. V. PP. 3-27. Recently, serious criticism has appeared among Sindonologists: Lombati A. Imposibile identificare la Sindone con il Mandylion: ulteriori conferme da tre codici latini // Approfodimento Sindone, 2 (1998), pp.1-30

98. Nikolai Mesarit. Decalogue. P.128-129

99. Robert de Clari. La conquete de Constantinople. P.82; Robert de Clary. Conquest of Constantinople. P.59-60, 66

100. Gould K. The sequences de Sanctis Reliquis as Sainte-Chapelle inventories // Medieval Studies, 43 (1981). PP. 315-341

101. Riant P. Exuviae Sacrae Constantinopolitanae. Geneve, 1878. T. 2. PP 133-135

102. Tabula quedam quam, cum deponeretur Dominus de cruce, ejus facies tetigit. See: Gould K. Op.cit. P. 331-332, 338

103. Ibid. PP.338-339

104. The evidence was examined in a special article in the latest catalogue: Durand J. La Sancta Toile ou “Veronique” // Le trésor de la Sainte-Chapelle. Paris, 2001. P.70-71

105. According to the official legend, the “Plate of Veronica,” which miraculously appeared when Christ wiped off his face during the Way of the Cross, was delivered to Rome from Jerusalem. It was politically important for the popes that the great shrine came to Rome directly from the Holy City. The disappearance of Edessa history and the associated ideas about Constantinople priority in this legend seems not at all accidental. For the latest ideas about “Veronica” and its numerous images in Western European art, see the scientific catalog: Il Volto di Cristo. Ed. G. Morello, G. Wolf. Roma, 2000. PP.103-167.

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 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 refuse 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 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?”

The 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.

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 Miraculous 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 of 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 Ervandakan (Ervanduni) dynasty (Arsames), who reigned in Commagene-Sophene in the 30s. III century BC and founded the cities of Arshamashat in Sophene and two Arsamaea 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.

On August 29, the Orthodox Church honors the Savior Not Made by Hands, a church holiday associated with the transfer in 944 of the Miraculous Image under Tsar Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus from ancient Edessa to Constantinople.

In the Syrian city of Edessa, Emperor Abgar V once reigned (he was on the throne from 4 BC to 7 AD and after a break from 13 to 50 AD). In the middle of his second reign, leprosy struck him all over his body. It was at that time that Jesus Christ preached the gospel in the Holy Land. Widespread rumors about the great miracles performed by the Lord reached Syria, to King Abgar.

The Holy Tradition of the Church testifies that, without seeing the Savior, King Abgar believed in Christ as the true Son of God and wrote a letter to Him asking him to heal him. He sent the letter with his court artist Ananias and instructed him to paint an image of the Divine Teacher. Ananias reached Jerusalem, saw the Lord, but could not approach Jesus because of the large crowd of people. Ananias climbed onto a high stone and tried to paint an image of the Lord Jesus Christ from afar. Then the Savior called him over, called Ananias by name and handed over a deliberately written short response letter for King Abgar. He announced that he would send His disciple Apostle Thaddeus to heal the King. Then the Son of God asked to bring water and a linen cloth. He washed His face, blotted it with a rug, and an image of the face of Jesus Christ miraculously appeared on the rug. Ananias delivered the ubrus and the letter of the Savior to Edessa.

King Abgar received the Holy Shrine with reverence and, by faith, received healing. Only small traces of the terrible disease remained on his face. Apostle Thaddeus, who arrived later, baptized King Abgar, healed him and preached the Gospel to all the inhabitants of Edessa.

Apostle Thaddeus and King Abgar with the Savior Not Made by Hands. 10th century icon in the monastery of St. Catherine the Great Martyr at Mount Sinai

In the second volume of the “Complete Monthly Dictionary of the East” by Archbishop Sergius (Spassky), in the Life Certificate of the Apostle Thaddeus, it is testified: “... George Sincellus, under the year 215 AD. it is said that Julius Africanus spoke about Abgar Holy husband e - the King in Edessa, also by Moses of Khoren (5th century)....” It turns out that even during the time of early Christianity, King Abgar was already revered as a Saint, although he is still not included in the Orthodox Months.

King Abgar ordered to write on the edge of the Icon: “Christ God, whoever trusts in You will not be ashamed.” By order of the pious Sovereign Abgar, the Miraculous Image of the Savior (Μανδύλιον) was decorated with a frame and placed in a niche of the tower above the main gate of the city - in a kind of Spasskaya Tower of Edessa. After the death of King Abgar V in 50 AD, although his eldest son-heir apostatized from Christianity, two more generations of other heirs of the Blessed Abgar - the Kings of Osroene with the capital of Edessa, together with the people, remained faithful to the Christian Faith.

And only then one of the great-grandsons of the first Christian Sovereign again betrayed Christianity and fell into idolatrous wickedness - after 100 AD. He decided to remove the Image from the main entrance to the city. The Bishop of Edessa, in order to avoid desecration of the great Shrine, by order of the Lord Himself, ordered to close the gate niche with a ceramic slab, but at the same time left a burning lamp in front of the Image. The inhabitants of Edessa, who knew about the walled up Image of the Savior, continued to secretly honor the main Edessa Shrine.

However, over time, the hidden Christian mystery faded from the memory of even local Christians, although the grace of the Image Not Made by Hands continued to patronize the city and its citizens: under the distant descendants of the Holy Sovereign Abgar V, the Kings of Edessa, Abgar VIII (177-212) and his son Abgar IX the Great (Lucius Aelius Megas Abgar IX; 212-216) stopped persecuting Christians. And King Abgar IX, according to some sources, by the end of his short reign even accepted Christianity himself.

Centuries passed, and the very existence of the hidden Edessa Shrine was firmly forgotten. In 545, the Persian King Chozroes I besieged Edessa, and the city's position seemed hopeless. Then the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to the Bishop of Edessa, Eulavius, and commanded him to take from the walled niche an Image that would save the city from the adversary. Having opened the niche above the gate, the Saint found the Savior Not Made by Hands, in front of which the lamp, lit almost four and a half centuries earlier, miraculously continued to burn. Another miracle was discovered - on a ceramic slab, on a tile, in Church Slavonic - on the skull, which covered the Image, was exactly the same image as on the Ubrus Not Made by Hands. After the procession with the Holy Image along the walls of the city, the Persian army retreated.

In 630, the Arabs conquered Edessa, but they did not interfere with the worship of the Image Not Made by Hands, the fame of which spread throughout the East. In 944, the Roman Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (905 - †959), having removed his father-in-law, the usurper Romanus I Lecapinus, from the Throne and regained the Autocratic dignity by right of direct heir, wished to transfer the Icon to the then Capital of Orthodoxy and bought it from the emir - the ruler of Edessa . With great honors, both the Miraculous Images of the Savior - on the Ubrus itself and on the Skull (or on the Ceramia), as well as the letter itself that the Savior wrote to the Blessed King Abgar, were transferred by the clergy to Constantinople. On August 16, the Image of the Savior on Ubrus was placed in the Pharos Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

There are several legends about the subsequent fate of the Constantinople Images Not Made by Hands - Ubrus and on the Skull. One of them was stolen by the Crusaders during their rule in Constantinople (1204-1261), but the ship on which the shrine was taken sank in the Sea of ​​Marmara. According to other legends, one of the Constantinople Images Not Made by Hands was transferred around 1362 to Genoa, where it was kept in the Armenian Church in the name of the Apostle Bartholomew, the ancient miraculous copy of which remains there today.

Mandylion from the Armenian Church of the Apostle Bartholomew in Genoa

It is known from Church Tradition that the original Image Not Made by Hands repeatedly gave its exact imprints. One of them was imprinted on the stone when Ananias hid the Image under a stone slab on the way to Edessa. Another image was imprinted on the cloak in which the Savior Not Made by Hands was wrapped during one of the transports. That Image ended up in Georgia. It is possible that the difference in legends about the original Image Not Made by Hands is based precisely on the existence of several exact imprints.

During the time of the iconoclastic heresy, defenders of icon veneration, shedding blood for holy icons, sang a troparion to the Image Not Made by Hands.

Troparion, voice 2:

We worship Your most pure image, O Good One, / asking for forgiveness of our sins, O Christ God: / for it was your will that you should ascend in flesh to the Cross, / that you might deliver from the work of the enemy life./ Thus we cry out to You in gratitude:/ You have filled all with joy, O our Savior ,// came to save the world.

As proof of the truth of icon veneration, Saint Gregory II of Rome (715-†731) sent a letter to the Roman iconoclast Emperor Leo III the Isaurian, in which he testified about the healing of King Abgar from leprosy and about the presence of the Image Not Made by Hands in Edessa as something widely known and generally accepted .

According to spiritual stories, testimonies of medieval church historians and Prologues, the following Miraculous Images of the Savior are known:

2) The Savior Not Made by Hands on the Skull, found in Edessa in 545, is celebrated on August 16/29.

3) Savior Not Made by Hands from Kamulian in Cappadocia. The legend about the Camulian image, set out in the “Word” of St. Gregory of Nyssa, contains the story of its discovery twice. The discovery took place for the first time during the time of Emperor Diocletian and again during the reign of the Holy Roman Emperor Theodosius I the Great, with the participation of St. Gregory of Nyssa himself. Since then, the miraculous icon remained in the Metropolitanate of Caesarea and performed miracles. The author of the “Tradition of Icons Not Made by Hands” refers to the testimony of St. Gregory of Nyssa about the miraculous image of the Lord “on a pure mitre” in the Camulians of Caesarea. The transfer of the Camulian image to Constantinople in 574 is mentioned only by George Kedrin, a Roman chronicler at the turn of the 11th-12th centuries. According to him, for several decades he was revered as the palladium of the Empire, accompanying the Christian army in campaigns against infidels. It is believed that it was he who was taken on campaigns against the Persians by Emperor Heraclius in the 620s. However, in the 8th century, traces of the relic were lost. It is also mentioned, with reference to the text of St. Gregory, along with the Edessa Mandylion and the Roman Plato of Veronica, in the “Tale of Images Not Made by Hands.” Apparently, from this Image, under the Roman Emperor Tiberius (578-582), Saint Mary Synclitica received healing.

IN Prayer to the Savior Not Made by Hands The history of the great icon is also first briefly summarized:

O Most Blessed Lord Jesus Christ, our God! You sometimes washed the human image of Your holy face with water and wiped it with a veneer, and you deigned to send it to the Edessa prince Abgar for the healing of his illness.

Behold, now we, Thy sinful servants, possessed by our mental and physical ailments, seek Thy face, O Lord, and with King David in the humility of our souls we call: do not turn Thy face away from us and turn away in anger from Thy servants, be our Helper, not reject us and do not abandon us. O All-Merciful Lord, our Savior!

Imagine for Yourself in our souls that, living in holiness and truth, we will be Your sons and heirs of Your Kingdom, and so we will not cease to glorify You, our Most Merciful God, together with Your Beginning Father and the Most Holy Spirit forever. Amen.

The celebration in honor of the transfer of the Image Not Made by Hands, celebrated on the After-Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, is commonly called the Third Savior. The special veneration of this celebration in the Russian Orthodox Church was expressed in mass icon painting. The Miraculous Image has been widely known in Rus' since the time of Vladimirov's Baptism. Now the most popular even among the secular public is the Novgorod Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands of the 12th century from the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, which is now captivated in the Tretyakov Gallery.

Kremlin Spas “Wet Brada”

It is significant for the history of Ancient Rus' that in the year of the transfer of the prefigurative Savior Not Made by Hands from Edessa to Constantinople - 944 - there was an unsuccessful campaign of Grand Duke Igor Rurikovich to Constantinople, after which the peace treaty of Rus' with the Roman Empire was renewed. A few years later, the widow of Grand Duke Igor, Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga, went on a pilgrimage to the Capital of the Empire, where the Russian Empress received Holy Baptism from the Patriarch and became the Godmother of Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus. Perhaps at the same time, among other Shrines of the Second Rome, she had a chance to see the Miraculous Image of Jesus Christ.

The special reverence in Rus' for the Savior Not Made by Hands is evidenced by the fact that for centuries the Holy Savior was depicted on the battle banners of the Grand Dukes Alexander Nevsky, Demetrius Donskoy, and Tsar Ivan the Terrible.

Ancient military banner with the Savior

In the Russian Imperial Army, the Savior Not Made by Hands was also depicted on the banners of many regiments.

Regimental banner in the Russian Army 1900

Two years ago - in July 2016, the media in Ankara and Istanbul reported the discovery of Turkish archaeologists in the ruins of ancient Edessa, now the city of Urfa (South-East Turkey). Then a press conference was held at the mayor's office of Urfa, at which Turkish archaeologists spoke about the results of many years of excavations and detailed research in Edessa. During the excavations, about 80 ancient Christian tombs were discovered. However, the discoveries of 2016 exceeded all expectations. The newly discovered tombs looked much more majestic than the previous ones, they were decorated with mosaic ornaments and inscriptions. One inscription on a slab with the Sign of the Cross, similar to the Cross of St. George, reads in part: “Great King Abgar V Ukama Mannu, first Christian ruler of Edessa.” Based on the style and paleographic features, archaeologists date the inscription to 55 AD. The ancient text clearly indicates that the tomb belongs to members of the family of the August Dynasty of the King of the State of Osroene Abgara V Ukama.

Tomb of the Holy King AbgarV

I first learned a little about the history of Ubrus with the Image of Jesus Christ Not Made by Hands in the seventies from the short novel “The Edessa Shrine” (1946) by Vsevolod Ivanov (1895-1963), which was first published after the writer’s death in 1965. The novel takes place in 944 and is associated with the transportation of Ubrus from Edessa to Constantinople. At the center of the story is a fictional character - a Muslim, gunsmith and poet Mahmud. Actually, very little was told about Ubrus, its history.

Already at the time of my churching in the mid-eighties, in the books of the Tsarist era, in connection with the Savior Not Made by Hands, I first read about the Blessed King Abgar of Edessa, from church sources I learned about the miracle of the appearance of the Image, I believed that this was not a legend, as Soviet art historians were accustomed to write, but the true Tradition of the Church, which shook me to the core.

And later - already in the nineties - I became interested in the etymological study of the word “Image” and the Slavic word “Oubrus”. I was trying to find out if the word itself originally came from Image in its main meaning from the understanding of Ubrus with the miraculous image of Jesus Christ? But the hypothesis remained a hypothesis. However, I have never before engaged in church-historical research into the Holy Tradition of Mandylion, and all of the above in this essay is a compilation based on materials from the Internet and books from my home library. However, further, in connection with the Feast of the Savior Not Made by Hands, I want to tell my story.

This spring I resumed communication, interrupted for more than thirty years, with my old Friend - a classmate who studied at the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University in 1975-1980 Harutyun Tigranovich Amirkhanyan. We were very close friends during our student years, went to visit each other, traveled around the USSR together during the holidays, communicated very confidentially, shared what we read, marched in military courses in the pine forest near Kovrov, occasionally drank beer in Moscow courtyards, read and listened poems, music, friends and listened sensitively to modern times...

And after my churching, from the end of 1986, I began to move away from most of the journalism department’s Friends, and my connection with Harutyun Amirkhanyan was interrupted. There was one fleeting meeting, there was a brief conversation already in this century at the funeral service of our journalism department teacher Isabella Surenovna Semyonova in the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on Maroseyka. They then told each other that it would be nice to talk some more... But then I didn’t even bother to get his phone number from Harutyun, I didn’t stay for the funeral due to being unwell, I left immediately after the church service. And quite a few years have passed since then...

Relatively recently, in Moscow, in the regional departments of social protection of the population, a charity program for pensioners “Active Longevity” was launched. My wife, having worked a little in some publishing houses as an editor and proofreader, in order to increase her professionalism in editing foreign bibliographic references, last year she enrolled in German and English language courses. During one of the classes, their teacher mentioned that he would soon turn sixty years old. Another time he mentioned that he received his first higher education at the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University. Having connected this information, my wife immediately asked him: did he know L. Bolotin during his studies?

So it miraculously turned out to me that that teacher was my old Friend! Soon we met at my house, we began a correspondence in which we shared with each other the details of our own lives over those thirty-odd years when our communication was interrupted.

A.T. Amirkhanyan already had a talent for foreign languages ​​from his youth; his main language at the journalism department was French. And this is understandable: Harutyun’s father, wounded in the Novgorod cauldron, was captured by the Germans during the Great Patriotic War, after several unsuccessful attempts he successfully escaped from the camp and fought in the French Resistance.

While still at the journalism department, Harutyun began to additionally study English and German. A fourth-generation Muscovite, Harutyun has always been deeply interested in his native history and Moscow studies. In 1989, the publishing house "Moscow Worker" - in a book series dedicated to the history of famous Moscow houses, he published his first book, "Armenian Lane, 2" - about the ancient estate of the Moscow Armenians Lazarevs, where the Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages ​​was located under the Emperors. Harutyun continued his research. The result was the book “Secrets of the House of Lazarev: Fragments of the history of the Moscow Armenian community of the XIV-XX centuries” (1992).

A need arose to receive a systematic historical education, and Harutyun Amirkhanyan began to study history and ethnology according to the program of the Sorbonne University. In 1994-1998, Harutyun worked in the German media in Germany. Harutyun, having been baptized since childhood, was raised Christianly in his family and in isolation from Soviet or communist “dogmas.” First, work in typical Soviet newspapers “Leninskoe Znamya” (Moscow Regional), “Moskovskaya Pravda”, “Stroitelnaya Gazeta”, and then life abroad - in isolation from the Motherland - prompted Harutyun to return to his spiritual roots, to churching.

One of the results of the Sorbonne diploma was a fundamental historical novel, based on the study of hundreds of historical works and documents, “Napoleon as his bodyguard-squire Rustam knew him”, which came out in two editions in 2004 and 2007.

And then another twist of fate. The talent of the historical prose writer was noticed, and A.T. Amirkhanyan was asked to turn to the historical narrative about the Edessa King Abgar and the miracle of finding the Savior Not Made by Hands on Ubrus.

A.T. Amirkhanyan went to Holy Athos to the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery, where in 2008 he continued his work on his future novel "The Touch of Christ: Evangelism to Faithful Witnesses of His Love". Having long been accustomed to journalistic and writing work on a computer, in the monastery cell he began to write a fundamentally new thing by hand for the first time in many years.

The work was carried out with the spiritual guidance of the Abbot of the monastery - Elder Archimandrite Jeremiah (Alekhine; †4 August 2016) and the monastery Spiritual Father, Hieromonk Macarius ( Makienko), with their constant prayer support.

And even when Harutyun left to finish writing the novel in Moscow, such a spiritual connection was not stopped. All newly written chapters of the manuscript were sent to Athos and subjected to careful consideration. Any deviations from a truly evangelical approach in the narrative were immediately explained, and the writer followed such instructions without the slightest ambition.

Work on the novel took about three years. Only the list of scientific and historical monographs that the author studied in the process of writing amounts to about a hundred items, not to mention the many historical documents that he used. And by the end of 2010, the manuscript was ready, received the blessing of the Athonite Elder Jeremiah and was sent to The Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, where the book was given an official recommendation for publication.

On May 9 of this year, Harutyun and I and our wives walked together in the procession of the “Immortal Regiment” from Tverskoy Boulevard through Red Square to Bolshaya Polyanka, and then we sat amicably in Harutyun’s apartment on Tulskaya. Then the author presented me with his novel “The Touch of Christ” with a warm, friendly inscription.

When starting to read, I tried in advance to overcome the historian-source scientist’s prejudice towards Orthodox fiction. Over the past quarter of a century, I literally re-read some of the works of our classics - A.S. Pushkin, N.V. Gogol, F.M. Dostoevsky, N.S. Leskov... And each time such appeals were in one way or another connected with my main research work, not for leisure. In my free time, I tried to follow the news of Valentin Rasputin, Viktor Likhonosov, Vladimir Krupin, Sergei Shcherbakov, Alexander Segen, Ekaterina Dombrovskaya and a few of our other famous authors. I also read novels or stories from two of Fathers’ acquaintances.

But the foreword by the literary editor of the novel, Tatyana Suzdaltseva, and the parting words to the reader of my longtime friend, the author of historical books about Russian artists, Lev Mikhailovich Anisov, somehow immediately endeared me to an attentive and gullible reading. In short hours of rest from my work, I “swallowed” chapter after chapter, immersing myself more and more in the atmosphere of Asia Minor at the time of Christmas and the earthly life of Jesus Christ and after His Ascension, gradually getting carried away and losing track of my own time.

Historian A.T. Amirkhanyan on Holy Athos

Of course, as a historian, I was fully aware of the extent of the author’s imagination in creating characters, both biblical and historical characters, and fictional persons (there are very few of them) necessary to create an artistic voluminous narrative fabric. One thing bothered me when I approached the key scenes of the novel, which told about the meeting of the Edessa courtier and painter Ananias with Jesus Christ Himself and the Most Holy Theotokos. I wondered with apprehension: would my Friend have enough tact in depicting the Son of God, that is, God incarnate and the Mother of God?

As I later understood, the basis of the creative method when working on the novel in the most important chapters and episodes by Harutyun Amirkhanyan was based on the same visual techniques that are used by Orthodox icon painters sincerely inspired by the New Testament - no “painting”, no “artistic” fantasies, no free “ hagiographical reasoning! The greatness of the Gospel Images in the novel was not belittled by a word...

With the supposed detailed literary analysis, I think it could be justified that in the story of the artist Ananias’ perception of the Persons of the Savior and the Divine Mother, the author was able to verbally use the laws of iconographic reverse perspective - Jesus Christ and the Mother of God remain on the scale of the Holy Gospel, and the rest is earthly life , with its sensuality and even vanity, is incommensurably less than Their Divine Universal Greatness. I think this quality of the text was achieved through the skillful expression of the immense awe that the artist Ananias experiences at the main meeting in his life. There is no domestic “Bugakovism”, no Western “Renanism” here, not even close!

The figure of King Avgar is extremely interesting in its development - from the young heir, courageous, fearless military leader to the wise Sovereign, tormented by illness and suffering, worries about the fate of his people. And although this image is in many ways already artistic, fictional, the author of the spiritual-historical novel constantly curbs his “fantasy” here too, collecting fragments, fragments from ancient testimonies about his life and church-historical works of Eusebius, Movses Khorenatsi, from ancient icon paintings stigmas, ancient Russian narratives - a living mosaic of a whole, living image. The spiritual sense of proportion here determined both the plan itself and its creative implementation.

In the process of reading the novel, in our correspondence and in direct communication during rare meetings with Harutyun in May and early June, I was extremely surprised to find out that a significant part of the circulation of such an interesting, fascinating and at the same time soulful book has not yet been sold out. Retail sales are carried out in only three places - in the St. Panteleimon Monastery on St. Athos, in two retail shops of the Moscow St. Daniel Monastery and in the Moscow not very famous bookstore “Labyrinth”. There is no wholesale trade of the book or any advertising. The author of the novel did not even think about organizing reviews in the media, and a couple of creative meetings between readers and the writer in 2011 in tiny classrooms could not help the distribution of the book.

In general, for all his creative talents and abilities, Harutyun Amirkhanyan turned out to be an inept advertiser and promoter of his own work. His benefactors, with whose funds the novel was published, did not think about this at all.

It was precisely as a result of such a sad bookselling situation and in connection with A.T. Amirkhanyan’s sixtieth birthday that we jointly decided to hold a creative evening of the writer dedicated to the Savior Not Made by Hands and the personality of the Holy King Avgar.

Representatives of the leadership of the Moscow regional branch of the Union of Writers of Russia decided to support this event as such. Then an agreement was reached with Moscow House of Nationalities at the Red Gate- in the former estate of the Kurakin princes (Novaya Basmannaya street, building 1, building 4, Krasnye Vorota metro station).

The leadership of the House of Nationalities has determined the time for the anniversary creative evening of the historian and writer Harutyun Amirkhanyan “ The Savior Not Made by Hands of the Holy King Abgar in the destinies of the peoples of the Ancient World and Modernity in the spiritual and historical novel "The Touch of Christ"» - September 25, 2018 (starts at 17:30).

The evening is expected to include speeches by the Secretary of the Board of the Union of Writers of Russia (Moscow regional branch) Grigory Osipov, Chairman of the Academic Council of the International Academy of Russian Literature Valery Narinyan, writer, historian Lev Anisov, literary editor of the novel Tatiana Suzdaltseva, writer, novel publisher (Eroika and Sport publishing house) Alexandra Sviridova, other artists and cultural figures.

The host of the evening will apparently be your humble servant. A charity sale of the book “The Touch of Christ” will be organized in the lobby of the MND. It is planned to videotape the evening and then post it on YouTube.

In turn, in organizing and conducting the evening, I count on the active information support of the analytical service “,” and I also hope that representatives of the leadership of the International Organization of the “Russian Assembly” and its Moscow branch will be able to speak at the evening.

In conclusion of the essay, I would like to inform you that Harutyun Amirkhanyan’s spiritual and historical novel “The Touch of Christ” in Moscow can now be purchased in the following places:

1. Moscow St. Daniel Monastery. The entrance to the retail book trade department is located outside the monastery - in the wall of the monastery to the right of the Holy Gates - at the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov ( Danilovsky Val, 22). Tulskaya metro station, seven minutes on foot or by trams 3, 35, 38, 39 to the Danilov Monastery stop. The book is also sold at a kiosk located on the territory of the monastery just outside the Holy Gate.

2. Church of the Ascension of the Lord outside the Serpukhov Gate. Bolshaya Serpukhovskaya street, house 24. Metro: Dobryninskaya or Serpukhovskaya. The bookstore is located in the lower temple to the left of the entrance.

3. Bookstore "Labyrinth". Moscow, Tulskaya metro station, st. Serpukhovsky Val, 3, Opening hours: daily, from 9.00 to 22.00. phone 84951033410. The Labyrinth also sells books on the Internet.

I hope that the novel “The Touch of Christ” will attract wide circles of the Orthodox community, teachers and students of Orthodox gymnasiums, lovers of Biblical History, as well as those Russian Tsars who have a keen interest in the history of Christian statehood.

Leonid Bolotin, historian, member of the Council of the Moscow branch of the Russian Assembly, scientific editor of the Tsarskoe Delo Information and Research Service