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{{Short description|Syriac Christian apocrypha}}
{{Italic title}}
{{New Testament Apocrypha}}
The '''''Doctrine of Addai''''' ([[Syriac language|Syriac]]: ܡܠܦܢܘܬܐ ܕܐܕܝ ܫܠܝܚܐ ''Malp̄ānūṯā d-Addai Šlīḥā'') is a [[Syriac Christianity|Syriac Christian]] text, written in the late 4th or early 5th century CE. It recounts the legend of the [[Image of Edessa]] as well as the legendary works of [[Thaddeus of Edessa|Addai]] and his disciple [[Saint Mari|Mari]] in [[Mesopotamia]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lNAWAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA89|title=The A to Z of Prophets in Islam and Judaism|last1=Noegel|first1=Scott B.|last2=Wheeler|first2=Brannon M.|date=2010-04-01|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9781461718956|pages=89|language=en}}</ref>

== Content ==
The story of how [[Abgar V of Edessa|King Abgar]] and [[Jesus]] had corresponded was first recounted in the 4th century by the church historian [[Eusebius of Caesarea]] in his ''[[Church History (Eusebius)|Ecclesiastical History]]'' (i.13 and iii.1) and it was retold in elaborated form by [[Ephrem the Syrian]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

== Purpose ==
[[Helmut Koester]] regards the development of tradition of Thaddaeus' activity in Edessa as part of an effort to build the authority of the orthodox or [[Palut]]ian{{efn|The group now understood as the orthodox faction was known as the Palutians in Syria at this time. {{harv|Koester|1965|p=305}}}} faction in Syria against the [[Manichean]]s and [[gnostic]]s, who had an older and stronger presence in the area and traced their lineage to [[Thomas the Apostle]].{{sfn|Koester|1965|p=296,305}}{{efn|Cf. {{cite book |last=Bauer |first=Walter |author-link=Walter Bauer |year=1909 |title=Das Leben Jesu im Zeitalter der neutestamentlichen Apokryphen |location=Tübingen, Germany |publisher=J. C. B. Mohr |language=de |pages=444–445}}}} He considers the Palutian faction to have come to Edessa around {{CE|200}} and only become significant in the fourth century.{{sfn|Koester|1965|p=305-306}}

== Manuscripts ==
* ms Saint-Petersburg, National Library of Russia Saltykov-Shchedrine, N.S. Syr. 4 (Pigulevskaya 48), f. 1v33
* ms London, British Library, Add. 14654, f. 33r-v (fragment) + Add. 14644, f. 1-9v + Add. 14535, f. 1r (fragment) + Add. 12155, f. 53v + Add. 17193, f. 36v-37 (extrait)
* ms Alqosh, Église paroissiale chaldéenne, cod. 87 ?
* ms London, British Library, Add. 12161, f. 1v (fragment)
* ms London, British Library, Add. 14612, f. 165r (fragment)
* ms London, British Library, Add. 14644, f. 1-9v (mutilated from the beginning and in the middle)
* ms Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, syr. 62, f. 102v-108 (extraits)
* ms Birmingham, Selly Oak College Library, Coll. Mingana, Syr. 405, f. 1
* ms Jerusalem, Couvent syrien orthodoxe Saint-Marc, cod. 153, p.&nbsp;241-259{{sfn|Saint-Laurent|Michelson|Zanetti|Detienne|2015}}
* [[Pseudo-Abdias]] (x. 1)
* Nicephorus (H. E., ii. 7)<ref name="Walker">{{ws|{{cite book |first=Alexander |last=Walker |chapter=[[s:Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume VIII/Apocrypha of the New Testament/Translator's Introductory Notice/The Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles|Translator's introductory notice to the apocryphal acts of the apostles]] |editor1-first=Alexander |editor-last1=Roberts |editor-first2=James |editor-last2=Donaldson |title=Ante-Nicene Christian Library |location=Edinburgh |publisher=T. & T. Clark |date=1885}}}}<!-- Note: Walker is probably based mostly on Cureton --> Note: Walker conflates the '[[Acts of Thaddeus]]'' with the ''Doctrine of Addai''.</ref>{{better source needed|date=September 2017}}

== Published editions ==
* {{cite book |year=1876 |editor-first=George |editor-last=Phillips |title=The Doctrine of Addai, the apostle |location=London |publisher=Trübner & Co. |url=https://archive.org/stream/doctrineofaddaia00phil#page/106/mode/2up |pages=51–106 |language=syr }}
* {{cite book |first=Elena Nikitična |last=Meščerskaja |title=Legenda ob Avgare&nbsp;— rannesirijskij literaturnyj pamjatnik: istoričeskie korni v ėvoljucii apokrifičeskoj legendy |trans-title=The Legend of Abgar&nbsp;— early Syrian literary monument: Historical roots and evolution of an apocryphal legend |location=Moscow |publisher=Nauka |year=1984 |pages=119–184 |oclc=715504370 |language=ru}}

== Modern translations ==
=== English ===
<!-- sorted by date of first publication -->
* {{cite book |last=Cureton |first=William |title=Ancient Syriac documents relative to earliest establishment of Christianity in Edessa and the neighbouring countries, from the year after our Lord's Ascension to the beginning of the fourth century |location=London, UK |publisher=Williams and Norgate |date=1864 |url=https://archive.org/details/ancientsyriacdo00wriggoog |page=[https://archive.org/details/ancientsyriacdo00wriggoog/page/n28 6]–23, 108–109}}
* {{cite book |year=1876 |editor-first=George |editor-last=Phillips |title=The Doctrine of Addai, the apostle |location=London |publisher=Trübner & Co. |url=https://archive.org/stream/doctrineofaddaia00phil#page/n19/mode/2up |pages=1–50 |ref=none}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20170904034555/http://www.ccel.org/ccel/pearse/morefathers/files/addai_2_text.htm HTML version])
* {{cite book | last=Howard | first=George | title=The Teaching of Addai: Texts and translations |location=Chico, CA |publisher=Scholars Press | series=Early Christian literature series | year=1981 | isbn=978-0-89130-490-6}} Note: This includes a reprint of the Syriac edition of {{harvnb|Phillips|1876}}{{sfn|Saint-Laurent|Michelson|Zanetti|Detienne|2015}}
* Lollar, Jacob A. (2023-11-10). ''[https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Doctrine_of_Addai_and_the_Letters_of/UGrjEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 The Doctrine of Addai and the Letters of Jesus and Abgar]''. Wipf and Stock Publishers. ISBN 978-1-6667-5208-3.

=== Other ===
<!-- sorted by date of first publication -->
* {{cite book |last=Desreumaux |first=Alain |title=Histoire du roi Abgar et de Jésus: présentation et trad. du texte syriaque intégral de "La doctrine d'Addaï" |trans-title=History of King Abgar and Jesus: Presentation and tradition Of the Syriac text of "The Doctrine of Addai" |publisher=Brepols |publication-place=Paris |year=1993 |isbn=978-2-503-50305-9 |pages=53–117 |language=fr}} This also contains an Ethiopian version.<ref>[http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb366840314 French national library]</ref>
* Dutch: Jan Willem Drijvers, Helena Augusta, waarheid en legende ( Groningen: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, 1989), pp: 153–157, Note: partielle
* Russian: Elena Nikitična Meščerskaja, Legenda ob Avgare&nbsp;— rannesirijskij literaturnyj pamjatnik: (istoričeskie korni v ėvoljucii apokrifičeskoj legendy) ( Moskva: Nauka, 1984), pp: 185–203
* Armenian: A Carrière, La légende d'Abgar dans l'Histoire d'Arménie de Moïse de Khoren ( Paris: Imprimerie nationale, 1895), pp: 357–414
* Ethiopic: Getatchew Haile, " The Legend of Abgar in Ethiopic Tradition," Orientalia christiana periodica vol. 55 ( 1989), pp: 375–410{{sfn|Saint-Laurent|Michelson|Zanetti|Detienne|2015}}

== See also ==
*[[Abgar Legend]]
*[[Holy Qurbana of Addai and Mari]]
*[[Early centers of Christianity]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== Citations ==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
* {{cite book |last=Bauer |first=Walter |author-link=Walter Bauer |title=Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity |orig-year=1934 |year=1991 |translator-first1=John E. |translator-last1=Steely |translator-first2=Robert A. |translator-last2=Kraft |url=http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~humm/Resources/Bauer/bauer01.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000818212534/http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~humm/Resources/Bauer/bauer01.htm |archive-date=18 August 2000 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Koester |first=Helmut |title=ΓΝΩΜΑΙ ΔΙΑΦΟΡΟΙ: The Origin and Nature of Diversification in the History of Early Christianity |journal=Harvard Theological Review |volume=58 |issue=3 |date=July 1965 |pages=279–318 |doi=10.1017/S0017816000031400 |jstor=1508818 |s2cid=163149876 }}
* {{cite encyclopedia |article=Addai (Teaching of) (text) |date=5 November 2015 |editor-first1=Jeanne-Nicole Mellon |editor-last1=Saint-Laurent |editor-first2=David A. |editor-last2=Michelson |editor-first3=Ugo |editor-last3=Zanetti |editor-first4=Claude |editor-last4=Detienne |title=Bibliotheca Hagiographica Syriaca |chapter-url=http://syriaca.org/work/921 |access-date=31 August 2017 }} {{CC-notice|cc=by3}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite CE1913|last=Leclercq |first=Henri |wstitle=Legend of Abgar}}
*[http://www.apostle1.com/doctrine-addai-syriac-orthodox1.htm ''Doctrine of Addai''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419061904/http://www.apostle1.com/doctrine-addai-syriac-orthodox1.htm |date=2017-04-19 }} (text, in English)
* {{Cite CE1913|last=Chapman |first=Henry Palmer |wstitle=Doctrine of Addai}}
* {{cite book |year=1876 |editor-first=George |editor-last=Phillips |chapter=Preface |title=The Doctrine of Addai, the apostle |location=London |publisher=Trübner & Co. |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/doctrineofaddaia00phil#page/n5/mode/2up |page=iii–xv |ref=none}} ([http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/addai_1_intro.htm HTML version])
* {{cite journal |year=2003 |title=The Doctrina Addai as a Paradigm of Christian Thought in Edessa in the Fifth Century |first=Sidney H. |last=Griffith |publisher=Institute of Christian Oriental Research, Catholic University of America |url=http://www.bethmardutho.org/images/hugoye/volume6/hv6n2griffith.pdf |access-date=13 September 2017 |archive-date=22 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222010700/http://www.bethmardutho.org/images/hugoye/volume6/hv6n2griffith.pdf |url-status=dead }} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20030821112810/http://syrcom.cua.edu/Hugoye/Vol6No2/HV6N2Griffith.html HTML version])<!--
* {{cite journal |year=2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030821112810/http://syrcom.cua.edu/Hugoye/Vol6No2/HV6N2Griffith.html |title=The Doctrina Addai as a Paradigm of Christian Thought in Edessa in the Fifth Century |first=Sidney H. |last=Griffith |publisher=Institute of Christian Oriental Research, Catholic University of America |url=http://syrcom.cua.edu/Hugoye/Vol6No2/HV6N2Griffith.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 August 2003}} -->
* {{cite journal |year=2006 |title=Possible historical traces in the Doctrina Addai |first=Ilaria |last=Ramelli |journal=Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies |volume=9 |number=1 |publisher=Catholic University of Milan |url=http://www.bethmardutho.org/images/hugoye/volume9/hv9n1ramelli.pdf |access-date=13 September 2017 |archive-date=23 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223030337/http://www.bethmardutho.org/images/hugoye/volume9/hv9n1ramelli.pdf |url-status=dead }} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20070504221223/http://syrcom.cua.edu/hugoye/Vol9No1/HV9N1Ramelli.html HTML version])<!--
* {{cite journal |year=2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070504221223/http://syrcom.cua.edu/hugoye/Vol9No1/HV9N1Ramelli.html |title=Possible historical traces in the Doctrina Addai |first=Ilaria |last=Ramelli |work=Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies |volume=9 |number=1 |publisher=Catholic University of Milan |url=http://syrcom.cua.edu/hugoye/Vol9No1/HV9N1Ramelli.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 May 2007}} -->

[[Category:Texts in Syriac]]
[[Category:Christian hagiography|Addai]]
[[Category:5th-century Christian texts]]
[[Category:4th-century Christian texts]]
[[Category:Edessa]]