According to Syriac tradition, the Aramean king Abgar V Ukkama converted to Christianity along with his state, Edessa (Urhoy), very early—either during Christ’s lifetime or immediately afterward. This tradition tells that the Aramean king Abgar V “Ukomo” (the Black) of Edessa suffered from leprosy, and his physicians were unable to cure him. He heard about a “wise physician” (Jesus) in Roman Palestine who had powerful remedies for diseases.
King Abgar, son of Manu, learned about Jesus Christ and His miracles through the Aramean diplomatic delegation consisting of the leaders Mariyahb, Shmeshgrem, and the messenger Hanan, whom Abgar had sent to meet Sabinus, the Roman emperor’s deputy in Syria and Palestine in the year 343 of the Greek kingdom, which corresponds to the reign of the Roman emperor Tiberius (from 14 AD until his death in 37 AD). After completing their political mission with Sabinus, this Aramean delegation went to Palestine, met Jesus, and witnessed His extraordinary miracles.
King Abgar was astonished by the incredible news he heard about Jesus, His healings, and the miracles He performed. He developed a strong desire to meet Jesus, hoping that He could cure him of his illness. The Aramean king Abgar sent a delegation to Jesus, led by the messenger Hanan, who was also the royal painter. Along with the delegation, Abgar sent a letter inviting Jesus to Edessa to heal him. Jesus replied that He could not come to Edessa, as He had other missions to fulfill. However, He sent one of His followers, Thaddeus (Mar Addai), who healed King Abgar, leading him to convert to Christianity. As a result, Edessa became renowned for this event and for possessing the letters exchanged between King Abgar and Jesus. Visitors from various Christian lands traveled to Edessa to see the letters and possibly obtain copies.
Edessa later became an important center for Christian Arameans (Syriacs) and their Aramaic (Syriac) Christian culture, just as Antioch became a center for the Greek-speaking church.
This story was mentioned by Eusebius, the bishop of Caesarea in Palestine (263–339 AD), in his book Church History (1.13; II.1). The story is also recorded in Syriac in a text from the early 5th century AD, titled ܡܠܦܢܘܬܐ ܕܐܕܝ ܫܠܝܚܐ (The Teaching of the Apostle Addai), and is also referenced by the great poet Mar Jacob of Serug (died 521 AD).
The great Syriac writer Jacob of Serug, who was a student at the higher school of Edessa and later a teacher there, wrote about King Abgar, referring to him as “the son of the Arameans” (ܒܪ ܐܖ̈ܡܝܐ) and calling the state of Urhoy (Edessa) “the daughter of the Arameans” (ܒܪܬ ܐܖ̈ܡܝܐ).
Let us read the following excerpt from his poem about Jerusalem and Edessa:
:ܒܪܬ ܥܒܖ̈ܝܐ ܐܟܠܐ ܠܚܡܗ ܘܫܬܝܐ ܚܡܪܗ
:ܘܡܨܥܪܐ ܠܗ ܘܠܐ ܒܥܝܐ ܠܗ ܕܢܗܘܐ ܥܡܗ̇.
:ܒܪܬ ܐܖ̈ܡܝܐ ܟܕ ܪܚܝܩܐ ܘܫܡܥܐ ܛܒܗ
:ܟܪܝܗܐ ܒܚܘܒܗ ܘܡܦܝܣܐ ܠܗ ܕܢܐܬܐ ܨܐܝܕܝܗ̇
“The daughter of the Hebrews (Jerusalem) ate His (Jesus’) bread and drank His wine,
And insulted Him, refusing to be with Him.
But the daughter of the Arameans (Edessa), though far away,
Upon hearing about Him, fell in love with Him and pleaded for Him to come to her.”
(ܡܐܡܖ̈ܐ ܡܓܒܝ̈ܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܝܥܩܘܒ ܕܣܪܘܓ: ܕܘܒܩܐ ܗ: ܡܐܡܪܐ ܕܥܠ ܐܘܪܫܠܡ ܘܐܘܪܗܝ. ܦܐܬܐ 470)
Let us continue by reading the following passage about King Abgar:
.ܟܕ ܪܕܦܝܢ ܠܗ ܒܢ̈ܝ ܥܒܖ̈ܝܐ ܡܢ ܫܘܩܝ̈ܗܘܢ
:ܠܟܢܫ̈ܐ ܕܥܡܡ̈ܐ ܐܒܓܪ ܡܠܟܐ ܗܘܐ ܠܗ ܦܘܡܐ:
.ܕܚܫܘܟ ܠܠܝܐ ܘܐܘܟܡ ܐܒܓܪ ܒܪܐܖ̈ܡܝܐ.
:ܥܠܡܐ ܕܚܫܘܟ ܒܐܝܕ̈ܝ ܐܒܓܪ ܢܗܪ ܒܡܫܝܚܐ:
“While the Hebrews drove Him (Jesus) out of their streets,
King Abgar became a voice for the nations.
The darkness of night and the blackness of Abgar, the son of the Arameans,
Illuminated the dark world in Christ through Abgar.”
Here, we present the letters between Abgar and Jesus, as found in the story The Teaching of the Apostle Addai, which recounts how the Aramean King Abgar sent a delegation to Jesus, inviting Him to come to Edessa and heal the king from an illness that had afflicted him. The story states:
King Abgar Ukkama to Jesus, the Good Healer who has appeared in the land of Jerusalem.
“Master, peace be upon You.
I have heard about You and Your healing powers, which are not achieved with herbs or medicines, but by Your word alone: You open the eyes of the blind, make the lame walk, cleanse the lepers, enable the deaf to hear, cast out unclean spirits and demons, and heal those afflicted by suffering. You even raise the dead.
Hearing of these great wonders that You perform, I have considered whether You are indeed God who has descended from heaven and is doing these things, or if You are the Son of God, who accomplishes them all. Therefore, I have written to You, asking You to come to me. I bow before You, and I ask You to heal me from my affliction, just as I have believed in You.
I have also heard that the Jews are murmuring against You and seeking to harm You. They even intend to crucify You. I have a small and beautiful city (Edessa) that is big enough for the two of us to live in peace.”
Despite the weakness of this story, it highlights the importance of Edessa, which became the primary center of Aramean Christianity and the most powerful hub for the Aramean language, later known as Syriac. From Edessa, Christianity and the Syriac Aramean language began to spread in different directions. Christianity, with Edessa’s Aramean dialect, became the standard in the Middle East due to the connection between the Edessa dialect and Christ’s Galilean Aramaic dialect, especially since the Bible, with both its testaments, was translated into Edessa Aramaic (Classical Syriac, Kthobonoyo).
The Aramaic dialect spoken in Edessa became the official language of the emerging Aramean (Syriac) Christian Church. Thousands of books were written in this language, and it is this Syriac-Aramean language that is still used in the liturgy of Syriac churches and in mother tongue education in Sweden.
The Christian Arameans carried out missions in India, Tibet, Mongolia, and China. Many Central Asian peoples, such as the Mongols and Turks, became Christians and adopted the Syriac-Aramean liturgy and alphabet. However, after a few centuries, they converted to Islam.
Yet, in Kerala, southern India, there are still Syriac churches with 10-12 million followers who use Syriac-Aramean as their liturgical language.
During the Middle Ages, the term “Suryoyo/Suryaya” became exclusively associated with Christian Arameans and was used instead of the name “Arameans.”
In the 5th-6th centuries AD, the church began to split, leading to the formation of the following Aramean churches:
Other religious and ethnic Aramean groups.
The East Syriac Church (Nestorian branch): Founded in the 5th century, with nearly all Eastern Christian Arameans as followers. It exists in Iraq and Iran; since the 1960s, it has split into two branches, each with its own patriarch—one for the modern Assyrian Church and the other for the Ancient Church of the East.
The Syriac Orthodox Church (451 AD): Most Christian Arameans west of the Euphrates belonged to this church. Today, it is mainly present in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, and India, with its patriarch in Damascus.
The Rum Orthodox Church (451 AD): Today’s Greek Orthodox Church in Syria and Lebanon, with its patriarch in Damascus.
The Syriac Maronite Church (6th-7th centuries AD): Located in Lebanon, where the patriarch also resides.
The Chaldean Church (16th century AD): Mostly in Iraq, with its patriarch in Baghdad.
The Syriac Catholic Church (18th century AD): Present in Lebanon and Syria, with its patriarch in Lebanon.
The Greek Catholic (Melkite) Church (18th century AD): Mostly in Syria and Lebanon, with its patriarch in Damascus.
Protestant Churches (19th century AD): Primarily in Syria and Lebanon, with leaders based in Damascus and Beirut.
Dr Assad Sauma, Syrologist