'Therefore, from mere suspicion of Herod, he is led away in chains to the fortress of Machaerus.' Thus far concerning John. But concerning the Lord the Savior also, in the same books of his histories, this same Josephus writes thus: '...whom it is right to name. For he was a worker of wonderful deeds and a teacher of those men who gladly hear the things that are true. And [he drew to himself] many... When Pilate had decreed that he should be led to the cross, upon the accusation of the chief men of our nation, those who from the beginning [had loved him] did not forsake him... for the prophets, divinely inspired, had foretold that these and countless other miracles concerning him were to come to pass. And even to this day the name and the race of the Christians, who are named from him, endures.'
[Seeing what testimony Josephus] has handed down both concerning John the Baptist and concerning our Lord and Savior — what refuge, what excuse will remain for the shameless and the faithless, that they should not be most openly convicted of the falsity of the deeds which they afterwards fabricated? But let these things suffice concerning these matters. [The names of the twelve apostles, however they may be reported,] are plain from all the Gospels themselves. But of the seventy disciples we have nowhere indeed found the names written; yet one of them is said to be Barnabas, of whom also mention is made in the Acts of the Apostles. And Paul too nonetheless remembers him in his writings. Indeed they say he is the one who, with Sosthenes and Paul, writes to the Corinthians. Clement, moreover, in the fourth book of the Dispositions, makes mention of Cephas, of whom Paul said:
'But when Cephas came to Antioch, I withstood him to his face' — and he says that he is one of the seventy disciples bearing the same name as Peter the apostle. He says too that Matthias was one of them, who was chosen by lot into the number of the apostles in place of Judas, and also the one who was appointed with him for the lot. Thaddaeus likewise they hand down was one of them, concerning whom I judge it necessary to set forth the history which has come down even to us. For you will find that there were also more disciples of the Savior than seventy... that the Lord [appeared] first indeed to Cephas, then to those eleven, and after these to more than five hundred brethren at once, of whom he says some had fallen asleep, but very many still remained at the time when he was writing.
Afterwards too he says that he was seen by James, who was one of those who were called the brothers of the Savior. Then next, as though besides these twelve, there were certain other apostles after their likeness — such as he himself also was — Paul adds and says: 'afterward he appeared to all the apostles, and last of all he was seen by me also.' And concerning these things the divinity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, when it was celebrated throughout every place on account of the marvelous work of his power, invited countless numbers, both of neighbors and of strangers and of those set far off, for the sake of the healings and the powers of cure, especially if any labored under the sickness of some disease.
Whence indeed a certain king named Abgar, nobly holding the principate of a nation situated beyond the Euphrates, was held by a certain bodily disease incurable, so far as lies among men. When he had heard of the name of Jesus and of his marvelous powers, becoming a suppliant to him by a letter, he entreated, sending a man for the purpose, to be released from the bonds of his long-standing disease by which he was held. But for the present indeed the cure of his body is deferred by the Lord; yet he is made worthy of a reply-letter from the Savior, in which at the same time it is also promised to him that not long after he would obtain the effect of his desire.
Finally, after the resurrection and ascension of the Lord to the heavens, Thomas the apostle, by divine admonition, sends a certain Thaddaeus, one of the seventy disciples, to the city of Edessa as an evangelist and preacher of the word of God, that he might at the same time fulfill also what had been promised by the Lord. These things we found so described in the public archives of the city of Edessa, in which at that time the aforesaid Abgar reigned — in those documents which preserved from ancient times contained the acts of King Abgar. And that the truth of the words may be made evident, [we have translated] the very copies of the letters themselves from the language of the Syrians... 'in the places of Jerusalem, greeting.'
'It has been heard by me concerning you and concerning the healings which you perform, that these things are done by you without medicines or herbs, and that by a word alone you make the blind to see, the lame to walk, [and cleanse lepers]; those afflicted by long sicknesses you cure and heal, and you even raise the dead. Having heard all these things concerning you, I resolved in my mind that it is one of two things: either that you are God and have come down from heaven to do these things, or that you are the Son of God who does these things. Therefore, writing this, I have besought you, that you would deign to weary yourself as far as to me and to cure my sickness by which I have long been laboring [signed: Abgar, son of Uchama, toparch, to Jesus the good Savior, who has appeared...]. For I have also learned this, that the Jews murmur against you and wish to lay snares for you.
But my city is indeed small, yet honorable, which would suffice for us both.' [Jesus replied:] 'Blessed are you who have believed in me, though you have not seen me yourself. For it is written concerning me that those who see me will not believe in me, and those who do not see me, they themselves will believe and will live. But concerning that which you wrote to me, that I should come to you, it is necessary for me to fulfill all the things for which I was sent. When therefore I have been taken up, I will send to you one of my disciples, that he may cure your sickness and give life to you and to those who [are with you]... that no adversary may ever be able to prevail over us.'
Now there was joined to these letters also this, in the language of the Syrians, that 'after Jesus had been taken up, Judas — who is also Thomas — sent [to him]... and it was announced to him that the apostle of Jesus had come, according to what he had written to him; and when Thaddaeus had begun in the power of God to cure every languor and infirmity, so that all marveled, Abgar, having considered the wonders which he did, remembered that it was he of whom [Jesus had written]: I will send you one of my disciples who may heal your sickness. And calling to himself Tobias, with whom he was staying, he said to him: I have heard that a certain powerful man has come and is staying in your house; bring him to me. And when Tobias returned to Thaddaeus, he said to him:
'The toparch Abgar has called me to him' — [Thaddaeus said,] 'I will come, for I was sent chiefly on his account.' On the next day [Tobias led] Thaddaeus the apostle, one of the seventy. When he had come and entered, in the presence of his chief men, straightway at his entrance there appeared to Abgar some I-know-not-what of divine splendor on the countenance of the apostle Thaddaeus. And when Abgar had seen it, he adored Thaddaeus, at which all who stood by the king marveled; for they themselves saw none of these things, since it had been shown to Abgar alone. And he began to say to Thaddaeus: 'Truly you are a disciple of Jesus the Son of God, who had said to me: I will send you one of my disciples who may cure you and grant you life.' And Thaddaeus answered:
'Because you have believed magnificently in him who sent me, therefore [all the desires of your heart shall be granted] to you.' Then Abgar said to him: 'To such a degree have I believed in him, that I would even wish to slaughter the Jews who crucified him, if only I had at hand so great a supply of an army, and if the authority of the Roman kingdom did not hinder it.' And Thaddaeus said to this: 'Our Lord fulfilled the will of his Father; and this being fulfilled, he was taken up again to the Father.' Abgar says to him: 'I too know and believe in him and in his Father.' And Thaddaeus: 'For this reason,' he says, 'I lay my hand upon you in his name.' And when he had done this, straightway he was released from every sickness of the disease by which he was held.
Abgar marveled that, just as he had heard in words concerning Jesus, so in reality and in works he found it fulfilled through Thaddaeus his disciple, who cured him without medicines and herbs. And not only him, but also a certain Abdus, son of Abdas, laboring under gout, when he cast himself at his footprints, he healed by the laying on of hands; and he healed many other citizens of that city who were beset by various afflictions. And thus, performing great and wondrous works, he preached the word of God. After this Abgar said to Thaddaeus: 'You,' he said, 'do these things with the power of God, and we all seeing them marvel. But I beg you, relate to me concerning the coming of Jesus, how it came about, and concerning his power, by which he did these things which I have heard.'
'Now indeed let me be silent; yet, because I was sent to preach the word, tomorrow gather to me all your citizens, and before them I will preach and sow among them the word of life — both how the coming of Jesus was, and for what cause he was sent by the Father, and concerning the powers of his works, and concerning the mysteries which he spoke in this world, and by what power he did these things; and also concerning his new preaching, and how he was so small and humble, and how he so humbled himself and, laying aside his majesty, made little of his own deity, so that he was even led to the cross and descended into hell and burst asunder the barrier which from the ages no one had burst, and raised the dead; who indeed descended alone, but ascended with a great multitude to his Father.' Abgar therefore commanded that early all the citizens should assemble and hear the preaching of Thaddaeus.
And after these things he ordered that gold and silver be given to him; but he did not accept it, saying: 'If we have left our own, how shall we receive what belongs to others?' Now these things were done in the three hundred and fortieth year. These things, translated word for word by us from the language of the Syrians — not unprofitably, as I think — will hold this place in our books. On the life and institution of the apostles after the ascension of Christ. — How Tiberius, instructed by Pilate concerning Christ, was moved [to reverence him]. — How in a short time the preaching concerning Christ was diffused into all the world. — How after Tiberius, Gaius Caesar set up Agrippa as king of the Jews, Herod being deported with perpetual punishment. — How Philo undertook the embassy on behalf of the Jews to Gaius.
How great and grievous things befell the Jews after the rashness of the cross. — How Pilate too condemned himself to death. — How Agrippa and Herod, having persecuted the apostles, [suffered] straightway divine [vengeance]. — Concerning the preaching of Peter the apostle at the city of Rome. — [Simon Magus] pretended that he received baptism; which truly it is worthy to marvel at, that even today the same order of thing is done by those who, as though by a hereditary imitation from him, having entered the church established by any fraud, steal the laver and the holy things; a venomous discourse, like an ulcer among the flocks, and by hidden bitings of words [it corrupts]; [the shepherd] brings out into the light those things tracked down, just as Simon himself, apprehended by the diligence of Peter, paid the penalty which he deserved.
But moreover, from the regions of Ethiopia there is present a certain steward of the queen of that nation — for it is indeed the custom for that nation even now to be ruled by women — as though about to render vows in Jerusalem. To him Philip, commanded by the responses of the Holy Spirit, first of all the Gentiles [imparted] the mystery of the faith and the sacrament of the nations. Report holds that this man, having returned to his native land, preached the knowledge of the most high God and the saving foreknowledge of our Lord to the native peoples, just as it had been handed down to him. In which, by the very deeds, the prophecy was fulfilled through him which says:
'Ethiopia shall stretch out her hands unto God before all.' [Paul,] neither through man, but through the revelation of Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead, is called to the apostolate by a heavenly [voice]. Meanwhile, when throughout every place already the report concerning the resurrection and the wonders was being spoken of, and the opinion of this blessed rumor was being turned over in the ears of all,