Hymns

(Photo: Gewargis Bar Iskender)

Edessa sent to Christ by an epistle to come to her and enlighten her. On behalf of all the peoples did she make intercession to Him that He would leave Zion, which hated Him, and come to the peoples, who loved Him.
She despatched a messenger to Him, and begged of Him to enter into friendship with her. By the righteous king she made intercession to Him, that He would depart from the Jewish people, and towards the other peoples direct His burden.
From among all kings one wise king did the daughter of the peoples find. Ambassador she made him. To her Lord she sent by him: Come Thou unto me; I will forget in Thee all idols and carved images.
The harlot heard the report of Him from afar, as she was standing in the street, going astray with idols, playing the wench with carved images. She loved, she much desired Him, when He was far away, and begged Him to admit her into His chamber.
Let the much-desired Bridegroom kiss me: with the kisses of His mouth let me be blessed. I have heard of Him from afar: may I see Him near; and may I place my lips upon His, and be delighted by seeing Him with mine eyes.
Thy breasts are better to me than wine: for the fragrance of Thy sweetness is life for evermore. With Thy milk shall I be nourished; with Thy fragrance shall I grow sweet from the smoke of idols, which with its rank odour did make me fetid.
Draw me after Thee into Thy fold: for I am a sheep gone astray in the world. After Thee do I run, and Thy converse do I seek: that in me may be completed that number of a hundred, by means of a lost one which is found.
Let Gabriel rejoice and be exceeding glad, with the company of all the angels, in Thee, the Good Shepherd, who on Thy shoulders didst carry the maimed sheep, that that number of a hundred might be preserved.
Thy love is better than wine; than the face of the upright Thy affection. By wine let us be reminded of Thee, how by the cup of Thy blood Thou didst grant us to obtain new life, and the upright did celebrate Thy love.
A church am I from among the peoples, and I have loved the Only-begotten who was sent by God: whereas His betrothed hated Him, I have loved Him; and by the hands of Abgar the Black do I beseech Him to come to me and visit me.
Black am I, yet comely. Ye daughters of Zion, blameless is your envy, seeing that the Son of the Glorious One hath espoused me, to bring me into His chamber. Even when I was hateful, He loved me, for He is able to make me fairer than water. Black was I in sins, but I am comely: for I have repented and turned me. I have put away in baptism that hateful hue, for he hath washed me in His innocent blood who is the Saviour of all creatures.

(Translated from the Syriac by Rev. B. P. Pratten, 1871)

[Addai] uprooted from our country the [impurity and thorn?] and planted and filled it with a comely orach and a fragrant myrtle whose smell was sweet.

By means of Addai, that [spiritual] gift which came freely to those in want was sent to us from the True One.
By means of this man, who is deemed worthy of great praise, the promise of the Son of God was fulfilled.
This Apostle brought to Abgar that [spiritual] gift, which his friend Jesus had promised to send him.
This is the one who came and brought with him the baptism, the bath of light, for the Bride who had darkened by the [pagan] altars.
This is the scribe [with] whom the Bridegroom sent the marriage contract to her on whose behalf the King petitioned the Son of God.
This one opened the big gate of baptism in Edessa, the city full of blessings for the prudent ones.
This one brought the glorious garments from the house of the Father and bathed and embellished the daughter of the Arameans when she was taken [as wife].
This one purified, washed and cleansed the defiled, the beloved of the Bridegroom, when she was given to the Bridegroom, her Lord.
King Abgar, [who is deemed] worthy of the divine blessings, sent by petition for the Son of God to come to his city.
He opened [the gates of] his city and affectionately invited Him to come, [so as] to become for his people a Physician and a Scribe of Truths.
He betrothed his city to the Only-Begotten [Son of God, the Father,] who had come to earth and the Bridegroom promised the King that He would accept [the request].
He made him a marriage settlement that as soon as He would have ascended to His Father,He would marry the Bride, whom he had raised and given in marriage [or: sanctified].
He had promised that He would send him a disciple who would bring salvation to his house and to the daughter of his people.
After the glorious Bridegroom had ascended to His high place,
He wished to send [him a disciple], as He affectionately promised to Abgar.
He chose Addai from among his brethren to fulfill through him the promise that He recorded in writing and [that] would not be altered.
The [Holy] Spirit divided the countries among the Apostles and reserved the city of Edessa for Addai to fulfill [Jesus’ promise to Abgar] in her.
[Tongues (as) of fire settled and?] descended upon the disciples and bestowed [the speech?] of the countries to their [respective] Apostles.
Each one of them was identified by his language [corresponding to] which country the [Holy] Spirit granted him to speak in.
Rome was granted to Petrus, India to Thomas, but He reserved the city of Abgar to which Addai would be sent.
He discerned him with speech and assigned him with a new language, as the [Holy] Spirit sent him to Mesopotamia to fulfill [Jesus’ promise] to Abgar.
He sent the wise-making and glowing fire of the Father to the earth, so that the Apostles of His Son could become wise through it.
The Holy Spirit, the major Scribe of the heavenly [beings], taught them all the languages of all the countries.
He granted to Addai the speech of [Edessa?] while he was in Judea, but by his language they would [still] identify him [and tell] what his [native] country was.
The symbol of [the Patriarch] Jacob, the son of the Hebrews, was explained,
since he also placed the branches in the [watering] troughs in front of his flock.
Jacob and Addai were sent to Aram-nahrin, so that they would fulfill both the New and the Old [Testament symbols].
Jacob descended and carried in his hand the staff of the symbols, which expelled the wolves, and gathered the flock at the spring.
From the water [well], he betrothed the young daughters of the Harranians and he marked the flock with the white branches [of trees].
Addai, however, came also to the native country of the Arameans, so that these types prefigured by Jacob would be fulfilled in him.
And [so] in Edessa he opened up a big fountain of living waters, drew [the believers to it] and watered the large flock from the spring.
[Later on, the Patriarch Jacob is again compared to Addai and the land of his mission again specified:]

(mimro composed by Jacob, entitled “On Addai the Apostle and Abgar, the King of Edessa,” catalogued as Vatican Syrus 117 and translated by Johny Messo in "The Toponym “Aramea” in Two Early Syriac Writers (Part I)")