Thaddeus the Heart
By
Andrew Missick
Copyright 2005
The Gospel of Matthew declares that the fame of Christ spread throughout all of Syria—meaning Aramaic speaking areas—during his ministry (Matthew 4:24). Two apostles carried the Gospel to the East, Thaddeus and Thomas. (Paul may also have preached to Aramaic speaking people first. It is possible that when Paul went to Arabia that he went to the Nabatean Empire of Petra in Jordan and preached to the Aramaic speaking Arabs under King Aretas. King Aretas was probably trying to arrest Paul for his efforts at converting his fellow Aramaic speakers to faith in Jesus. See Galatians 1:17 and 1 Corinthians 11: 32-3. When Paul says he is a “Hebrew of the Hebrews” in Philippians 3:5 he means that he was raised an Aramaic speaking religious Jew. Both Tarsus and Damascus were Aramaic speaking cities.) One of the reasons we know that Aramaic was the language of Jesus is because he gave his disciples Aramaic names, or they had Aramaic names already. Simon the Son of Jonah was given the Aramaic nick-name Cephas, meaning ‘Stone’. James and John were nick-named Boanerges, Aramaic for “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). Judah was given the Aramaic nick-name Thomas, meaning ‘Twin’ because of his close physical resemblance to Jesus (John 20:24). The other Simon was called Simon the Terrorist. In Aramaic it is Canaanean and is usually translated as Simon the Zealot (Mark 3:18). Zealots used violent means to oppose Roman occupation. Jesus was willing to accept people with shameful pasts if they were willing to follow him. Judas Thaddeus has a very interesting name. Simon as a Zealot was a man who had been a man of anger prone to violence. But Judas’ Aramaic name shows him to be a very tender and loving man. In Aramaic Thaddeus means “breast”. In Aramaic there is also a connection to the word for nipple. This Judas, not Iscariot, also had another name besides that of Thaddeus (John 14:22). It is Lebbaeus. This is the Aramaic word for heart. Thaddeus Lebbaeus means “breast” and “heart”(Matthew 10:3). Thaddeus was obviously “all heart”. He was a tender and sensitive man who loved people. It was this meek and loving man who converted the Assyrian Kingdom to faith in Jesus. This man of love is the father of the Aramaic church. In Modern Aramaic Thaddeus is called Addai.
Eusebius Pamphylius, the father of church history, wrote of the Conversion of Abgar the king of the Aramaic peoples. According to this tradition Abgar, who was ailing, heard of the miraculous power of Jesus and sent a letter to him requesting that he visit and heal him. Jesus responded that after his glorification he would send a disciple to minister unto him. After Pentecost, Saint Thomas sent Thaddeus and the disciple Mari to preach to King Abgar. Thaddeus prayed for Abgar and Abgar was immediately miraculously healed. Thaddeus baptized King Abgar into the church. After seeing the miracles and listening to the gentle wisdom of a kind and caring man that Thaddeus was many of the Aramaic speakers and the Assyrians also were converted. Eusebius, called the Father of Church History, writing in 325 says he found the records of the Apostle’s ministry to the Assyrians written in Aramaic among the official records of the city of Edessa.[1] Eusebius translated these documents in the archives from the original Aramaic. This letter reads as follows
Abgarus, King of Edessa, to Jesus the good Savior, who appears at Jerusalem, greeting. I have been informed concerning you and your cures, which are performed without the use of medicines and herbs. For it is reported, that you cause the blind to see, the lame to walk, do both cleanse lepers, and cast out unclean spirits and devils and restore to health who have been long diseased, and raiseth up the dead; all which I heard, I was persuaded one of these two: wither that you are God himself descended form heaven, who do these things, or the son of God. On this account therefore I have wrote unto you, earnestly to desire that you would take the trouble of a journey hither, and cure a disease which I am under. For I hear the Judeans ridicule you, and intend you mischief. My city is indeed small, but neat, and large enough for us both.
Jesus verbally responded,
Abgarus, you are happy, for as much as you have believed on me, whom ye have not seen. For it is written concerning me, that those who have seen me should not believe on me, that they who have not seen might believe and live. As to that part of your letter, which relates to my giving you a visit, I must inform you, that I must fulfill all the ends of my mission in this country, and after that be received up again to him who sent me. But after my ascension I will send one of my disciples, who will cure your disease, and give life to you, and all that are with you.
Thomas also ministered to the Assyrians and went on to preach in India. The Doctrine of Addai is an Aramaic work describing the ministry of Thaddeus and other of the apostles to the Aramaic peoples. The Acts of Thomas, also written in Aramaic, describes the ministry of Thomas in India. The Doctrine of Addai not only tells the amazing and fascinating story of Thaddeus and the founding of the Assyrian Church it also introduces the core principles of Christianity. This book is one of the best books written introducing Christian doctrine in a way that is easy to understand for the layman. Thaddeus the Heart loved people and he wanted them to understand the Good News of Jesus in a simple way. This important theological work of Thaddeus has been preserved for us in the original Aramaic by the Assyrian nation. The Diving liturgy used by Assyrian Christians called “The Hallowing of the Holy Apostles Mar Mani and Mar Addai” is also believed to have been composed by Thaddeus. It has been determined to be the oldest liturgy still in use in the world. This liturgy is still recited in the ancient Aramaic language of Jesus. Ian Wilson believes that St. Thomas, Thaddeus and Mari brought the shroud of Jesus and gave it as a gift to Abgar. This shroud, Wilson has determined, was stolen from the Assyrians by western Christians, and eventually found its way to Turin Italy.
[1] Issac Boyle, trans. The Ecclesiatical History of Eusebius Pamphius (Baker Book House, 1989) p. 43-47
Andrew Missick
Copyright 2005
The Gospel of Matthew declares that the fame of Christ spread throughout all of Syria—meaning Aramaic speaking areas—during his ministry (Matthew 4:24). Two apostles carried the Gospel to the East, Thaddeus and Thomas. (Paul may also have preached to Aramaic speaking people first. It is possible that when Paul went to Arabia that he went to the Nabatean Empire of Petra in Jordan and preached to the Aramaic speaking Arabs under King Aretas. King Aretas was probably trying to arrest Paul for his efforts at converting his fellow Aramaic speakers to faith in Jesus. See Galatians 1:17 and 1 Corinthians 11: 32-3. When Paul says he is a “Hebrew of the Hebrews” in Philippians 3:5 he means that he was raised an Aramaic speaking religious Jew. Both Tarsus and Damascus were Aramaic speaking cities.) One of the reasons we know that Aramaic was the language of Jesus is because he gave his disciples Aramaic names, or they had Aramaic names already. Simon the Son of Jonah was given the Aramaic nick-name Cephas, meaning ‘Stone’. James and John were nick-named Boanerges, Aramaic for “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). Judah was given the Aramaic nick-name Thomas, meaning ‘Twin’ because of his close physical resemblance to Jesus (John 20:24). The other Simon was called Simon the Terrorist. In Aramaic it is Canaanean and is usually translated as Simon the Zealot (Mark 3:18). Zealots used violent means to oppose Roman occupation. Jesus was willing to accept people with shameful pasts if they were willing to follow him. Judas Thaddeus has a very interesting name. Simon as a Zealot was a man who had been a man of anger prone to violence. But Judas’ Aramaic name shows him to be a very tender and loving man. In Aramaic Thaddeus means “breast”. In Aramaic there is also a connection to the word for nipple. This Judas, not Iscariot, also had another name besides that of Thaddeus (John 14:22). It is Lebbaeus. This is the Aramaic word for heart. Thaddeus Lebbaeus means “breast” and “heart”(Matthew 10:3). Thaddeus was obviously “all heart”. He was a tender and sensitive man who loved people. It was this meek and loving man who converted the Assyrian Kingdom to faith in Jesus. This man of love is the father of the Aramaic church. In Modern Aramaic Thaddeus is called Addai.
Eusebius Pamphylius, the father of church history, wrote of the Conversion of Abgar the king of the Aramaic peoples. According to this tradition Abgar, who was ailing, heard of the miraculous power of Jesus and sent a letter to him requesting that he visit and heal him. Jesus responded that after his glorification he would send a disciple to minister unto him. After Pentecost, Saint Thomas sent Thaddeus and the disciple Mari to preach to King Abgar. Thaddeus prayed for Abgar and Abgar was immediately miraculously healed. Thaddeus baptized King Abgar into the church. After seeing the miracles and listening to the gentle wisdom of a kind and caring man that Thaddeus was many of the Aramaic speakers and the Assyrians also were converted. Eusebius, called the Father of Church History, writing in 325 says he found the records of the Apostle’s ministry to the Assyrians written in Aramaic among the official records of the city of Edessa.[1] Eusebius translated these documents in the archives from the original Aramaic. This letter reads as follows
Abgarus, King of Edessa, to Jesus the good Savior, who appears at Jerusalem, greeting. I have been informed concerning you and your cures, which are performed without the use of medicines and herbs. For it is reported, that you cause the blind to see, the lame to walk, do both cleanse lepers, and cast out unclean spirits and devils and restore to health who have been long diseased, and raiseth up the dead; all which I heard, I was persuaded one of these two: wither that you are God himself descended form heaven, who do these things, or the son of God. On this account therefore I have wrote unto you, earnestly to desire that you would take the trouble of a journey hither, and cure a disease which I am under. For I hear the Judeans ridicule you, and intend you mischief. My city is indeed small, but neat, and large enough for us both.
Jesus verbally responded,
Abgarus, you are happy, for as much as you have believed on me, whom ye have not seen. For it is written concerning me, that those who have seen me should not believe on me, that they who have not seen might believe and live. As to that part of your letter, which relates to my giving you a visit, I must inform you, that I must fulfill all the ends of my mission in this country, and after that be received up again to him who sent me. But after my ascension I will send one of my disciples, who will cure your disease, and give life to you, and all that are with you.
Thomas also ministered to the Assyrians and went on to preach in India. The Doctrine of Addai is an Aramaic work describing the ministry of Thaddeus and other of the apostles to the Aramaic peoples. The Acts of Thomas, also written in Aramaic, describes the ministry of Thomas in India. The Doctrine of Addai not only tells the amazing and fascinating story of Thaddeus and the founding of the Assyrian Church it also introduces the core principles of Christianity. This book is one of the best books written introducing Christian doctrine in a way that is easy to understand for the layman. Thaddeus the Heart loved people and he wanted them to understand the Good News of Jesus in a simple way. This important theological work of Thaddeus has been preserved for us in the original Aramaic by the Assyrian nation. The Diving liturgy used by Assyrian Christians called “The Hallowing of the Holy Apostles Mar Mani and Mar Addai” is also believed to have been composed by Thaddeus. It has been determined to be the oldest liturgy still in use in the world. This liturgy is still recited in the ancient Aramaic language of Jesus. Ian Wilson believes that St. Thomas, Thaddeus and Mari brought the shroud of Jesus and gave it as a gift to Abgar. This shroud, Wilson has determined, was stolen from the Assyrians by western Christians, and eventually found its way to Turin Italy.
[1] Issac Boyle, trans. The Ecclesiatical History of Eusebius Pamphius (Baker Book House, 1989) p. 43-47
posted by Andrew Missick at 7:47 AM
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