E05223: The pilgrim Egeria, in her Itinerary, describes her visit to Edessa (Mesopotamia), where she prayed at the tomb of *Thomas the Apostle (S00199), containing his 'entire body', read from his writings, and also visited other martyr shrines (martyria) in the city. Written in Latin during Egeria's journey to the East, probably in 381-384.
Creators: name: Robert
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2018
Subjects: History

description: Egeria, Itinerary 17.1 and 19.2-4<br><br><br>17.1 Item in nomine Dei, transacto aliquanto tempore, cum iam tres anni pleni essent, a quo in Ierusolimam uenisse, uisis etiam omnibus locis sanctis, ad quos orationis gratia me tenderam, et ideo iam reuertendi ad patriam animus esset: uolui, iubente Deo, ut et ad Mesopotamiam Syriae accedere ad uisendos sanctos monachos, qui ibi plurimi et tam eximiae uitae esse dicebantur, ut uix referri possit; nec non etiam et gratia orationis ad martyrium sancti Thomae apostoli, ubi corpus illius integrum positum est, id est apud Edessam, quem se illuc missurum, posteaquam in caelis ascendisset, Deus noster Iesus testatus est per epistolam, quam ad Aggarum regem per ananiam cursorem misit, que epistola cum grandi reuerentia apud Edessam ciuitatem, ubi est ipsud martyrium, custoditur.<br><br>'17.1 Some time after that, since it was already three full years since my arrival in Jerusalem, and I had seen all the places which were the object of my pilgrimage, I felt that the time had come to return in God's name to my own country. But God also moved me with a desire to go to Syrian Mesopotamia. The holy monks there are said to be numerous and of so indescribably excellent a life that I wanted to pay them a visit; I also wanted to make a pilgrimage to the martyrium of the holy apostle Thomas, where his entire body is buried. It is at Edessa, to which Jesus, our God, was sending Thomas after his ascension into heaven, as he tells us in the letter he sent to King Abgar, by the messenger Ananias. This letter has been most reverently preserved at Edessa where they have this martyrium.' <br><br>Egeria eventually reaches Batanis, and proceeds to Edessa:<br><br>19.2 Vnde denuo proficiscens, peruenimus in nomine Christi dei nostri Edessam. Vbi cum peruenissemus, statim perreximus ad ecclesiam et ad martyrium sancti thomae. Itaque ergo iuxta consuetudinem factis orationibus et cetera, quae consuetudo erat fieri in locis sanctis, nec non etiam et aliquanta ipsius sancti Thomae ibi legimus. (3) Ecclesia autem, ibi que est, ingens et ualde pulchra et noua dispositione, ut uere digna est esse domus Dei; et quoniam multa erant, quae ibi desiderabam uidere, necesse me fuit ibi statiua triduana facere. (4) Ac sic ergo uidi in eadem ciuitate martyria plurima nec non et sanctos monachos, commanentes alios per martyria, alios longius de ciuitate in secretioribus locis habentes monasteria.<br><br>'19.2 From there we set out again, and came, in the name of Christ our God, to Edessa. As soon as we arrived, we went straight to the church and martyrium of holy Thomas; there we had our usual prayers and everything which was our custom in holy places. And we read also from the writings of the holy Thomas himself. (3) The church there is large and very beautiful, and built in the new way - so it is truly worthy to be a house of God. There was so much I wanted to see that I had to stay there three days. (4) And so I saw in this city a great many martyria and visited the holy monks, some of whom lived among the martyria, whilst others had their cells further away from the city where it was more secluded.'<br><br>There follows the story of King Abgar and the letter of Christ, and a detailed account of Egeria's visit to sites associated with the king.<br><br><br>Text: Franceschini and Weber 1965, 58-60. Translation: Wilkinson 1971, 113-115. lightly modified.