Saint Apostle Thaddeus
of the Seventy.

Saint Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy, was by descent a Hebrew, and he was born in the Syrian city of Edessa. In his youth, Thaddeus journeyed to Jerusalem to observe a feast day, where he encountered the preaching of John the Forerunner. Responding to the call, after being baptized by him in the Jordan, he remained in Palestine. He saw the Savior, and became His follower.

He was chosen by the Lord to be one of the Seventy Disciples, whom He sent by twos to preach in the cities and places where He intended to visit (Luke. 10: 1). This calling made him one of the lesser-known yet vital members of the apostolic company.

After the Ascension of the Savior to Heaven, Saint Thaddeus preached the good news in Syria and Mesopotamia. According to Eusebius: Thomas, one of the twelve apostles, under divine impulse sent Thaddeus, who was also numbered among the seventy disciples of Christ, to Edessa, as a preacher and evangelist of the teaching of Christ. His mission to Edessa became the foundation for the establishment of a major Christian center in the East.

He came preaching the Gospel to Edessa and he converted King Abgar, the people and the pagan priests to Christ. He backed up his preaching with many miracles (about which Abgar wrote to the Assyrian emperor Nerses). He established priests there and built up the Edessa Church. Through his labors, pagan Edessa became a beacon of Christian faith in the ancient Near East.

Prince Abgar wanted to reward Saint Thaddeus with rich gifts, but he refused and went preaching to other cities, converting many pagans to the Christian Faith. He went to the city of Beirut to preach, and he founded a church there. His apostolic zeal led him throughout the region, establishing churches and communities of believers wherever he went.

It was in this city that he peacefully died in the year 44. (The place of his death is indicated as Beirut in the Slavonic MENAION, but according to other sources he died in Edessa. According to an ancient Armenian tradition, Saint Thaddeus, after various tortures, was beheaded by the sword on December 21 in the Artaz region in the year 50). The circumstances of his repose remain subject to different traditional accounts.

The legacy of Apostle Thaddeus profoundly shaped the Christian East. The Syriac liturgy referred to as the Liturgy of Addai and Mari, which originated around the year 200 A.D. and is used by the Assyrian Church of the East, claims a connection to this saint. His founding of the church in Edessa made that city a pillar of Eastern Christianity.

Saint Addai was the evangelizer of Edessa and is believed to be one of the Seventy Apostles of Christ, known to Eusebius of Caesarea as the Apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy. He is commemorated on August 21 and on January 4 with the Seventy. His memory is honored throughout the Eastern Orthodox Church and especially venerated in the Syriac Orthodox tradition.

Mar Addai's tomb is traditionally believed to be in Edessa, and his spiritual legacy lives on in the liturgical, theological, and missionary life of the Eastern Churches. The apostle continues to inspire believers to bold evangelization and faithful witness to Christ.

Early Ministry and Calling

Saint Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy, was by descent a Hebrew, and he was born in the Syrian city of Edessa. When he came to Jerusalem for a feastday, he heard the preaching of John the Forerunner. After being baptized by him in the Jordan, he remained in Palestine. He saw the Savior, and became His follower. He was chosen by the Lord to be one of the Seventy Disciples, whom He sent by twos to preach in the cities and places where He intended to visit (Luke. 10: 1).

The Mission to Edessa and King Abgar

After the Ascension of the Savior to Heaven, Saint Thaddeus preached the good news in Syria and Mesopotamia. According to Eusebius: Thomas, one of the twelve apostles, under divine impulse sent Thaddeus, who was also numbered among the seventy disciples of Christ, to Edessa, as a preacher and evangelist of the teaching of Christ. He came preaching the Gospel to Edessa and he converted King Abgar, the people and the pagan priests to Christ. He backed up his preaching with many miracles (about which Abgar wrote to the Assyrian emperor Nerses).

Ministry and Later Life

He established priests there and built up the Edessa Church. Prince Abgar wanted to reward Saint Thaddeus with rich gifts, but he refused and went preaching to other cities, converting many pagans to the Christian Faith. He went to the city of Beirut to preach, and he founded a church there. It was in this city that he peacefully died in the year 44. (The place of his death is indicated as Beirut in the Slavonic MENAION, but according to other sources he died in Edessa. According to an ancient Armenian tradition, Saint Thaddeus, after various tortures, was beheaded by the sword on December 21 in the Artaz region in the year 50).