The Letters of King Abgar and Jesus (Edessa, Urfa Turkey)

The early church historian Eusebius tells of a letter exchange between King Abgar of Edessa (modern Urfa) and Jesus. Although the authenticity of these letters is questioned, they provide a strong early tradition that seems to be based in some historical truth. In the late 400s, King Abgar’s letter was in- scribed on Edessa’s city gate, and a copy of what is said to be Jesus’ letter was discovered over the lintel of a building in the harbor area of in Ephesus. Today the copy is displayed in the Ephesus Museum, and the original is in the Ephesus Museum in Vienna.