Talk:Thaddeus of Edessa

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[edit] Thaddeus of Edessa and Addai

Same person 10:45, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

No, Thaddeus is in Eusebius' account, while Addai is in the Syriac. Other accounts have Thomas as the protagonist. There is a better way of handling this. — Gareth Hughes 20:59, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

Thaddeus and Addai are the same cognate word in different languages for the same person "of Edessa" (so too is Addeus). You cannot just delete merge tags - you can disagree with a proposed merger, but removing the tags shows bad faith. 15:33, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

The names are not cognates: there's absolutely no evidence for that. Merging the articles would be a bad idea, because you would be merging features from different manuscript traditions. Both articles need to be rewritten to include better scholarship. Both articles and Doctrine of Addai are in a terrible state. Now, I could see a state where mention of the Thaddeus character could be made in a section of the Addai article, including the expanded history in later Greek literature. However, merging the articles as they are would create the impression that the two characters are the same. This would be a whitewash of the manuscript tradition. — Gareth Hughes 15:49, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

But the two characters are the same. Claimed to be one of the 70/72, sent by Thomas to Abgar in Edessa. [1] says Addai is simply the Syriac for the [Latinised Greek] Thaddeus. The fact that the Syriac "Doctrine" and Eusebius use different stories for the reply of Jesus to Abgar is enough to justify recording both, but in the same article; one or other may be correct, or both may be wrong, but they are talking about the same person and so should be in one article. 18:01, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

Well, the 1907 Catholic Encyclopedia is wrong. There is no evidence that the two names are the same. The Syriac Doctrina Addaei has Addai as its protagonist, while Eusebius has Thaddeus. Two sources (including Egeria) tell the same story with Thomas as the protagonist. The different manuscript traditions are quite different in their telling of the tale. Some people have perceived that Addai and Thaddeus are same name because they are both used as names of the protagonist and they have a few letters in common. However, Eusebius seems to be making connexions with Levantine traditions of Thaddeus, while Doctrina Addaei draws on Mesopotamian material (possibly from Adiabene). Any statement of complete identity between the two would be misleading. As I have said, it might be appropriate to have the articles merged, but I believe that merging the articles now would create the kind of misunderstanding that comes from a passing knowledge of the tale, like that in the Catholic Encyclopedia. — Gareth Hughes 18:27, 26 July 2007 (UTC)