The First St Tida - What we know of the Name
St. Tida or
Thaddeus was one of Jesus' twelve disciples and is better known also as Jude. Jude was
related to Jesus, and also to James the Less and to Simon the Zealot. Because of the similarity in name to
Judas Iscariot, the traitor, Matthew and Mark called him Thaddeus. Inspired by the Holy Spirit soon after
Jesus' death, he spread the good news of Jesus Christ's teaching and resurrection in Syria, Iraq and
Armenia. The Armenian Church remembers St. Thaddeus in February and December.
The Russians claim that it was Jude who brought Christianity to the
Slavonic races. Later, he rejoined Simon, and for thirteen years they worked together in Persia and
Babylon.
In Armenia, Thaddeus met with the Armenian King Abgar, who reigned in
the city of Edessa from 1 B.C. to A.D. 37. King Abgar had contracted a grave illness during his travels to
the East. Hearing of the miracles of healing by Jesus of Nazareth, he wrote a letter to Jerusalem inviting
Christ to Edessa. A delegation headed by the king's emissary Anan delivered the letter to Jersualem, where
it was received by the Apostle Thomas. The delegation may have been among the pagans the Apostle John wrote
about in his account of Christ's entry into Jerusalem: "and there were certain pagans who had come to
Jerusalem to worship him (John 12:20)." King Abgar's letter received its response after the resurrection and
Pentecost with the mission of Thaddeus to Armenia. The Armenian Church remembers St. Abgar in
December.
Armenia, Asia
According to tradition, St. Thaddeus brought to Armenia the spear (Arm.
geghard) with which the Roman centurion Lucian pierced Christ's side on the cross. It was kept at Ayri Vank
(Cave Monastery, present-day Geghard Monastery) in Armenia. This relic is used once every seven years in
their consecration of Holy Chrism (Muron), which is used for baptismal, ordination and other rites by
Armenian churches around the world. It is believed that Herr Hitler once expressed a desire to have
ownership of it!
Thaddeus was a bold missionary, bringing the word into the royal
palace of Armenia's King Sanatruk, baptizing the king's daughter, Sandoukht. The established government and
religious leaders bitterly opposed the threatening new sect called Christianity, going so far as to imprison
the king's daughter. In prison, Sandoukht refused to renounce Christianity, instead converting the other
prisoners. Sandoukht became the first Armenian martyr. When her father forced her to choose between the
church and the crown, Sandoukht chose the church, knowing it would mean her death. After Sandoukht was
executed, Thaddeus continued preaching and around 66 A.D. was martyred. Local legend claimed that a nearby
rock opened and received the body of the apostle. The tomb is near a place now called Makou in present-day
Iran, where St. Thaddeus Monastery is located. The Armenian Church remembers St. Sandoukht in
February.
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