# Christianity at Edessa (c. 200)

URL: https://christianity-history.com/timeline/200-christianity-at-edessa
Location: Edessa, Osroene
Themes: Mission

Edessa (modern Şanlıurfa in Turkey), capital of the small kingdom of Osroene, becomes an early centre of Syriac-speaking Christianity; a local chronicle records a church building damaged by a flood in 201. Later legend claimed that King Abgar V had corresponded with Jesus himself. At this point in the timeline (c. 200), the Bishop of Rome was Pope Zephyrinus (198/9 – 20 December 217). Dates for the earliest bishops of Rome are traditional and uncertain.

## Why it matters
Edessa became the heartland of Syriac Christianity, from which the faith spread into Mesopotamia, Persia and eventually Asia.

Pope at the time: [Pope Zephyrinus](https://christianity-history.com/popes/pope-zephyrinus)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Edessa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edessa)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Christianity at Edessa](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Christianity+at+Edessa)
- [Wikipedia — Early Church (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ante-Nicene_period)