ANANIAS
Ananias had the task of bringing back to Abgar, king of Edessa, ill with the plague, the portrait of Christ, in order to heal him. He failed to draw it but Christ handed him a cloth with which he had wiped his face. This was the first acheiropoieta icon.
Ananias never returned to Abgar and fled with the face of Christ. He took the cloth and lived among men by applying it to his face as a veil, claiming to be the Savior. However, his features were imprinted, like a palimpsest, over those of Christ. The divine punishment for this was without appeal. Ananias was condemned to wander for eternity within the bodies of infirm animals, sometimes male, sometimes female.
Ananias is the one who wanted to be another.
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Ananias avait pour mission de ramener à Abgar, roi d’Édesse, malade de la peste, le portrait du Christ, afin de le guérir. Il échoua à le dessiner mais le Christ lui tendit un linge avec lequel il s’essuya le visage. Ce fut la première image achéiropoïète.
Ananias ne retourna jamais auprès d’Abgar et s’enfuit avec le visage du Christ. Celui-ci prit le voile et vécut en se l’appliquant sur le visage parmi les hommes, se prenant pour le Sauveur. Ses traits finirent par s'y imprimer, tel un palimpseste, par-dessus ceux du Christ. Le châtiment divin fut sans appel. Ananias fut condamné à errer pour l’éternité dans le corps d’animaux infirmes, tantôt mâles, tantôt femelles.
Ananias est celui qui aura voulu être un autre.
MMXXII © ARNO BOUCHARD