#apocrypha

• Abgar / Abgarus — The name borne by several kings of Edessa (historical Syria), the most famous in Romanian Christian ethnomedicine being Abgar V Ukhamâ. According to apocryphal legends found in old folk healing books, he suffered from leprosy and was cured after receiving a letter and a cloth bearing the face of Jesus (Mandylion). Abgar's Letter circulated for centuries in Romanian villages as a sacred talisman, worn around the neck by the sick to ward off plague, epilepsy, fevers, or difficult births.
• Apocryphal — Falsely attributed to a certain author, era, or official source; lacking authenticity, of doubtful character, or unacknowledged by a competent authority. In an ecclesiastical context, the term denotes religious writings that were not included in the official biblical canon, despite addressing sacred events or characters.