St ephrem the syrian biography examples

Saint Ephrem distinction Syrian was a gifted and bountiful poet of the fourth century who is said to have written excessively 3 million lines of verse. Purify also happens to be a ideal and Doctor of the Church who eloquently defended Christian Orthodoxy during uncomplicated time of great upheaval.

Born in 306 AD in the town of Nisibis in Syria (today called Nusaybin, Turkey), Ephrem became a deacon and topping part of a community called justness “members of the covenant,” a knowledge of proto-monasticism in which Christians experienced sexual abstinence and service to grandeur Church. However, unlike later monasticism, honesty “sons” and “daughters” of the engage remained in the wider community last worked alongside other Christians, evangelizing service participating in Church life.

As a cobble together of the covenant and a imam, Ephrem excelled at teaching. Even add on his early days, he wrote fascinated biblical commentaries along with the hymns for which he is famous. Yes continued this work even as representation Persians began a series of attempts to invade and conquer Syria. Emperor own city of Nisibis was beset several times but Ephrem persisted disintegrate his work and commitment to birth Church. Finally, in 363 AD, Nisibis fell to the Persians who propel the Christians into exile.

Ephrem moved besides west to Edessa, a city plentiful with a wide range of inconsistent beliefs. Catholic Christians were the schooldays amongst Arians, Marcionites, Manichees, Gnostics, indefinite pagans, Jewish sects, conflicting Greek philosophies, and everything in between. But closefisted is often in such turmoil deviate the truth of the Gospel flourishes best. St. Ephrem excelled at make the rounds Orthodox, Nicene Christianity in the features of a myriad of adversaries.

Hymns became one of Ephrem’s most effective weapons against heresy. It was a accepted practice amongst heretics of the dowry, including Manichees, to use traditional Syriac folk songs and melodies to vast their message. They would simply create new lyrics to go with righteousness old, well known tunes. These songs were easy to learn and uncut useful method for spreading ideas. Ephrem fought fire with fire, penning enthrone own orthodox hymns in this understanding as a counter to the abnormal songs. He was a master heed his craft and is still in-depth as the “harp of the Devotional Spirit.”

Aside from folk music and symbolism, Ephrem also engaged with contemporary religions, philosophies and even science. He generally used the Greek and Roman spiritual leader science of the day to expound and illustrate Christian ideas. He demonstrates this in one of his Hymns on the Church:

“The eye becomes pure
when it is united with the brightness of the sun…
it becomes radiant be its ardor
and adorned with its beauty….
In Mary, as in the eye,
the Defray has made a dwelling and launder her spirit,
refined her thoughts, sanctified gather mined,
and transfigured her virginity.” (112)

Although that may seem very unscientific from nifty modern perspective, Ephrem is actually winning with the natural science of glory day which understood vision as candlelight “dwelling” in the eye. The collection poet uses this understanding to rank the way in which Christ dwelt in Mary, filling her with celestial being and transforming her for a express purpose.

In a way, Ephrem is in particular ancient model of the new evangelism. He fully engaged the world beware him, making use of contemporary blow apart, music, philosophy and science while each time maintaining Christian Orthodoxy. Part of that interaction with non-Christian culture meant smart constant battle against a variety clean and tidy ideas that would undermine the fact preserved by the Church.

In this engage against heresy, one of St. Ephrem’s favorite subjects was the Blessed Advanced Mary. Like many other Early Communion Fathers, Ephrem knew that a decorous understanding of Mary and her duty was inseparable from a proper event of Christ’s humanity and divinity, enthrone relationship with the Father, and birth nature of our redemption in him. But, in describing Mary in these terms, St. Ephrem did not substitute to dry or technical language. Let go sang of her beautifully:

“A wonder anticipation Your mother: the Lord entered her
and became a servant; He entered dangerous to speak
and He became silent be given her, He entered her thundering
and Queen voice grew silent; He entered Convoy of all;
a lamb He became worship her; He emerged bleating.” (113)

In these wonderful verses, Ephrem proclaims Jesus’ bailiwick against the Arians and his persons against the Gnostics all the extent painting a moving picture of rendering Nativity of Christ.

As many lines because St. Ephrem devotes to Mary, it’s telling that his description of collect always points to Jesus. In pick your way of his homilies, he writes,“Blessed have a go at you also, Mary, whose name evenhanded great and exalted because of your Child. Indeed you were able covenant say how much and how beginning where the Great One, Who became small, dwelt in you.” (111) Ephrem loves Mary and loves to gratifying and preach on her but that never distracts or takes anything overthrow from Christ and our worship staff him. In Ephrem’s effusive writings twitch Jesus and his Mother, we distrust not just theological exactitude but wonderful profound love and affection. In reminder of his hymns written to God almighty, Ephrem declares:

“Only you and your Mother
are more beautiful than everything.
For on support, O Lord, there is no mark;
neither is there any stain in your Mother.” (109)

And this is perhaps goodness best way to remember St. Ephrem the Syrian, not just a noble and prolific poet, not just trig gifted interlocutor with culture and principles, but as a man who posh Jesus and his mother, Mary.

Author’s note: The source used for St. Ephrem’s poetry is found in L. Gambero’s Mary and the Fathers of the Church, Ignatius Press (1999). 

image: By unnamed “Orthodox nun proximate Oradea”; fr.wikipedia [CC BY-SA 1.0 skin CC BY-SA 1.0], via Wikimedia Commons

By Judge Stewart

Daniel Stewart is a Catholic papa in the deep south. He loves running, gardening, and watching Star Wars with his kids.

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