St. Ephrem the Syrian: Selected Prose Works
Overview
This volume presents for the first time in the Fathers of the Church series the work of an early Christian writer who did not write in either Greek or Latin. It offers new English translations of selected prose works by St. Ephrem the Syrian (c. AD 309–373). The volume contains St. Ephrem’s Commentary on Genesis, Commentary on Exodus, Homily on Our Lord, and Letter to Publius. The translators have enhanced the volume with a general introduction, extensive bibliography, and specific introductions to each of the works. Together these features provide an overview of the major scholarship on St. Ephrem and Syriac Christianity.
St. Ephrem, the “Harp of the Spirit,” composed prose commentaries and sermons of skillfull charmand grace, in addition to beautiful hymns, during the time he spent teaching at his native Nisibis and at Edessa in Syria. In the two commentaries presented here, Ephrem focuses only on portions of the sacred text that had a particular theological significance for him, or whose orthodox interpretation needed to be reasserted in the face of contemporary heterodox ideas. He does not provide a continuous, verse by verse exposition. The elaborate rhetorical figures and stylistic devices of the Homily on Our Lord and Letter to Publius succeed in creating language and imagery nearly as striking as Ephrem’s poetry.
St. Ephrem marshaled his considerable theological and rhetorical talent to challenge the appeal that the doctrines of the Arians, Manicheans, Marcionites, and the followers of Bardaisan might have had to the minds and hearts of Syrian Christians. In the face of their rational systems, his was the voice that insisted on the incomprehensibility of the divine nature.
For The Fathers of the Church series in its entirety, see Fathers of the Church Series (127 vols.).
Key Features
- Heartfelt hymns that communicate spiritual truth
- Artistic expressions by a noted apologist
- One of 127 published volumes in a well-respected series on the Church Fathers
Top Highlights
“Lot’s wife then disregarded the commandment that had just been given as a test, and she became a pillar of salt.396” (Page 162)
“At the place where they were spending the night, the Lord came upon Moses, and” (Page 234)
“Because our Lord is the vessel in which all fullness dwells,264 when Simeon presented Him to God, he poured out both of these upon Him: the priesthood from his hands, and prophecy from his lips. The priesthood had always been on Simeon’s hands, because of (ritual) purifications. Prophecy, in fact, dwelt on his lips because of revelations. When both of these saw the Lord of both of these, both of them were combined and were poured into the vessel that could accommodate them both, in order to contain priesthood, kingship, and prophecy.” (Pages 328–329)
“He who granted one hundred years while the ark was being made to that generation, and still they did not repent, who summoned beasts that they had never seen and still they showed no remorse, and who established a state of peace between the predatory animals and those who are preyed upon and still they did not fear, delayed yet seven more days for them, even after Noah and every creature had entered the ark, leaving the gate of the ark open to them.” (Page 140)
“Glory to the One who took from us in order to give to us,76 so that we should all the more abundantly receive what is His by means of what is ours. Through an intermediary, humanity was able to receive life from its helper, just as, in the beginning, it had been through an intermediary that it had received death from its killer. You fashioned a body for yourself to be a servant,77 so that through it you might give your love to all who love you.” (Page 285)
- Title: St. Ephrem the Syrian: Selected Prose Works
- Author: Ephrem the Syrian
- Series: The Fathers of the Church
- Volume: 91
- Publisher: Catholic University of America
- Print Publication Date: 2004
- Logos Release Date: 2014
- Pages: 423
- Era: era:nicene
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Jesus Christ › Person and offices--Sermons--Early works to 1800; Bible. O.T. Genesis › Commentaries--Early works to 1800; Bible. O.T. Exodus › Commentaries--Early works to 1800; Spiritual life › Christianity--Early works to 1800
- ISBNs: 0813200911, 0813214211, 9780813200910, 9780813214214
- Resource ID: LLS:SLCTDPRSWRKS
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:53:04Z
Ephraim the Syrian (c. AD 306–373) was a fourth-century theologian and hymnographer, and is a doctor in the Catholic Church. Born in Nisibis, near Edessa, he was converted to Christianity by Bishop Jacob of Nisibis and appointed a teacher. He lived in Nisibis until AD 363, and then went to Edessa for eight years to teach at the School of Edessa. Over 400 hymns composed by Ephraim still exist, hymns which he used to teach doctrine and to warn of heresy. His poetry garnered him the titles of “Lyre of the Holy Ghost” and “Prophet of the Syrians.” Ephraim also wrote homilies and prose, of which far fewer manuscripts have survived.