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 Saint Ephrem the Syrian Scott 1745 (2020) June 9 marks the feast day for Saint Ephrem the Syrian, one of the Doctors of the Church. The development of the Saint Ephrem stamp, issued to commemorate the centennial of his being named a Doctor of the Church and designed by artist Daniela Fusco, was featured in a Vatican Notes article in 2021 and can be view by clicking on the link below. St. Ephrem the Syrian (ca. 306-373) is known for his poems and hymns. Although extensive biographical information does not exist, and some historical details are in question, he is considered the greatest writer of Syriac poetry. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, he is revered as a Venerable Father, and the Harp of the Holy Spirit. His name is variously spelled as Ephraem, Ephrem of Edessa, or Aeprem of Nisibis. Born in Nisibis (Nusaybin, Turkey) in the then Roman province of Mesopotamia, Ephrem was baptized, ordained as a deacon, and became known as a teacher and writer of poetry. He was an important figure in the religious School of Nisibis, and a defender of Nicene Christianity (325). His bishop, St. Jacob of Nisibis, attended the Council of Nicaea and signed the Nicene Creed. From the 330s to the 350s, Nisibis was under periodic attack from the Sasanian kings of Persia (Iran) under Shapur II (d. 379). Emperors Constantius II (337-361) and Julian the Apostate (361-363) were unable to keep the territory under Roman control. By 363, the Nisibis Christian community was expelled. Ephrem eventually settled near Edessa (now Eurfa, Turkey), an important Christian city in Syria about 135 miles west of Nisibis, where he lived an ascetic life as part of a close-knit community. He continued to be a teacher, perhaps at the School of Edessa. He may have died from the plague in 373 (or 379) while ministering to it’s victims. His writings often focused on defending the faith against heresy. The poetry took the form of strophes (stanzas) which were to be chanted, with the first lines repeated at the beginning and end of each strophe, meant to be sung by alternating choirs. At least 400 of his hymns are in existence. Many of his commentaries on Old and New Testament scriptures and homilies have been lost over time, although referred to by other commentators. St. Ephrem is cited by St. Jerome (ca. 352-420) who observed that his writings were read after the scriptures in Syriac Churches of the 4th century. It is reasonable to assume that St. Ephrem is not widely known to Western Christians. Yet Syriac Christianity, with its two main branches in the Near East and India, represents a tradition that reaches to the earliest years of Christianity and, in the case of St. Ephrem, the 4th century when Christianity became first a tolerated and then an official religion of the Roman Empire. St. Ephrem was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XV in 1920. REFERENCES: |
