By RAY CAVANAUGH
Heresies abounded in the early centuries AD, threatening to lead a nascent Church astray. Fortunately, the Church had an apt watchdog in St. Ephrem the Syrian. Writing in his native Syriac language, he composed hymns warning the faithful about aberrant doctrines. Using melodies from heretic songs, he would then add lyrics that promoted correct Christian teachings.
Roman Catholics celebrate Ephrem’s feast day on June 9. He also receives commemoration from Orthodox Catholics (January 28) and Episcopalians (June 10).
Scant biographical facts are known about Ephrem, who was likely born in the year 306 AD in the Mesopotamian city of Nisibis (now part of southeastern Turkey). Based on a line in one of his hymns, some scholars have concluded that his parents were also Christian. However, some sources contend that Ephrem’s father was a pagan priest.
One ancient account holds that Ephrem, as a boy, was falsely accused of having tormented a neighbor’s cow. He then endured 80 days of imprisonment, relates J. Barrington Bates in an article for the June 2000 edition of Anglican and Episcopal History.
A June 2021 Catholic News Agency article mentions how Ephrem, as a young man, received Christian Baptism and began pursuing the ascetic life under the guidance of an elder (Bishop James of Nisibis). Ephrem also performed manual labor, at times helping to make sails for ships.
The Syriac Press relates that Ephrem taught at the School of Nisibis, which became an epicenter of Eastern Christianity. He later helped develop a Bible school at Edessa (another Mesopotamian city now part of Turkey). Ordained a deacon in Edessa, he became well-known for his sermons, but he declined the priesthood.
Though he possessed no formal education, Ephrem’s writing demonstrates a solid grasp of holy Scripture, an awareness of prevailing philosophical concepts, and a close familiarity with various literary devices. His work is also interesting to religious historians because his was among the more articulate voices of a Christianity that was not yet westernized and had stronger cultural and linguistic links to its Jewish roots.
Ephrem’s work represents a convergence of ancient cultures. His region was a melting pot of Arabs, Arameans, Greeks, Jews, Parthians, and Romans, among others. Such a diverse setting saw worship of Babylonian, Greek, and Roman deities, alongside Bardaisanite, Gnostic, Manichean, and Marcionite sects that split from the early Church.
There were also Persian invaders, who eventually captured Ephrem’s hometown of Nisibis, compelling him to move to a cave on the outskirts of Edessa. That city alone had almost a dozen heretical sects.
Such abundant heresy further ignited Ephrem, who was already busy criticizing prominent theologians and politicians, including the Roman Emperor Julian.
One typical Ephrem anti-heresy hymn, as translated by Adam C. McCollum, includes the following:
“A teacher who does not add / Anything shameful and hateful / To the teaching of Christ / His disciples are Christians / But if he adds a little falsehood / He leaves the name of Christ.”
Aside from the theme of heresy, Ephrem wrote hymns on such subjects as Paradise, Lent, the Nativity, and his aforementioned opposition to the Emperor Julian.
Ephrem’s work, written in the ancient Syriac language, saw translations into Greek and Latin during his own lifetime. After his death, his work saw translations into Arabic, Ethiopian, and Slavic languages, along with English, French, German, and Italian.
His prose works largely consist of biblical commentary or refutations of heresies. Even his prose has poetic aspects, frequently appearing in lines of 14 syllables. Though he was prolific as an analytical writer, his hymns saw wider circulation.
Among the first to recognize the importance of song in group worship, Ephrem’s hymns were foremost intended to guide and nurture the faith of a general population that, in his era, was mostly illiterate.
Writing for The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization, Joseph P. Amar describes Ephrem as “the most eloquent representative of Christianity expressed in its native Semitic milieu.” Amar adds how Ephrem was very socially enlightened for his era and “encouraged the participation of women in the liturgical life of the Church.” Ephrem supported this stance by pointing to women in the Bible as examples of discipleship.
Outside of church, Ephrem led a largely solitary life. However, he became active in the community during a severe famine, helping to establish and operate an emergency shelter of 300 beds.
After one especially rigorous period of community service in June of AD 373, he returned to his hermit’s cell and died within a few days.
Some sources say Ephrem likely succumbed to a disease contracted while attending to the sick. Curiously, this master hymn-maker requested that no hymns be sung at his funeral. Among his last words were: “I am a pilgrim and a stranger as all my fathers were on Earth.”
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