Ephrem the Syrian
4th century · AD 373 · Syriac & Oriental · 790 passages
A deacon and poet who taught Scripture in hymns, rich with imagery drawn from paradise, light, and the Eucharist.
Background on Ephrem the Syrian
In his own words on 1 Corinthians
- 1 Corinthians 10:4
I considered the Word of the Creator and likened it to the rock that marched with the people in Israel in the wilderness; it was not from the reservoir of water contained within it that it poured forth for them glorious streams. There was no water in the rock, yet oceans sprang forth from it. Just so did the Word fashion created things out of nothing.
HYMNS ON PARADISE 5.1
- 1 Corinthians 14:34
The serpent is crippled and bound by the curse, while Eve's mouth is sealed with a silence that is beneficial, but she will also serve again as a harp to sing the praises of the Creator.
HYMNS ON PARADISE 6.8
Quoted verbatim from public-domain English translations of the fathers — Aquinas's Catena Aurea, the Ante-Nicene and Nicene & Post-Nicene Fathers, and related editions. Each quotation links to its source.