Bright Sadness

Slowly, reluctantly, in a world where there is already so much suffering and sacrifice, especially in Ukraine at the moment, the fast of Great Lent this year has approached not without some dread perhaps. But in dread of what we shall give up we must not overlook what we gain: Lent is a time of such splendid and diverse liturgical riches--the Canon of St. Andrew, the Akathist hymn, the life of St. Mary of Egypt, the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, and crowning it all the Pre-Sanctified Liturgy.

As we begin to think on our forty days in the desert, I draw your attention to something I wrote three years ago about making fasting perhaps a bit more practicable in our own day. 

I also reprint something I wrote on here more than five years ago now, offering some very rich readings as we prepare for, and then enter into, the mystery of the Lord's passover. 

Perhaps my favourite of his Alexander Schmemann's books, which every year I re-read at this time, is Great Lent: Journey to Pascha (SVS Press, 1974), 140pp.

This book, I think, is Schmemann at his best: serious but light, indeed lyrical; never letting the season of penitence and the tears of sorrow overwhelm the joy of knowing that Christ's Pascha has already happened, that death has been defeated, and that life will be given to those in the tombs.

One year I read the above work with his then just-released Journals of Father Alexander Schmemann, 1973-1983, and you can see in these latter reflections how much he loved the Lenten season and how he could, in spite of it all, never fail to see that Pascha really does stand at the heart of everything.

There are other books that come to mind here as well: Frederica Mathewes-Greene, First Fruits of Prayer: A Forty Day Journey Through the Canon of St. Andrew (Paraclete Press, 2006, 195pp.).

If you are not celebrating the Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete in your parish, or cannot attend, then her little book is a good way of reading a short passage from the canon for each of the forty days. 

Lev Gillet's book The Year of Grace of the Lord: A Scriptural and Liturgical Commentary on the Calendar of the Orthodox Church also has much good food for thought in meditating on the liturgical cycle of Lent, and in offering practical recommendations for askesis in addition to the customary fasting.

Equally edifying is the little book by the prolific pastoral theologian and Orthodox priest William Mills: The Prayer of St. Ephrem: A Biblical Commentary, on which I commented previously, and whose author I have interviewed several times about his other books.

Similarly, this splendid CD is a wonderful resource if you are on the road a lot or sitting at your desk: Have Mercy on Me, O God: The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete (Schola Cantorum of St. Peter the Apostle). Under the expert direction of J. Michael Thompson, this schola's rendering of the canon is sublime. I received from Thompson a version of the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified gifts performed by the Schola under his direction. I have to confess that its lovely prostopinije setting has forced me to reconsider a chant system I had previously considered a poor cousin to the Galician and Kyivan. (This latter CD is available from the Sisters of St. Basil in Uniontown, PA.)

For those who want a serious scholarly understanding of the liturgical heart of Lent as it were, the Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, see Stefanos Alexoupolos, The Pre-Sanctified Liturgy in the Byzantine Rite: a Comparative Analysis of its Origins, Evolution, and Structural Components (Peeters, 2009), xvi+355pp. 

In his expert review of Alexoupolos in Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies, the Byzantine liturgical scholar Peter Galadza lauded his book and said that his work is sure to become the scholarly standard for years to come.

Syriac Christian Culture

The always-fascinating Syriac tradition constitutes, in the charmingly inapt metaphor of the great Syracist Sebastian Brock of Oxford, the "third lung" of Christianity, offering a unique perspective alongside the Latins in the West and the Greeks in the near-East. The Syriac tradition's riches are on offer in a new book released this month: Syriac Christian Culture: Beginnings to Renaissance, eds. Aaron Michael Butts and Robin Darling Young (Catholic University of America Press, 2021), 400pp.

About this collection the publisher tells us this: 

Syriac Christianity developed in the first centuries CE in the Middle East, where it continued to flourish throughout Late Antiquity and the Medieval period, while also spreading widely, as far as India and China. Today, Syriac Christians are found in the Middle East, in India, as well in diasporas scattered across the globe. Over this extended time period and across this vast geographic expanse, Syriac Christians have built impressive churches and monasteries, crafted fine pieces of art, and written and transmitted a sizable body of literature. Though often overlooked, neglected, and even persecuted, Syriac Christianity has been – and continues to be – an important part of the humanistic heritage of the last two millennia.

The present volume brings together fourteen studies that offer fresh perspectives on Syriac Christianity, especially its literary texts and authors. The timeframes of the individual studies span from the second-century Syriac translation of the Hebrew Bible up to the thirteenth century with the end of the Syriac Renaissance. Several studies analyze key authors from Late Antiquity, such as Aphrahat, Ephrem, Narsai, and Jacob of Serugh. Others investigate translations into Syriac, both from Hebrew and from Greek, while still others examine hagiography, especially its formation and transmission. Reflecting a growing trend in the field, the volume also devotes significant attention to the Medieval period, during which Syriac Christians lived under Islamic rule. The studies in the volume are united in their quest to explore the richness, diversity, and vibrance of Syriac Christianity.

Sacerdotal Ministry in the Early Syriac Tradition

I have a special love for the so-called Oriental Orthodox--the Copts, Armenians, and Syriac Christians especially--and so always keep an eye out for works that highlight these venerable traditions, almost all of which have suffered more for their witness than any other Christiana in the world have or will. So I commend to you a recent hefty publication by Tanios Bou Mansour, Le ministère sacerdotal dans la tradition syriaque primitive: Aphraate, Ephrem, Jacques de Saroug et Narsaï (Brill, December 2019), 622pp. 

About this book the publisher tells us this in les deux langues officielles: 

Dans Le ministère sacerdotal dans la tradition syriaque primitive, Tanios Bou Mansour présente une analyse du sacerdoce chrétien chez quatre auteurs syriaques, Aphraate, Éphrem, Jacques et Narsaï, en l’éclairant par le sacerdoce du Christ et en le plaçant dans la continuité du sacerdoce de l’Ancien Testament. L’originalité et l’actualité de nos auteurs résident dans leur conception de l’élection, de la succession apostolique, de traits “sacerdotaux” attribués aux femmes dans la Bible, et surtout du prêtre qui, mandaté par l’Eglise, exécute l’action du Christ et de l’Esprit. 

In Le ministère sacerdotal dans la tradition syriaque primitive, Tanios Bou Mansour analyzes the Christian priesthood in four Syriac writers: Aphraate, Ephrem, Jacob of Sarug and Narsaï. Their conception of priesthood is illuminated by the Priesthood of Christ and contextualized within the continuity of the priesthood of the Old Testament. These authors’ originality and actuality lies in their conception of election, of apostolic succession, of “sacerdotal” traits attributed to women in the Bible, and especially of the priest who, commissioned by the Church, executes the action of the Christ and the Spirit.

Ephraim's Hymns of Faith

One of the loveliest aspects of the Great Fast in which we are all immersed currently is that it affords us the daily opportunity of reciting the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, that great father of Syriac Christianity, which Sebastian Brock has called the "third lung" of Christianity. Much in the Syriac tradition remains unknown and inaccessible, but gradually over the years we have been seeing a steady increase in good scholarly studies and translations, including this forthcoming volume set for release in mid-April: Ephraim the Syrian, The Hymns on Faith, trans. Jeffrey Wicks (Catholic University of America Press, 2015), 440pp.

Published in the highly respected "Fathers of the Church" series (book 130) of CUA Press, this book, the publisher tells us, will introduce us to:

Ephrem the Syrian, who was born in Nisibis (Nusaybin, Turkey) around 306 CE, and died in Edessa (Sanliurfa, Turkey) in 373. He was a prolific author, composing over four hundred hymns, several metrical homilies, and at least two scriptural commentaries. His extensive literary output warrants mention alongside other well-known fourth-century authors, such as Gregory of Nazianzus and Basil of Caesarea. Yet Ephrem wrote in neither Greek nor Latin, but in Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic. His voice opens to the reader a fourth-century Christian world perched on the margins between the Roman and Persian Empires.

Ephrem is known for a theology that relies heavily on symbol and for a keen awareness of Jewish exegetical traditions. Yet he is also our earliest source for the reception of Nicaea among Syriac-speaking Christians. It is in his eighty-seven Hymns on Faith - the longest extant piece of early Syriac literature - that he develops his arguments against subordinationist christologies most fully. These hymns, most likely delivered orally and compiled after the author's death, were composed in Nisibis and Edessa between the 350s ans 373. They reveal an author conversant with Christological debates further to the west, but responding in a uniquely Syriac idiom. As such, they form an essential source for reconstructing the development of pro-Nicene thought in the eastern Mediterranean.
Yet, the Hymns on Faith off er far more than a simple Syriacpro-Nicene catechetical literature. In these hymns Ephrem reflects upon the mystery of God and the limits of human knowledge. He demonstrates a sophisticated grasp of symbol and metaphor and their role in human understanding.

The Hymns on Faith are translated here for the first time in English on the basis of Edmund Beck's critical edition.

Early Syriac Theology

I have long had a great interest in and devotion to Ephraim the Syrian in particular and the Syriac tradition in general, thinking that Sebastian Brock's argument (viz., that the Syriac tradition is the "third lung" of the Church next to the Latin and Greek) is important but still not understood widely enough. That said, we have seen a steady increase in the number of publications in English in the last two decades devoted to the Syriac tradition, including a second edition of a book published just this month: Chorbishop Seely Joseph Beggiani, Early Syriac Theology: With Special Reference to the Maronite Tradition, 2nd. ed. (CUA Press, 2014), 192pp.
About this book we are told:

St. Ephrem, who was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XV, and Jacob of Serugh were two of the earliest and most important representatives of the theological world-view of the Syriac church. Much of their work was in the form of hymns and metrical homilies, using poetry to express theology. In Early Syriac Theology, Chorbishop Seely Joseph Beggiani strives to present their insights in a systematic form according to headings used in western treatises, while not undermining the originality and cohesiveness of their thought.

For St. Ephrem of Syria (d. 373) and Jacob of Serugh (d. 521), God is utterly mysterious, yet He is present in all that He has created. The kenosis (self-emptying) of the Word of God is found not only in the human nature of Christ, but in the finite words of Sacred Scripture. In this action, the Divine makes itself accessible to human beings. The triple descent of the Son of God into the womb of Mary, the Jordan River at his baptism, and into sheol at his death, were actions directed both to redemption and divinization. Ephrem and Jacob employed a system of types and antitypes used in Sacred Scripture to demonstrate the sacraments as extensions of Christ’s actions through history.

The material is organized under the themes of the hiddenness of God, creation and sin, revelation, incarnation, redemption, divinization and the Holy Spirit, the Church, Mary, the mysteries of initiation, eschatology and faith. Additionally, the book highlights the fact that the liturgical tradition of the Maronite church, one of the Syriac churches, is consistently and pervasively a living expression of the theology of these two Syriac church fathers.

Early Syriac Theology

After a lovely sojourn through New England, I returned to find many catalogues of fall publications lying on my desk. The first to catch my interest was by Chorbishop Seeley Joseph Beggiani, Early Syriac Theology: With Special Reference to the Maronite Tradition (Catholic U of America Press, October 2014), 192pp. I have long had a devotion to St. Ephraim/Ephrem/Efrem (etc.) and given several talks on him over the years as a wonderful figure celebrated in all the apostolic Christian traditions (Roman and Eastern Catholic, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Assyrian Church of the East). He provides, as Sebastian Brock and others have reminded us over the years, a wonderful introduction to the "third lung" of Christianity as well as to a more "Semitic" and pre-Hellenized form of Christianity.

About this impending book the publisher tells us:

For St. Ephrem of Syria (d. 373) and Jacob of Serugh (d. 521), God is utterly mysterious, yet He is present in all that He has created. The kenosis (self-emptying) of the Word of God is found not only in the human nature of Christ, but in the finite words of Sacred Scripture. In this action, the Divine makes itself accessible to human beings. The triple descent of the Son of God into the womb of Mary, the Jordan River at his baptism, and into sheol at his death, were actions directed both to redemption and divinization. Ephrem and Jacob employed a system of types and antitypes used in Sacred Scripture to demonstrate the sacraments as extensions of Christ's actions through history. St. Ephrem, who was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XV, and Jacob of Serugh were two of the earliest and most important representatives of the theological world-view of the Syriac church. Much of their work was in the form of hymns and metrical homilies, using poetry to express theology. In Early Syriac Theology, Chorbishop Seely Joseph Beggiani strives to present their insights in a systematic form according to headings used in western treatises, while not undermining the originality and cohesiveness of their thought. The material is organized under the themes of the hiddenness of God, creation and sin, revelation, incarnation, redemption, divinization and the Holy Spirit, the Church, Mary, the mysteries of initiation, eschatology and faith. Additionally, the book highlights the fact that the liturgical tradition of the Maronite church, one of the Syriac churches, is consistently and pervasively a living expression of the theology of these two Syriac church fathers.

Ephraim the Poet

The mitred archpriest Roman Galadza, who presided at our crowning in marriage in 2003, told us "Beware what saints you name your kids after as they have a habit of taking on some of the characteristics of their patrons, often without knowing it." I have evidence of that in my own son Ephraim, who, quite on his own and without any prompting from me, has started composing theological poetry. It's not (yet) on the calibre of Ephraim the Syrian's poems and hymns, or the other great theological poet, Dante, but for an eight-year-old boy it's not too shabby.

Speaking of the great Syrian theologian, we saw, late this summer, publication of another collection of that genius of the Syriac tradition: Hymns and Homilies of St. Ephraim the Syrian (2012; 388pp).

About this book the publisher tells us:

Born at Nisibis, then under Roman rule, early in the fourth century; died June, 373. The name of his father is unknown, but he was a pagan and a priest of the goddess Abnil or Abizal. His mother was a native of Amid. Ephraem was instructed in the Christian mysteries by St. James, the famous Bishop of Nisibis, and was baptized at the age of eighteen (or twenty-eight). Thenceforth he became more intimate with the holy bishop, who availed himself of the services of Ephraem to renew the moral life of the citizens of Nisibis, especially during the sieges of 338, 346, and 350. One of his biographers relates that on a certain occasion he cursed from the city walls the Persian hosts, whereupon a cloud of flies and mosquitoes settled on the army of Sapor II and compelled it to withdraw. The adventurous campaign of Julian the Apostate, which for a time menaced Persia, ended, as is well known, in disaster, and his successor, Jovianus, was only too happy to rescue from annihilation some remnant of the great army which his predecessor had led across the Euphrates. To accomplish even so much the emperor had to sign a disadvantageous treaty, by the terms of which Rome lost the Eastern provinces conquered at the end of the third century; among the cities retroceded to Persia was Nisibis (363). To escape the cruel persecution that was then raging in Persia, most of the Christian population abandoned Nisibis en masse. Ephraem went with his people, and settled first at Beit-Garbaya, then at Amid, finally at Edessa, the capital of Osrhoene, where he spent the remaining ten years of his life, a hermit remarkable for his severe asceticism. Nevertheless he took an interest in all matters that closely concerned the population of Edessa. Several ancient writers say that he was a deacon; as such he could well have been authorized to preach in public. At this time some ten heretical sects were active in Edessa; Ephraem contended vigorously with all of them, notably with the disciples of the illustrious philosopher Bardesanes. To this period belongs nearly all his literary work; apart from some poems composed at Nisibis, the rest of his writings-sermons, hymns, exegetical treatises-date from his sojourn at Edessa. It is not improbable that he is one of the chief founders of the theological "School of the Persians", so called because its first students and original masters were Persian Christian refugees of 363. At his death St. Ephraem was borne without pomp to the cemetery "of the foreigners". The Armenian monks of the monastery of St. Sergius at Edessa claim to possess his body.

Other books on or by Ephraim, including the charming one of my friend Bill Mills, were noted here, here, and here. A good overview of his thinking may be found in Sebastian Brock, The Luminous Eye: The Spiritual World Vision of Saint Ephrem (Cistercian, 1992).

Syriac Poetry and Ephraim's Vita

As I have noted before, we are living in a happy time for those interested in what some have called the "third lung" of apostolic Christianity, viz., the Syriac tradition. Peeters continues our exploration of that tradition with two new publications released only last month: A. Mengozzi, ed., Religious Poetry in Vernacular Syriac from Northern Iraq (17th-20th Centuries). An Anthology (Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium) (Peeters, 2011), 163pp.

About this book the publisher tells us:

The present publication ideally continues the CSCO 589-590, in which 17th-century religious poems in Vernacular Syriac (i.e., Neo-Aramaic or Sureth) were published. It offers the reader a rich anthology and the most complete historical sketch of the dorektha genre, surveying published and unpublished works by Chaldean and Assyrian authors. Texts dating from 1607/08 to 1980 AD are critically edited and translated into English, with linguistic, philological and literary comments: On Repentance by Hormizd of Alqosh (17th cent.); the poetic diptych On the Torments of Hell and On the Delights of the Kingdom by Damynanos of Alqosh, which shows the author's indebtedness to Italian Baroque sermons; On a Famine in the Year 1898 by the poetess Anne of Telkepe, probably the first work by a woman to enter the CSCO; the fascinating and living story of the Hermit Barmalka by Joseph 'Abbaya of Alqosh; On an Attack by the Mongols at Karamlish, in which Thomas Hanna of Karamlish elaborates on classical sources such as Gewargis Warda and Barhebreus; the touching and beautiful elegy On Exile by Yohannan Cholagh, who deals with the Christian emigration from Iraq, a contemporary social problem that is even more pressing today than in 1980, when the poem first appeared in Qala Suryaya.

The second book is about him whom the Syriac tradition unashamedly lauds as its greatest harp of the Holy Spirit, viz., Ephraim:  J.P. Amar, The Syriac Vita Tradition of Ephrem the Syrian (Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium) (Peeters, 2011), 118pp.

About this scholarly work, Peeters tells us:

This monograph is a synoptic presentation of the texts of all the recensions of the Syriac Life of Ephrem. Working from the manuscript sources, the author corrects previously published recensions of the Life and presents heretofore unpublished recensions. A critical introductory study traces the Life to its sources among Byzantine ecclesiastical writers who were promoters of the monastic ideal and who seized upon the reputation of Ephrem in native Syriac tradition to authorize a way of life he never practiced. By anachronistically associating Ephrem with leading figures in the movement, such as Pisoes and Basil the Great, these authors, aided by later generations of Syriac-speaking churchmen, sought to bring Ephrems poetic expression of the truths of the faith within the canonical authority of the Byzantine imperial church.

Ephraim's Devotion to the Mother of God

Saint Ephraim the Syrian, "harp of the Holy Spirit" and glory of Syriac Christianity, has been well studied over the years in Oxford's Sebastian Brock's many books. 

Brock continues this wonderful contribution to Oriental scholarship and liturgics with a new book, of which he is the translator and in which Ephraim figures prominently:

Bride of Light: Hymns on Mary from the Syriac Churches (Gorgias Press, 2010), 206pp.

About this book, Gorgias Press tells us:

Syriac is particularly rich in poetry on Mary. Not only is some of this of great tenderness and beauty, but much is also highly imaginative and dramatic. Three different genres are represented in the present selection, lyric, dialogue and narrative poems; almost all are likely to date from the fourth or fifth century. First come five poems by St Ephrem himself, followed by a series of 15 Hymns on Mary attributed to him, but which must date from somewhat later. The section on lyric poems ends with nine charming short poems on the Nativity by Simeon the Potter, a contemporary of St Jacob of Serugh, and a lament put in the voice of Mary at the Crucifixion. Of the five dialogue poems, the first three are based on moments in the opening chapters of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke—Mary and the angel at the Annunciation, Mary and Joseph at the moment when Joseph discovers his betrothed is pregnant, and Mary and the Magi. By contrast, the last two are set on the morning of the Resurrection, where the Mary of chapter 20 of the Gospel of John is identified as Mary, the mother of Jesus, following an early tradition, and not as Mary Magdalene. The collection concludes with three narrative poems, of which the longest, on Mary and Jacob, makes use of themes in the Protogospel of James. A series of indexes includes ones listing the titles of Christ and of Mary that occur, as well as biblical references.

O Lord and Master of My Life!

During the Great Fast, which ends this week on Lazarus Saturday (Holy Week being, as it were, a fast unto itself of especial strictness), Eastern Christians have been reciting regularly the great prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian with its prostrations.

The prolific pastoral theologian William Mills wrote a charming little book about Ephraim a couple of years ago, and I reviewed it for Logos: The Prayer of St. Ephrem: A Biblical Commentary

About this book, the publisher tells us:

St. Ephrem the Syrian (306-379) is perhaps one of the most prolific Fathers of the Eastern Church, composing four-hundred liturgical hymns and scriptural commentaries, earning him such titles as the Harp of the Spirit and the Pillar of the Church. St. Ephrem is best known for the short prayer, The Prayer of St. Ephrem, which is used throughout the season of Great Lent. The prayer outlines both the sins and virtues of community life: sloth, despair, lusting of power, idle talk; as well as chastity humility, patience, and love for the neighbor. The Prayer of St. Ephrem: A Biblical Commentary provides the reader with the scriptural background to the words and metaphors contained in this short but inspirational prayer. This book is a good resource for either personal devotion or for small group Bible Studies in the parish.

There is still time to order, read, and benefit from this book's great wisdom, and then to store it on your shelf for slow meditation not only during Great Lent of next year, but during the other fasting seasons later this year.

Ephraim the Semitic Syrian?

Oxford's Sebastian Brock, the great scholar of Ephraim the Syrian who has a review of a new book on Syriac realities in the forthcoming issue of Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies, has raised the question of how to consider the Syriac tradition of Eastern Christianity ("The Syriac Orient: a Third 'Lung' for the Church?," Orientalia Christiana Periodica 71 [2005]: 5-20). The Syriac tradition (as it is increasingly generally known, especially in North America, to avoid calling it "Syrian" and so conflating ancient theological realities with the politics of the modern nation-state) is neither Latin nor Greek, and its early development predated the Hellenization of Christianity and preserved much closer and more obviously Semitic roots outside of Greek philosophical categories.

Just how Semitic--just how Jewish--was, and is, that tradition, and its chief spokesman, Ephraim? Such is the question under examination in a new book:

E. Narinskaya, Ephrem, a 'Jewish' Sage: A Comparison of Exegetical Writings of St. Ephrem in the Syrian and Jewish Tradition (Studia Traditionis Theologiae) (Brepols, 2010), xix+357pp. 

The author holds a doctorate from the University of Durham.

The publisher provides us the following description of the book:

This book seeks to reconsider the commonly held view that some of Ephrem’s writings are anti-Semitic, and that his relationship with Judaism is polemical and controversial. The outcome of the research highlights several key issues. First, it indicates that the whole emphasis of Ephrem’s critical remarks about Jews and Judaism is directed towards Christian conduct, and not towards Jews; and second, it considers Ephrem’s negative remarks towards Jews strictly within the context of his awareness of the need for a more clearly defined identity for the Syriac Church.

Furthermore, this book examines discernible parallels between Ephrem’s commentaries on Scripture and Jewish sources. Such an exercise contributes to a general portrait of Ephrem within the context of his Semitic background. And in addition, the book offers an alternative reading of Ephrem’s exegetical writings, suggesting that Ephrem was aiming to include Jews together with Christians among his target audience. Further analysis of Ephrem’s biblical commentaries suggests that his exegetical style resembles in many respects approaches to Scripture familiar to us from the writings of Jewish scholars.

A comparison of Ephrem’s writings with Jewish sources represents a legitimate exercise, considering ideas that Ephrem emphasises, exegetical techniques that he uses, and his great appreciation of ‘the People’ – the Jews as a chosen nation and the people of God – an appreciation which becomes apparent from Ephrem’s presentation of them. The process of reading Ephrem’s exegetical writings in parallel with Jewish sources strongly identifies him as an heir of Jewish exegetical tradition who is comfortably and thoroughly grounded in it. This reading identifies Ephrem on a theological, exegetical and methodological level as a Christian writer demonstrating the qualities and features of a Jewish sage.

I look forward to having this book reviewed in Logos: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies later this year.