Ephraem's writings are characterized by an unsystematic
combination of literal interpretation and poetic symbolism, and the Bible is
transformed from a book of history to a book of parables. However, he succeeds
in demonstrating the organic integrity of both Testaments, which together form
"a single body of truth." This is a single word "which was spoken by a single
pair of lips for various generations." It contains both the weaker rays and the
full light, both the image and the fulfillment. It is two harps which are played
by one Artist. The single path has three parts: from paradise to Zion, from Zion
to the Church, and from the Church to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Poetic form does not always foster clarity. In addition to
this, the Syriac language of Ephraem's time did not yet possess a theological
terminology. Finally, Ephraem had a tendency to be satisfied with definition
through negation and to avoid more detailed examination. "I openly admit the
insignificance of my being and I do not want to try to know my Creator because
the Inaccessible One is awesome by His very nature." He limits his inquiry to
that which has been revealed and does not try to discover that which is hidden
or which is not clearly expressed in Scripture and in the canons of faith.
However, a wealth of dogmatic material can be drawn from the
works of Ephraem. First of all, he emphasizes the importance of an orthodox
confession of the Trinity, for "without this it is impossible to live a true
life." The Trinity is a mystery but we have been enlightened by the testimony of
God so that we can distinguish the names and recognize the indivisible unity and
equality of the Divinity. There is neither separation nor merging in the
Trinity, but "there is a great order." The Divine names are not merely names,
but they designate actual persons. "If there is no person, then the name is only
an empty sound." The persons can be contemplated in the Divine names. The Son of
God is the proper Son of the Father and everything that belongs to the Father
belongs also to the Son. The incomprehensible generation of the Son is natural
and eternal, and in this same way the Father manifests the Spirit, Who proceeds
eternally from His own essence. This Trinitarian dogma is brief and simple, but
nevertheless it is completely clear. Possibly its lucidity is explained by the
presence of Jacob, the bishop of Nisibis, at the Council of Nicaea. "The truth
is written in few words," Ephraem remarks. "Do not try to make long
explanations."
Ephraem's Christological beliefs are also clearly presented.
Primarily, in opposition to the Docetists, he defends the completeness of the
Incarnation. In connection with this he develops his teaching on the Mother of
God as the Virgin Mother. "Mary would be superfluous if Christ came to us as an
apparition and God would be jesting in showing people the birth in the manger."
Christ is both God and man at the same time. "He is entirely of the lower order
and entirely of the higher order, entirely in everything and entirely one."
Ephraem refers to "mingling" and stresses the indivisibility of this union and
the unity of the Person of Christ. He says little about redemption but his basic
idea is clear: "Christ becomes similar to us in order to make us similar to
Himself. The Immortal One comes down to mortals, makes them immortal, and
ascends again to the Father." He places particular emphasis on the sufferings of
the Savior and on His descent to hell, from which He leads forth Adam as the
dead rise from the dust and glorify their Savior.
"Christ becomes similar to us in order to make us similar to Himself. The Immortal One comes down to mortals, makes them immortal, and ascends again to the Father."
Ephraem's depiction of the last days is both poetic and lively.
His description of the institution of a new Easter through the Eucharist, and
the true transformation of the Eucharistic gifts into the food of
incorruptibility, is particularly vivid. Against this background his realistic
attention to detail is especially striking, and he remarks that the bread which
the Savior offered to Judas had first been moistened in water, which removed His
blessing from it. All of this is closer to mystical poetry than actual
theology.
Ephraem in his anthropology primarily stresses man's freedom,
which he sees as the source of responsibility and the desire to strive for God.
This striving is a victory over necessity and nature, and it is also a
liberation from the "power of the stars" and the elements. The very question as
to whether man is free proves that he is because "questions and scepticism arise
from freedom." "A nature which is deprived of freedom cannot ask questions.
Questions are the work of freedom. Only a free nature can inquire." Man's own
internal experience testifies to his freedom.
The world is created by God and "there is nothing on earth that
has not been authorized because the source of everything is God." Therefore evil
is not from nature or from material sub stance, and "there would be no evil if
it were not for the will." At the fall freedom was distorted but not destroyed.
Man must make a choice, and "the nature of freedom is identical in all people,"
so that if one man can be victorious, then this is possible for every one. Man
is created in the image of God, and this is revealed in his freedom and in his
capacity to accept God's gifts. At his creation man was endowed with
immortality, wisdom, and knowledge, and he was clothed in light. At the fall he
became mortal, and the first sin is still reverberating in us like an echo. Only
Christ liberates men from this condemnation to death.
Ephraem's writings on the Church are vivid and emotional. The
Church is the Bride of Christ, the Courtyard of the Shepherd, and the House of
God. This house stands on two columns, which are the visible world and the
invisible world. Ephraem describes the continuity in the order of things from
Adam to Christ, and also the continuity of the apostolic tradition, which has
been transmitted through consecration and the laying on of hands. For Ephraem
the Church is a place of sanctification which is realized through the
sacraments. The first of these is baptism, the sacrament of forgiveness and
adoption. The baptismal font is another Jordan, a boundary between life and
death, and only the man who crosses to the other shore becomes a "citizen of the
spiritual world." At baptism man "is led to freedom in the name of the Trinity."
This sacrament is accomplished through anointing with oil, and Ephraem compares
this to the Eucharist. Sinners can again wash away their pollution by
repentance, and especially by sincere sorrow and tears. "I dress myself in tears
and thus I am adorned." Tears magnify the beauty of the outer garments. At the
same time Ephraem speaks about the power of the keys, a power which has been
given to the Church. The basic principle of his doctrine is that "the entire
Church is a Church of those who are perishing and of those who repent."
Ephraem frequently speaks on eschatological themes, which
obviously appealed to his poetic imagination. His description of the Last
Judgment is similar to the dogma of Aphraates: the righteous are superior to
judgment; average men will be judged, but sinners are beyond judgment. The
doctrine of the resurrection of all is essential for Ephraem, and he considers
that without faith in the resurrection it is impossible to be a Christian and
useless to participate in the sacraments, since it is the sacraments, and
especially the Eucharist, which testify to the resurrection. At the resurrection
everyone will be made incorruptible but the bodies of sinners will be dark and
they will exude a terrible stench. Everyone will pass through the fire.
Righteous men will be unharmed, but sinners will remain in the flames. Just
souls will enter the realm of bliss only after the resurrection because outside
of their bodies they are insensible and cannot go beyond the boundary of earthly
paradise. It is at this boundary that the souls of pardoned sinners will remain
after judgment, but the souls of the righteous will then achieve the heights of
blessedness. This will be their ultimate and eternal fate.
Ephraem's writings contain many outstanding images but few
original ideas. However, his exposition of general Church doctrine is vivid and
artistic, and this is the main significance of his dogmatic writing.
Source:
http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/english/fathers_florovsky_1.htm#_Toc3723902
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