Every year on February 10, Orthodox people celebrate a feast in honor of St. Ephraim the Syrian. In a way, he was a great man. Embodying a wise church teacher, an Orthodox poet, and just a sincere believer, this saint truly left a memory in the hearts of many Christians. The life of Rev. Ephraim the Syrian will be described in this article.
Birth and early years
Numerous sources say that the reverend was born at the end of the 3rd century in a small town called Nisibia. His parents were not a noble family, ordinary farmers who earned their bread with hard work. But these people were special, because their Christian faith gave the child the first impulses on the path of life. Among his close relatives were also representatives of the Christian community. A child from childhood was brought up in humility. Moreover, such a character trait did not prevent him from being very active and inquisitive.
An unpleasant event and a wonderful omen
The mother of the child knew about the purpose of the son. The fact is that Ephraim was imprisoned, accusing him of stealing sheep. It was then that the mother had a dream that prophesied the fate of her son. It was in the walls of the dungeon that he was able to concentrate on his condition and hear the soul. After his release from prison, Ephraim was still very young, but, nevertheless, he was able to make a firm decision to go to the mountains to the hermits. It was there that he was destined to meet his first teacher named Jacob. In the following years, Jacob became the bishop of Nisibi. Many church ministers believe that every serious Christian must study the life of Ephraim the Syrian in order to feel the mood of a true novice of God.
The path of discipleship
Ephraim studied very quickly, and soon he got rid of mundane human feelings. There was no room for resentment or anger in his soul. Over time, grace descended on this person, he became a wise mentor and an assiduous prayer book. The brothers who were nearby felt this grace, and some saw the knowledge confirming that the Monk Ephraim the Syrian was far from an ordinary person. The life of the saint also speaks of this.
Invaluable contribution
Over the course of his long and righteous life, the monk was able to visit many countries and meet many great people. But, despite such an eventful life, Ephraim continued to devote all his time to prayers; in addition, he wrote instructive parables, as well as interpretations of scripture verses. In some of his own poems, he could skillfully emphasize the vices of a certain person, which he actually did. To date, it has been possible to save a large number of his conversations, sermons, and many other works. All this is a great legacy for a truly spiritual person.
Thus, the well-known prayer “Lord and Lord of my belly” is a blessing to the spiritual experience of the Monk Ephraim the Syrian. His works created a huge number of poems that are worth studying, because the works are really magnificent. These verses very quickly spread among people at that time, which Ephraim the Syrian rejoiced incredibly. The life and works of the saint, unfortunately, were interesting not only to righteous people.
Tests of humility
On his way there were also villains who wanted to stop the reverend. There was an attack with a weapon, Ephraim was beaten very badly, and he was on the verge of death. But even this situation did not affect the state of his soul, he continued to write and pray even more earnestly.
The reverend often preached, which were very instructive. His favorite topic was the crushing of his own sin, he touched on the theme of the Last Judgment and the memory of the Lord's sacrifice. Awareness of all these sermons and a sincere desire to correct one’s state of mind led a person to peace and tranquility. The words of Ephraim touched the most subtle matters of the soul, a man ascended with his thoughts and heart. This gave a certain grace, enlightened the mind and thoughts. Such a conversation helped to reveal to man the truth of being, which gave many the opportunity to rise to a new level of their own spiritual development.
In the year 350, a tragedy occurred in the life of Ephraim - the death of his own mentor and first teacher, Jacob of Nizibia. The life of St. Ephraim the Syrian has changed dramatically.
New life
After a series of certain events, Ephraim had to move to another city called Edessa. The settlement was more lively and densely populated in terms of its infrastructure. This meant that a large number of unnecessary temptations appeared that could affect the state of mind. It was in this city that he met harlots who tried to bring the righteous out of spiritual balance. Despite such impudent temptations, Ephraim restrained not only inner, but outer calm. And he was able to fight back even with a slight sarcasm. This incident once again demonstrated fortitude and indifference to human lust.
Persistent faith
One of the harlot who tried to tempt, began a conversation with Ephraim. In this case, he could explain everything to her, and even persuade her to repentance and going to the temple. Soon, the harlot in the past became an assiduous nun in one of the monasteries. It was this meeting that became fateful for her, completely turned her life around and presented the true path that paved the way to the temple of God.
But in addition to prayer and nourishment of his soul, he also had to take care of the body. To buy a piece of bread, I had to work with a person who kept his own bathhouse. Also, in his free time, Ephraim the Syrian preached to save the souls of those around him.
An omen of God
Such a life in a big city affected the state of mind, I wanted peace. Therefore, Ephraim shared his torment with one of the elders. He, in turn, advised to go to the mountains, which were located near the city. But the same elder soon received knowledge, where he was told that Ephraim was sent by God to enlighten people. Soon the monk had to return to the busy city and preach and preach, but now Saint Ephraim the Syrian was only happy about this. His life was ordained by the Lord himself.
Ephraim began to write down his interpretations for posterity, it is these works that have been preserved for many years. Time passed, sermons attracted a huge crowd of people. Every day I had to communicate with a mass of people, to everyone to interpret and explain something. Ephraim began to think again about leaving, but a vision came to him. An angel appeared before him, who forbade the saint to flee from his own cross and ordered that people continue to serve in the name of their salvation.
In order to educate others, it was decided to open a school, from the walls of which a large number of famous, smart and wise people came out. But, in spite of everything, Ephraim had to leave for a short while, yet he needed time to be alone with God. In the desert, a small monastery was founded by his labors, where he secluded himself with the aim of rest and gaining spiritual strength. This practice helped him more easily carry his cross and educate those around him. We can say that the double life was led by the Rev. Ephraim the Syrian. His life describes moments of both social life and the renounced order.
Meeting with Basil the Great
Once a vision appeared to Ephraim, in which there was a huge pillar of fire, and a voice said that this pillar was Vasily himself. It was about St. Basil the Great. In those days, he was Archbishop of Caesarea of Cappadocia. Rev. Ephraim decides to hit the road to meet with Basil. Upon arrival, he found him in the temple, at the end of the service they had a sincere friendly conversation. As it turned out in the conversation, Vasily heard a lot about the acts of Ephraim, so he talked to him as a long-familiar person.
St. Basil saw that Ephraim deserved more, but did not force him to his will. He said prayers over him. Ephraim decided to stay for three days and then again went to his city to continue to preach to people. He did this absolutely disinterestedly, trying to give his love to others. He avoided praise, respect, or reverence, trying to devote every free minute to fellowship with God. Once people wanted to make him bishop.
Ephraim the Syrian - a holy fool?
The life of St. Ephraim the Syrian could turn in a completely different direction, and he had to go to extreme measures, namely, pretend to be a holy fool. He rushed around the city, causing inconvenience and doing other pranks. After another person was elected to the post, Ephraim returned to normal and continued his previous activities.
Sleep and eating took the last place in the life of the reverend. He slept for several hours, ate very little, and he did this with the aim of not dying prematurely. Every day he spent every free second, hoping in tears, mentioning the terrible Court for him. He believed that poverty was greater than wealth, so he was infinitely happy about his position. The monk felt his death in advance, knew about it and spoke. Before he died, he left a testament with teachings for his students. The day of death falls on 372, but according to other sources, this happened in 373. The students buried the body with all honors near the city of Edessa.
Saint without a smile on his lips
In the memory of all, the saint remained a man who never laughed, was always serious and a little moody. In a sense, it was a message to humanity, which even in its image carried the people of Ephraim the Syrian. The icon of the saint is capable of performing real miracles with the soul of man. Every day sparkling tears flowed from his eyes, he worried about the whole human race, which is facing a terrible Judgment. His tears were as natural as for any other to breathe air, and this phenomenon proved the holiness of this person, his prayer state of mind. For many deeply spiritual personalities, the life and relics of Ephraim the Syrian are of great intimate value. The remains of the saint are today in different parts of the world. But most of it was preserved in the Syrian monastery.
Thanks to Ephraim, many were able to understand that the sparking of tears is the beginning of knowing oneself, understanding one’s mistakes and repenting of them, which is very important. If a tear is truly shed, then a person is ashamed, which means he can correct his sin. Crying is a kind of cleansing for the soul. As a person washes his face, so crying can wash the soul, make it cleaner, and therefore cured of ailments. It is these tears that are capable of engendering in man a grain of wisdom, modesty, compassion for other living beings.
Ephraim tried to convey these simple truths to people. It is surprising that today these sermons have not lost their relevance, and the words are still able to touch the human soul. And this is important for everyone, because the present world has made man even thicker-skinned, and the soul is rougher, which means that tears are the beginning of their own salvation.
Over the years of his life, the monk was able to give the true path to many lost souls. To give relief and understanding of their sinfulness, to give clarity of mind. Thanks to Ephraim the Syrian, many were able to find themselves. For a long time before his death, he predicted the day, he knew it for sure. Having lived to a very old age, Ephraim had a sound mind, could give practical advice. And only after death, he was able to go to his favorite place forever. The disciples buried Ephraim in his own monastery.
Ephraim the Syrian: creations and books
Truly, the life of Ephraim the Syrian was amazing. Fortunately, his teachings have survived to this day. Everyone knows that Ephraim was distinguished by his eloquence in his sermons. He could pick up a verbal key to any heart. In addition, he had other talents. Ephraim is a great writer of Syrian literature.
The saints wrote a huge number of terrific prayers and songs. Thanks to this, it was possible to significantly enrich every worship in the temple. With his hand, prayers were written to the Holy Trinity, the Son of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary. A number of chants were also written to be performed on holidays. The prayer “Lord and Lord of my belly” is recited throughout Great Lent.
In his writings, as many as 3 million lines were counted, which once again indicates a persistent mind, endurance and patience. The desire to convey to people a piece of his soul allowed him to perform a large number of worthy deeds. His works were very popular. They were written in the Syriac language, but the necessity made us translate the works into all new languages. So they spread around the world.
This saint is prayed to pacify his own anger. They pray to him for peace, not only in his heart, but also in his family, and maybe even the state. Requests of this kind are addressed specifically to this saint. Ephraim the Syrian received his literary gift at birth. His mother’s dream testified to this, it was thanks to him that she realized that her child was special. That was the life of Ephraim the Syrian.
The book “Victory over oneself” made a huge contribution to the Orthodox sermon. The technique of writing works is really special. Own special technique, which was based on speech speed, simpler speech and repetition. The book can very easily explain even the most confusing truths. And for a person who has just begun his journey, this is really important.
In his poetry, Ephraim Sirin used a sarcastic style, with the help of which he could easily make fun of human vices and weaknesses. In addition to all this, the saint also had musical talent. By creating some kind of chant, he could clearly indicate the necessary musical motive, which really fit perfectly.
A living and real memory has been preserved of this saint to this day; his prayers allow reunion with God. Most of the written prayers are lost, and most likely, very little has come down to our time. Therefore, we can say that modern man knows a lot about the prayers of the saint, but at the same time, absolutely nothing.
This saint left a huge legacy on Earth. First of all, this is the interpretation of Scripture, the huge number of prayers and songs that are now heard at the services. This is important, such a contribution is invaluable, every Christian is grateful to Saint Ephraim. Nevertheless, he was able to pass a piece of his own soul to every Christian, now the main thing is to save it and pass it on to future generations. The saint denied philosophical reasoning, but at the same time tried in every possible way to include the moral aspect in his teachings, the exposition of which he was perfectly able to do.
For a deeper study of the life and deeds of the saint, it is better to read the book “The Life of Ephraim the Syrian” (1791).