THE ASCETICAL TEACHING IN THE WRITINGS OF ST. EPHREM

By Shimelis Mergia

From senior essay

25/09/2004

The Ascetical teaching of St. Ephrem was just like St. Paul teaching to the Corinthian Christians, who taught about virginity.(1cor.7:11) such Ascetical life which introduced by St. Paul and later by St. Ephrem  is more biblical than Egyptian monasticism. St. Paul taught about virginity like this;

 “I say this concession, not as a command. I wish that all men were as I am but each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift anther has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: it is good for them to stay unmarried” (1cor.7:6-8)

 According to St. Paul virginity is the preferable way of life to please God. But he couldn’t say marital life cannot be pleased God. However, it may have obstacles to serve God in whole life.

 Christian should keep his/ her virginity until marriage and practice himself/herself by imitating the life of Christ the Savior. So that according to St. Paul thought, we can understand that any Christian must practice Ascetical life, as one part of his/her life.

I can quote Christ’s earthly life as an example for what I raised in this research. Our Lord Jesus Christ He lived without wife until 30, but After 30 He engaged a Marriage with Church; John the Baptist said about this;

“The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the Bridegroom waits and listens for Him, and is full of joy when hears the Bridegroom’s voice.”(John.3:29)

When St. Ephrem said about it;

 “Then the Bridegroom revealed Himself and to John at the Voice He drew near and the forerunner was moved and said of Him. This is the Bridegroom Whom I proclaimed He came to baptism that baptizes all, and He showed Himself at Jordan.”(Schaff, 2004:386)

Who is she that the bridegroom chosen to be his wife? St. Ephrem answered this question as follows;

“The king’s Son, when he saw her wickedness came and betrothed to Himself the church … whose love and trueness He had tested, He made her one with Himself with her, that there might be not separation. See, she sits in the King’s palace, dressed in the ornaments of the King. The month Nisan serves her, arrayed and adorned with flowers. Glory to Thee, Lord of Nisan” (Robert,M.2001:139)

The friend of the bridegroom was John the Baptist. He adorned and cleaned church.

 “The Word sent the Voice to proclaim before His Coming, to prepare for Him the way by which He came, and to betroth the Bride till He should come that she might be ready when He should come and take her from the water.”(Ibid.367)

This shows that there was a time to Christ to be alone and there was a time to make a marriage with Church. But we couldn’t say after Marriage He was not Virgin. He is virgin before and after Marriage; like His Mother before and after bore she was Virgin.

Similar to this St. Isaac also gave this type of virginity to those who performed their marriage according to church’s Law.

 “Marriage is not the destroyer of virginity. Intercourse in accordance with God’s Law does not corrupt virginity. Intercourses outside the Law destroy Virginity.” (Brock, 2004:90)

St. Mary is the symbol of the Church and she is also bride of God the Father.

“Bridegrooms with their brides rejoiced. Blessed be the Babe, whose Mother was Bride of the Holy One! Blessed the Marriage feast, whereat Thou wast present, in which when wine was suddenly wanting, in Thee is abounded again!” (Schaff.2004:336)

Here, we understood that His Mother St. Mary was called bride. The church also called the bride. (Eph.5:20-32) as we above discussed Mary was virgin before and after she bore Him. And also after birth of water and Spirit the church’s children are became Virgins.

 “Simon took the fishes and drew them up and they were brought near before our Lord: our priest has taken from out of the water, by the Hand which he received from Simon, Virgins and chaste men who are brought near in the festival of the Lord of Feast” (Schaff, 2004:380)

Therefore the members of the church (Christians) who lived with saintly life are Virgins.

According to Our Lord Jesus Christ and all Syrian Fathers teaching virginity means keeping chastity from sins.  Specially, for St. Ephrem: He is the base of Semitic tradition, he exhorted as by exampling Christ Our Lord, we should keep our virginity from sin. Our virginity only dissolved by sin.

In addition, every Christian has been the priest of God’s kingdom (royal priesthood), (Constantine.N.1991:141) therefore all of them must make themselves capable of to be a teacher.

If it is like this, a teacher should be taught himself/herself first; otherwise due to his/her evil works the name of God may be blasphemed.

 Accordingly, he/she must have a time to be alone and meditate the Law of God day and night, by reading Holy Scriptures and by doing other spiritual practices. By which he/she will evaluate himself/herself.

The law of our nature in itself is very comfortable to perform these duties, because we have a time as single (bachelor) and married.

Therefore church order that one must live being alone (without woman/man) that means within his/her period of virginity, should improve his spiritual life and to prepare oneself to the life of the future. A person will practice how to communicate with God while he is virgin. Then, since he has learned how he communicates with God in his Virginity age, he can easily be able to communicate with God while he is in marriage.

 That is why the teaching of St. Ephrem about Ascetical life was addressed for Christians before and after marriage.  So that Brock said about this

“The word of St. Paul so much loved by Ephrem as well; “there will be neither male nor female, servant or free.(Gal.3:28)but all are children of the High, all are pure virgins betrothed to Christ, their lamps shining out there as the enter bridal chamber together with bridegroom”(Brock,1992:137)

 We can understand this view of St. Ephrem in his writings. He used all the adjectives and pronouns which used to anchorites, to all Christians.

For example;

For whom who have both ascetical life and not

Virginity

“In the beginning the spirit that brooded move on the waters they conceived and gave birth to serpent, fishes and birds. The holy Spirit brooded in Baptism and in mystery has given birth to Eagles, virgins (schaff,2004:282)

“Lo the sward of our Lord in the water that which divided sons and fathers for it is the living from dying. Lo they are baptized and become virgins and saints”(Ibid. 382)       

Watchers(Angels or wakeful)

“Put on the wakeful One in the  waters. The free man who has put on the Angel in the waters is as the fellow of servants, that he may be made like to Lord who becomes bond man unto bond man.” (Ibid.373)

“Your garments glisten, my brethren as snow and fair is your shining in likeness of Angels.”(Ibid.388)

For those who have only ascetical life he uses

Virginity

 “The Holy One dwelt bodily in the womb; and He dwelt spiritually in the mind. Mary that conceived Him, she left her betrothed. He dwelleth in chaste virgins, if they perceive Him.(Ibid.327)

Watchers (Angels or wakeful)

“Elisha was the equal of the Watchers in his doings, glorious and holy. The camp of guardians for by means of it there dwells in the heart the hope of them that are below and the Lord of them that are above sanctify for Him your bodies for where He abides, corruption comes not near.”(Ibid.383)