Saint Ephrem

Ephrem was born in Nisibis, in Mesopotamia, in 306, and he wrote in Syriac, a form of Aramaic — the language Jesus spoke. He is the most important of the writers in that language. He lived most of his life in his hometown, which stood on the border between the Roman and Persian empires and was a dangerous place. When Nisibis was handed over to the Persians in 363, he had to leave with all the Christians, and he ended up in Edessa, where he spent his last ten years. The extraordinary thing about Ephrem is how he taught: by writing hymns. Hundreds of them. He composed poems to be sung, and had them performed by women’s choirs he had trained himself — something unheard of at the time. In his cities, theology was learned by singing it, and heresies were fought with better songs than the heretics had. His texts were so admired that for a time they were read in the liturgy alongside Scripture. He also wrote biblical commentaries in prose, meant for people who needed to understand in a time of great uncertainty. He was a deacon and never wanted to be ordained a priest. He died in Edessa on June 9, 373, after spending himself, the story goes, caring for the sick during a famine. Benedict XV proclaimed him a Doctor of the Church in 1920. He is called the harp of the Holy Spirit. If your name is Ephrem, today is your name day.