Saint Aphrahat
The Persian Sage
His life, writings, thoughts
With a simplified introduction to Syriac literature
[The introduction was deleted and only the biography of the saint was kept… (network)]
2003
Preparatory edition
Father Tadros Yacoub Malti
Church of St. George the Martyr, Sporting
A joyful evangelical heart!
Little is known yet of the life of Father Aphrahat, the Persian sage, who ranks high among the early Syriac writers. But his writings bear witness to his exultant evangelical thought.
Aphrahat was not influenced by philosophies, which is rare among the early Eastern fathers. He found sweetness in the new life through the simplicity of the Gospel. He studied the divine books, lived them and quoted many of them, and he considered himself “Bible Student” [1].
His articles, with their ascetic character as a monk, reveal his inner joy, or rather the spiritual laughter of his heart. Among his joyful words are: “The humble man speaks, and his words are fitting, and his lips laugh, but the sound of his laughter is not heard.” [2].
Biography of Saint Aphrahat
The Persian Sage
Saint Aphrahat or Aphrodites or Farahad or Joys or The Persian Sage the Persian Sage - As he was sometimes called, he is the first major Syriac writer whose works survive, and we know little about the circumstances of his life.
Theodoret of Cyrus, who visited him and received his blessing as a child, wrote about him. [3].
But in a later tradition he is counted as the abbot of the famous monastery of Mar Mattai near Mosul in northern Iraq, and as the bishop of the same region. In 344 he presided over a church council for his province of Adiabene. [4] Adiabene.
He was clearly an important figure in the Christian church in Persia. He witnessed and witnessed the beginning of the persecution of church leaders by the Sasanian king Shapur II in early 340 AD. This persecution led to war between Persia and the Roman Empire under its new rulers who had recently converted to Christianity.
Saint Aphraates lived as a true ascetic, with an evangelical mind. In his asceticism, his heart expanded with love for all, and he met others with cheerfulness, also striving to preserve the faith.
His upbringing
Born in the late 3rd or early 4th century AD [5] In Persia, his parents were from the Magi lineage of idolaters, but since his childhood he was not comfortable with the thoughts of his fathers and their lives filled with impurities. [6].
When he was of age, he met some Christians and was touched by their love, gentleness and chastity. He asked them about their faith, and they spoke to him about God’s supreme love, His work of salvation, the oneness of God and the trinity of the divine persons. He accepted the faith with great joy and was baptized. He was called Jacob. [7] Either in his baptism, monasticism, or ordination as a bishop. Which caused confusion between him and Jacob of Nisibis, who died in 338 AD.
There is still debate about whether he was of pagan or Christian origin. Some rely on his phrase about pagans, where he says: “we.” Others see his extensive knowledge of the Bible, both Testaments, and its many quotations as evidence that he was of Christian origin.
Aphrahat decided to leave his country like Abraham and go to Edessa (Edessa) in Mesopotamia to strengthen the faith of the Christians there. Since he was inclined to a life of solitude, he lived in a place near the city, practicing a life of ascetic worship with a spirit of true piety. The sweet fragrance of Christ wafted through him, and many came to seek his guidance and to ask for his prayers. After a while, he went to Antioch and resisted Arianism.
It seems that he left his place and went to another area in Syria where he increased in his asceticism, eating only bread and drinking water once a day with some uncooked vegetables as he grew older.
Afrahat the Bishop
He seems to have been a bishop, as is evident from his address to the pastors (Article 14), and his presentation of the faith in his articles as bishops did at that time.
Aphrahat and the persecution
Article 14 dates the year 655 for the Seleucids and 35 for Shahpur or Shapur, i.e. 344 AD. At the end of Article 23 it appears that he wrote it in 345 AD, from which we understand that the persecution was light five years ago, then intensified after that, especially after the death of the Catholicos. Some believe that he may have died in that year.
Article 21 records the persecution of that era to encourage believers in the face of persecution.
With Governor Anthimos [8]
Anthimius, the governor of Antioch, who later became an ambassador to Persia, missed him. On his way, he passed through Antioch in 405 AD and presented Saint Aphrahat with a new robe that he had brought from Persia as a gift from the hermit’s country. Being kind and cheerful by nature, he accepted the gift and thanked him for it. After a while, Aphrahat asked him: “I seek your advice on a matter that has puzzled me and confused my mind. It is that about 16 years ago I decided to have one friend whom I chose to accompany me and live with me. This friend pleased me very much and comforted me and never made me sad. But another came from a distant country and wanted to take his place. Which of the two should I accept?” The governor answered: “The first.” Aphrahat smiled and said to him: “The old friend is my robe that has accompanied me all these long years. How can I replace it with another?!” Then the governor smiled and realized that Aphrahat wanted to apologize for accepting his gift politely, so he took back the garment, marveling at his wisdom and kindness, as he did not want to hurt his feelings even in refusing the gift.
With King Valens [9]
The saint remained confined to his cell and did not leave it. It became a strong spiritual center, and all who came to him were comforted by the words of grace coming from his mouth, and enjoyed the blessings of God’s work with him.
When Emperor Valens Meletius, Bishop of Antioch, was exiled and persecuted the Church because of his Arian thought, Aphrahat entered the city of Antioch, and encouraged the believers, and strengthened them in the right faith, proving to them the divinity of the Lord Christ. The Arians were unable to resist or argue with him because of the grace that was given to him through his words and life and the miracles that God performed through his hands. Therefore, the Arians feared him and wanted to get rid of him.
Theodoret describes to us the story of the meeting of the righteous Aphrahat with the Emperor Valens, where he wrote:
To the north of the Orontes lies the palace. To the south is a spacious two-story portico, built on the city wall, with high towers on each side. Between the palace and the river is a public road open to passers-by coming from the city, and the gate in this quarter leads to the town on its outskirts.
It happened that the righteous Aphrahat was passing through this highway on his way to the army training ground to perform pastoral work for his people. Looking down from the palace hall, the emperor saw him walking in a simple goatskin cloak, walking quickly despite his advanced years. He recognized that it was Aphrahat, to whom the whole city had clung, and cried out, “Where are you going? Tell me.” With skill and quick wit he replied, “To pray for the empire.”
“It would have been better for you to stay in your dwelling and pray alone like a monk,” said the emperor.
“Yes,” said the holy man, “I am bound to do so, and I have always done so up to now, as long as Christ’s flock is safe. But now that the flock is in great peril and danger, exposed to being devoured by wild beasts, I must leave no means to save the infant.
Tell me, sir, if I were a girl sitting in my room and I looked up and saw a flame falling on the house and my father's house was on fire, what should I do?
Tell me, should I stay inside and not care about the house being on fire, and wait for the fire to get close to me? Or should I leave my spot and run here and there and get water and try to put out the fire?
You will surely tell me the last thing, for that is what a serious, brave girl should do. And that is what I am doing now, sir.
You are setting fire to our father's house, and we are rushing to put it out.”
Thus said Aphrahat, and the emperor threatened him, but he no longer spoke.
One of the imperial palace guards threatened the righteous man with extreme violence, and this was his fate. He was in charge of the bath. Immediately after the discussion, he went down to prepare a bath for the emperor. Upon entering, he lost his mind and stepped into the boiling water before mixing it with cold water, and he died.
The Emperor sat waiting for him to tell him that the bath was ready for him to enter. But as he waited too long, he sent some of his men to tell him the reason for the delay. They entered and began to search for him in the room and discovered that the chamberlain was dead in the boiling water.
The king knew this and those with him knew the power of Aphrahat's prayers, but they did not abandon their evil teachings, for their hearts hardened like Pharaoh's. And when the mad emperor knew, he was not admonished by the miracle, but was driven mad against piety. [10].]
It was not long before Valens died in a fire, and the Church was relieved of his resistance.
His death
The saint returned to his solitude and secluded himself there, offering his prayers for the world until he passed away around the year 345 AD.
Our Orthodox Church commemorates him on January 29, and the Catholic Church on April 7. [This line has been edited… (network)]
Writings of Saint Aphrahat
The Persian Sage
His writings
Saint Aphrodite left us 23 articles called the Articles or Demonstrations, and most of these articles were about the Christian life or about the dangers threatening the Church through Jewish tendencies among Christians. They include three groups:
The first group: It consists of ten articles written around 336/337 AD, on Faith, Charity, Fasting, Prayer, Wars, Monks, Penitents, The Resurrection, Humility, and Pastors.
The second group: It consists of twelve articles, written around 343/344 AD during the persecution. Its topics are: Circumcision, Passover, Sabbath, Abstinence from Strife, Divers Meats, Call of the Gentiles, Jesus the Messiah, Virginity, Almsgiving, Persecution, Death and the Latter Times.
Group 3: It consists of a single essay, written in 345, entitled Of the Grape.
Who are the articles addressed to?
Aphrahat addressed his articles to what he called the “children of the covenant” or “the community of the resurrection.” This community appears to have been of Jewish origin, specifically the Qumran monks who lived near the Dead Sea. They included a group of clergy, bishops, priests, and deacons, as well as lay people. They were a celibate, ascetic community who devoted their lives to worship and did not engage in commercial, agricultural, or other gainful employment. They later merged into monastic organizations.
The sixth article is addressed to “the solitaries, the children of the virgin covenant, and the saints.”
Characteristics of his writings
1. These articles came in response to questions directed to him by a friend or a group of brothers who were suffering from distress and inquiring about some matters of faith and spirituality.
2. The writer did not mention anyone by name or place, nor did he criticize religious leaders, so as not to carry any personal bias. Even for the person dealing with kings (Article 8:14), he is content to say, “Let the wise hear and understand,” as if to say, I do not want to explain more than this, but it is appropriate for the reader to realize his mistake.
3. Since the origin of the community to which he wrote was Jewish, we are not surprised that he quoted much from the Old Testament, and made comparisons between one person and another, such as the offering of Abel and the offering of Cain, the fast of Moses and the fast imposed by Jezebel. But what concerns him most is the comparison between the person of Jesus our Savior and many of the characters of the Old Testament.
4. In his quotations from the Bible, he did not stick to the text, but often wrote the text from memory. Marie-Joseph Pierre counted these quotations, whether explicit or implied, and found that they were 2691, while Wright counted 794 texts from the Old Testament and 446 from the New Testament.
Article outline The First Article on Faith
It presents faith as a building, the cornerstone of which is the Lord Christ. This building is completed to become a temple for the Father and His Christ. The building materials are good works. It presents examples of the faith of figures from the Old and New Testaments, and the effectiveness of faith in their lives and service.
The second article on love
He explains the connection between the Law and the Prophets and the commandment of love, affirming that God is a God of love, mercy and forgiveness. He calls us to love our brothers, quoting the hymn of love mentioned by the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 13). Christ offered us His love in practice before calling us to love God and our neighbor.
The third article on fasting
Pure fasting is acceptable, and it is not just abstaining from food, but from evil. Give examples of the fasts of holy people and others of wicked people mentioned in the Bible. And explain the greatness of Jesus’ fasting, because if Daniel’s fast saved the whole nation, what would be the fasting of the Lord Christ?
The fourth article on prayer [11]
Aphrahat's fourth treatise is one of the oldest extant Christian treatises on prayer. This treatise is not primarily about the Lord's Prayer as are the better-known works on prayer. Tertullian, Origen, Saints Gregory of Nyssa, Cyprian, and Augustine And others. This article is characterized by the following:
1. Rich in evangelical examples Which emphasizes the necessity of purity of heart as a condition for the acceptance of prayer. Father Afrahat looks at prayer as an internal encounter of the pure heart with the Holy God, for prayer is the conversation of the heart, which will not be the subject of the pleasure of the Holy God unless it is pure and clean.
2. Prayer is Internal presentation Or a sacrifice to God. God accepts it through purity of heart and announces His acceptance of it by the descent of a fiery angel carrying it as an offering acceptable to God. God revealed this through the descent of fire from heaven to devour the offerings of righteous believers in the Old Testament. Thus, Saint Aphrahat presented us with the attractive traditional interpretation to explain to us how Abel knew the acceptance of his sacrifice. By fire falling from the sky upon her, Cain knew that his sacrifice was rejected because the heavenly fire did not touch Cain’s sacrifice. It is clear that he borrowed this sign from the biblical expressions such as the sacrifice of David (1 Chronicles 21:26) and the sacrifice of Solomon (2 Chronicles 7:1) where the Bible mentions the descent of fire.
3. This is not the only point that links Jewish tradition to what is written in this article. But the concept of Prayer as a substitute for temple sacrifices, Which was widespread in Judaism after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD.
4. Prayer It is Jacob's ladderFor through the cross (the divine ladder) we meet our Savior, enjoy heavenly things, and experience the divine.
5. Prayer is an inner action that is translated into behavior. Prayer is Will preservation languageOr it is the achievement of inner comfort in God. God's comfort is in giving rest to the tired. (Isa 28:12 LXX) By practicing acts of mercy toward them. Therefore, God will not listen to the prayer of one whose heart is arrogant and hard on his brothers, whether by not forgiving them, or not caring about their needs. He emphasized the necessity of preparing for prayer by paying attention to one’s inner behavior, especially forgiving others.
6. Our whole life is prayerThis will not conflict with allocating times for prayer (hourly prayers) that support us to live every breath of our life in constant prayer.
7. The prayer of love that is fulfilled by the gathering of two or three in the name of our Lord Jesus is answered. But if the believer is found alone as Daniel was in the pit and Jonah was in the whale… we may not meet with others physically, but we meet with them with feelings of love! They are Aphrahat.The boudoir(Matthew 6:6) Like The mark Origen [12], that the place of prayer should be inside, in the heart of man. We meet this concept again with St. Ephrem in “Hymns on Faith.” [13]“.
Finally, Father Afrahat warns us against offering prayers with blood-stained hands!
8. Aphrahat's treatise on prayer showed how the saint bore witness to the richness of the Eastern tradition of the spirituality of purity of heart and presented several ideas that later became famous.
It is clear that Aphrahat's continuing influence on Syriac spirituality continued, especially during the sixth, seventh and eighth centuries. Many of his articles were quoted by a number of writers, and his works were translated at an early age into Armenian and circulated in his time under the name of Saint Jacob of Nusaybi. His articles were later translated into Arabic (and attributed to Mar Ephraim) and into Ethiopian and the language of Georgia in Russia.
The fifth article on wars
In the fifth article, Father Ephrahat dealt with the subject of (war) and presented many examples of wars at all levels, from the days of Cain, the murderer of his brother, to Daniel’s visions of wars between successive kingdoms until the coming of the Lord Christ, and also the resistance of the Antichrist to the Church. He elaborated on explaining the visions of the Prophet Daniel.
Father Ephrahat focused on pride as the cause of wars, and that these wars will not stop when the kingdom of Christ - the Son of Man - is completed in his final coming.
Article 6: About Monks
Writing about the monks as serious and exemplary Christians in enjoying the New Testament and the resurrected life, Father Afrahat focuses on the following points:
1. Repentance is the path to the Kingdom, so it is appropriate for the monk to practice repentance in its positive and negative aspects, such as staying awake, fighting evil, and practicing acts of love and unity.
2. He explained that monasticism is a life of joyful, uninterrupted wedding. It is appropriate for the monk to keep the wedding garment pure.
3. Monasticism is a continuous battle against the forces of darkness and against physical desires. Therefore, it is appropriate for a monk not to mix with women, as giants have fallen through negligence in this matter.
4. Women have a positive role in salvation, and it is appropriate for nuns to be strict in their struggle.
5. The monk needs the spirit of discernment, to distinguish every spirit and recognize the tricks of Satan.
6. Provides a comparison between the first Adam and the last Adam, the giver of resurrection.
Article Twenty-Three: A Blessing in a Cluster
In the twenty-third article he speaks of “a blessing in a cluster.” The righteous are the blessing of the world; if they are removed from it, the world is removed. Even if the prayers of the righteous are sometimes not answered in some circumstances, there will always remain righteous people in the world as its wealth. With the death of the Lord Christ, the strand was removed from the cluster, Jerusalem was destroyed, and the blessing was transferred to the peoples through Christ. This is the divine blessing or God’s gift to the peoples, namely the presence of Christ, the Giver of true happiness.
[1] Demonstrations, 22:26 (Of Death and the Latter Times).
[2] Demonstrations, 9:2 (Of Humility).
[3] Rev. Baring-Gould: The Lives of the Saints, John Hodges, London, 1880, April 7.
[4] Henry Wace & William Piercy: A Dictionary of Early Christian Biography, Hendrickson, June 1999, p. 31.
[5] Henry Wace & William Piercy: A Dictionary of Early Christian Biography, Hendrickson, June 1999, p. 31.
[6] Dr. Paul Al-Ghafali: Aphrahat, the Persian Sage, The Oriental Library, Beirut, 1992, p. 7.
[7] Henry Wace & William Piercy: A Dictionary of Early Christian Biography, Hendrickson, June 1999, p. 31.
[8] Rev. Baring-Gould: The Lives of the Saints, John Hodges, London, 1880, April 7.
Father Boutros Farmaj, the Jesuit: Meadows of the Righteous in the Biographies of the Righteous, Beirut 1877, April 7.
[9] Rev. Baring-Gould: The Lives of the Saints, John Hodges, London, 1880, April 7.
Father Boutros Farmaj, the Jesuit: Meadows of the Righteous in the Biographies of the Righteous, Beirut 1877, April 7.
[10] Theodoret of Cyrus: HE 4:23.
[11] The Syriac Fathers on Prayer and the Spiritual Life, Cistercian Publications Inc., Michigan 1987, p. 3.
[12] On Prayer, 20:2.
[13] Hymns on Faith, 20:6.