4

Turning to this divine and reserved hope, he scorned all worldly things, and longed for every eternal glory. And he kept the love for God and for his neighbor so precisely, that he himself said thus, as he was departing from this life; for it is good to bring forward the very words of the God-bearing Father, which are better than any proof. In no way, he says, in all my life have I reviled the Lord, and no foolish word has passed my lips. In all my life I have cursed no one, and in general I have quarreled with no believer. O blessed tongue, that dared to utter such a voice, which is most fitting for angels alone, because of the immaterial and sedition-free nature of their life. But for us who serve the flesh, it is strange and beyond nature, and difficult to achieve. And though you may toil much, searching the lives of those renowned for virtue, you would nowhere find anything like it, as in the case of the Father before us, a narrative sign of pure and spotless love. If then love is greater than all the virtues; and blessed Ephrem achieved this as no other of the Fathers; and each will receive according to his works; we will grant to others to draw the conclusion from these things, so that we may not seem to be comparing Fathers to Fathers. For we have not mentioned this for the sake of comparison, but only so that we might bring to the attention of the many, how our own, or rather the teacher of the world, Ephrem, reached the very summit of the spiritual ladder of virtues. 46.829

Having acquired piety in the possession of true wisdom (according to what is said in Job: Behold, piety is wisdom) through it, as we indicated a little above, describing the purity of his faith, he ascended to the third heaven, according to Paul, and he has been enriched with an immortal memory and lasting renown in the Church; and his study of the divine Scriptures was kindled from the Davidic lamp, he who says, "In my meditation a fire shall be kindled." For a love of spiritual contemplation possessed him, and raised his desire into a sublime flame. For having studied all of both the Old and New Scripture, and having dwelt in such contemplations as no other, he interpreted it all precisely, word for word, from the creation of the world, and up to the last book of grace, bringing to light the depths of the hidden contemplations, using the Spirit as a lamp. And not only did he drink the whole spiritual cup of this our God-inspired wisdom, and share it with others, but also of the external, worldly wisdom, both that which concerns the eloquent and correct use of speech, and that which concerns the depth of thought, having practiced it very much, he took what was useful, but what was unprofitable, he cast away, having traded in both action and contemplation with the balance of justice. And he achieved a purity of both soul and body, as much as nature allowed; or rather, even beyond nature; for it is the gift of grace. For he did not allow his soul to stray from its state of right reason, but he was, in truth, ruling his soul, and shining forth brilliantly in his body. And the transformation of the prostitute in the story testifies to what is being said, whom the manslayer Beliar used as a bait for wickedness for the deception of the enlightened man, he was so far from what was hoped, that he even marshaled the adulteress herself against that surpassing Evil One, and having been changed by exhortations and turns of phrase, and by the incantations of divine words, and having been remolded toward the better, she was shown to be chaste instead of licentious, venerable instead of shameless, and pure instead of defiled. As I am eager to speak of his unceasing stream of tears, it truly comes upon me to weep; for without this, one could not sail through the sea of his tears in word. For just as breathing is innate to all men, and always active; so for Ephrem was the shedding of tears.

4

Ταύτῃ τῇ θείᾳ καὶ ἀποκειμένῃ ἐλπίδι εἰστρεφό μενος, τῶν κοσμικῶν ἁπάντων περιεφρόνει, καὶ τῆς αἰωνίου δόξης ἑκάστης ἱμείρετο. Ἀγάπην δὲ τὴν εἰς Θεόν τε καὶ τὸν πλησίον οὕτως ἀκριβῶς ἐφυλάξατο, ὡς αὐτὸν εἰπεῖν οὑτωσὶ, τοῦ βίου ἀπαίροντα· καλὸν γὰρ αὐτὰ τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ θεοφόρου Πατρὸς εἰς μέσον ἀγαγεῖν, κρείττονα πάσης ἀποδείξεως τυγχάνοντα. Οὐδαμῶς, φησὶν, ἐν πάσῃ τῇ ζωῇ μου ἐλοιδόρησα Κύριον, καὶ λόγος ἄφρων οὐ παρῆλθε τῶν χειλέων μου. Ἐν πάσῃ τῇ ζωῇ μου κατηρασάμην οὐκ οὐ δένα, καθ' ὅλου τε μετ' οὐδενὸς πιστοῦ ἐμαχησάμην. Ὦ μακαρία γλῶσσα, ἥτις θαῤῥήσασα τοιαύτην ἔῤ ῥηξε φωνὴν, ἣ μόνοις τοῖς ἀγγέλοις πρεπωδεστάτη τυγχάνει, διὰ τὸ ἄϋλον καὶ ἀστασίαστον τῆς ζωῆς. Ἡμῖν δὲ τοῖς τῇ σαρκὶ δουλεύουσι, ξένη καὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν φύσιν, καὶ χαλεπὸν κατορθωθῆναι. Καὶ πολλὰ μὲν κάμοις βίους ἀνερευνῶν τῶν ἐπ' ἀρεταῖς περιβοήτων, οὐδαμοῦ δέ τι τοιοῦτον εὕροις, οἷον ἐπὶ τῷ προκειμένῳ Πατρὶ, εἰς διήγησιν σημεῖον καθαρᾶς καὶ ἀκηλιδώτου ἀγάπης. Εἰ οὖν μείζων πα σῶν τῶν ἀρετῶν ἡ ἀγάπη· ταύτην δὲ ὡς οὐκ ἄλλος τις τῶν Πατέρων κατώρθωσεν Ἐφραῒμ ὁ μακάριος· ἀπολήψεται δὲ ἕκαστος κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ· τὸ ἐκ τούτων ἄλλοις συμπεραίνειν παραχωρήσομεν, ἵνα μὴ δόξωμεν παραβάλλειν Πατράσι Πατέρας. Οὐ γὰρ συγκρίσεως χάριν τὸ ῥηθὲν παρειλήφαμεν, ὡς ἂν δὲ μόνον ὑπ' ὄψιν τοῖς πολλοῖς παραστήσωμεν, ὡς ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἄκρου ἔφθασε τῆς πνευματικῆς τῶν ἀρετῶν κλίμακος ὁ ἡμέτερος, μᾶλλον δὲ τῆς οἰκου μένης διδάσκαλος Ἐφραΐμ. 46.829

Εὐσέβειαν δὲ ἐν τῇ τῆς ὄντως κτήσει σοφίας ἐμ πορευσάμενος (κατὰ τὸ ἐν Ἰὼβ εἰρημένον· Ἰδοὺ εὐ-σέβειά ἐστι σοφία) δι' αὐτῆς, ὡς μικρὸν ἄνωθεν ἐδηλώσαμεν, τῆς πίστεως αὐτοῦ τὸ καθαρὸν διαγρά φοντες, εἰς οὐρανὸν μὲν τρίτον, κατὰ Παῦλον, ἀνῆλ θεν, ἀθάνατον δὲ τὴν μνήμην καὶ διαρκῆ τὴν εὔ κλειαν παρὰ τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ πεπλούτηκεν· ἡ μελέτη δὲ τούτῳ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν ἐκ τῆς ∆αβιδικῆς ἀνῆψε λαμπάδος, Ἐν τῇ μελέτῃ μου, φάσκοντος, ἐκκαυ θήσεται πῦρ. Ἔρως γὰρ αὐτὸν πολήσας πνευματι κῆς θεωρίας, εἰς φλόγα μετέωρον τὸν πόθον ἀνήγειρε. Πᾶσαν γὰρ Παλαιάν τε καὶ Καινὴν ἐκμελετήσας Γραφὴν, καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἄλλος τις τοῖς τοιούτοις θεωρή μασιν ἐμφιλοχωρήσας, ὅλην ἀκριβῶς πρὸς λέξιν ἡρμήνευσεν, ἀπό τε τῆς κοσμογενείας, καὶ μέχρι τῆς τελευταίας τῆς χάριτος βίβλου, τὰ βάθη τῶν κεκρυμ μένων εἰς τοὐμφανὲς ἀγαγὼν θεωρημάτων, λύχνῳ κεχρημένος τῷ Πνεύματι. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ταύτης τῆς ἡμετέρας καὶ θεοπνεύστου σοφίας ὅλον τὸν πνευματικὸν κρατῆρα ἐκπέπωκε, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις μετέδωκεν ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἔξω κοσμι κῆς, ὅση τε περὶ τὸ κατεγλωττισμένον καὶ ὀρθὸν τοῦ λόγου, ὅση τε περὶ τὸ τῶν νοημάτων βάθος, ὅτι μάλα ἐξασκήσας, ὅσον μὲν χρήσιμον προσελάβετο· ὅσον δ' ἀνόνητον, ἀπεβάλετο, ζυγῷ δικαιοσύνης καὶ πρᾶ ξιν καὶ θεωρίαν ἐμπορευσάμενος. Ἁγνείαν δὲ κατ ώρθωσε ψυχῆς τε καὶ σώματος, ὅσην ἡ φύσις ἐχώ ρει· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν φύσιν· χάριτος γὰρ τὸ δῶρον. Οὔτε γὰρ τὴν ψυχὴν τῆς κατὰ τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον ἕξεως ἐνεδίδου παρασφαλῆναι, ἀλλ' ἦν ὡς ἀλη θῶς, ψυχῇ μὲν βασιλεύων, σώματι δὲ ἀγλαοφανῶς ἐξαστράπτων. Καὶ μαρτυρεῖ τοῖς λεγομένοις ἡ τῆς ἱστορουμένης πόρνης μεταβολὴ, ἣν πρὸς κακίας δέ λεαρ ὁ βροτοκτόνος χρησάμενος Βελίαρ εἰς ἀπάτην τοῦ πεφωτισμένου ἀνδρὸς, τοσοῦτον ἀπέσχε τοῦ ἐλπι σθέντος, ὡς καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν μοιχαλιδὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐκείνου τοῦ ὑπερβαλόντος παρατάξασθαι Πονηροῦ, καὶ παραινέσεσι καὶ τροπαῖς, ταῖς τε τῶν θείων λόγων ἐπῳδαῖς μεταβληθεῖσαν, καὶ πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον μεταπλασθεῖσαν, σώφρονα μὲν ἀντὶ ἀκολάστου, σε μνὸν δὲ ἀντὶ ἀσέμνου, καὶ καθαρὰν ἀντὶ μεμολυσμέ νης ἀποδειχθῆναι. ∆άκρυον δὲ τὸ ἀένναον εἰπεῖν ἐκείνου ῥεῖθρον προ θυμηθέντι μοι, δακρύειν ὄντως ἐπέρχεται· ὅτι μὴ δίχα τούτου, τὸ μὲν τῶν δακρύων αὐτοῦ πέλαγος τῷ λόγῳ τις διαπλεύσειεν. Ὡς γὰρ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις σύμφυτον τὸ ἀναπνεῖν, καὶ ἀεὶ ἐνεργούμενον· οὕτως Ἐφραῒμ τὸ δακρυῤῥοεῖν.