Categories: hymns, spiritual-writings, other-churches
Date: 21 February 2009 01:09:11
As I have blabbered on endlessly before, discovering Syriac Church Fathers has been a great blessing for me in the understanding and practice, often poor in my case in both areas, of the Christian Faith. And through reading The Church of the East: Apostolic & Orthodox by Mar Bawai Soro two more have been made known to me.
Aphrahat, titled "the Persian Sage", was born in the late third century and died around 345. A manuscript from 1364 titles him "Bishop of the monastery of Mar Matai", near modern Mosul in Iraq, and it appears he spent most of his life there. He is known for his writings, commonly called the Demonstrations, which are 23 homilies composed on theological and moral topics, as well as controversies of the time. From Mar Bawai's book I not only earnt that Aphrahat defended the sacramental nature of baptism, anointing, the Eucharist, priesthood, confession and penance, but also the perpetual virginity of Mary -- and he had a great emphasis on the Resurrection and Life eternal in his writings, in Mar Bawai's words, "...it is evident for Aphrahat, this was the purpose of creation: an everlasting communion with the one God." [p. 172]
As with other Syriac and Eastern Saints and Fathers, Aphrahat uses types to show the fulfilment of the Old Testament occurs in the New Testament, in the life and ministry of Jesus. For instance, Mar Bawai quotes a translation of Aphrahat's Demonstrations by Wright, to show that as Israel received a Baptism at Passover by participating in the death of the lamb [eating its flesh and sealing the doorposts with its blood], the disciples participated in the death of the Messiah at Passover by eating his flesh and drinking his blood: for Baptism is a dying so that one may be raised up again. On the Eucharist, the other area Mar Bawai looks at, he provides more typology, and also quotes from Aphrahat's 21st Demonstration, on Persecution [again, translation by Wright], on the concept and fulfilment of the Messiah:
Joseph nourished Egypt with bread;
Jesus nourished the whole world with the bread of life.
...
Moses brought down manna for his people;
Jesus gave his body for the nations.
Moses sweetened the bitter waters by the wood;
Jesus sweetened the bitterness of his cross, by the wood of the tree of his crucifixion.
...
Moses conquered Amalek by the spreading out of his hands;
Jesus conquered Satan by the sign of the cross.
...
A dead man (laid) upon he bones of Elisha recovered life;
All the nations, who were dead in their sins, were cast upon the bones of Jesus and recovered life.
[pp. 177-8]
Narsai of Nisibis [ca. 399 - ca. 502], known as "the Harp of the Spirit" in The Church of the East, was a teacher for 65 years [!] in schools at both Edessa and Nisibis. Narsai, as with many Syriac poet-theologians, wrote his homilies in verse. Mar Bawai writes that Narsai, as with most of the Fathers of the Church of the East, contemplated and wrote about "the divine economy", Narsai particularly focusing on man's relation to God's salvific plan. Mar Bawai quotes translations of Narsai's homilies by McLeod to give us an idea of his thoughts and expressions:
(The Creator) fashioned, first of all, an earthen vessel from dust and anointed it with a spirit; and the whole became a living being ... The Fashioner of the universe made a two-fold vessel for our nature: a visible body and a hidden soul -- one man.
[p. 181]
For, (since) it is impossible that the Nature of the Hidden One appear openly, (God) limits inquiries to His visible image (i.e., man). In (man) He opened the treasury of His mercy in the presence of His creation, and rational and dumb beings entered and took delight in the bridal chamber of life. He honored us in the beginning and end above everything that came to be, because He called us His image and made us (i.e., in Christ) the dwelling place of his divinity.
[pp. 181-2]
In love and mercy the Creator was pleased to give life to the universe, and so He sent His Son to restore the universe to His knowledge. His love drew Him to pity for His foremost image. He knew before fashioning him that he (would) surely sin, but His love had already led Him to forgiveness as One omniscient. In the beginning He honored us through the fashioning that His hands have made, and in the fullness of time, His love dwelt in us and reconciled the universe. He did not send unto us (one) of the spiritual ones who are active in his behalf. He sent the Word Who is from Him, and He called us to His knowledge.
[p. 183]
To Narsai then, in the words of Mar Bawai, "[Jesus Christ] is the Word of God who dwells among us through the humanity of Jesus Christ ... the second Adam, the true and uncorrupted image, the bond and communion who horizontally unites creatures among themselves, and vertically all creation to its Creator." [p. 183]
I will need to try and find more writings of the Persian Sage and the Harp of the Spirit; such types, and such vivid descriptions, truly make me marvel at how wonderful God's plan of Salvation was. And thanks be to God for the wise Church Fathers, Writers and Poets, in explaining this to us.