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Demonstrations
Among the earliest known sources from the Persian Church, the 4th-century Demonstrations of Aphrahat reflect a form of Christianity much closer to its Jewish roots than contemporary Western forms.
- GenresChristianity
50 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 15, 2026
What a baller and underrated Church Father!
The life of Aphrahat apart from his 23 Demonstrations is all but unknown to us, but he was a Persian Christian living east of the Roman Empire and seemingly entirely unaware of the theological developments happening in the west (including the significant Council of Nicaea). His familiarity with the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) is dizzying, and his ability to draw on obscure passages to develop through lines to Jesus is unparalleled.
Beyond being unfamiliar with Nicaea and Trinitarian theology, he seems also to have been unfamiliar with the book of Revelation. Yet his thought for the most part coheres really well with much of what is considered prior-orthodox, only his thought feels thoroughly more Semitic and shaped by the Hebrew Scriptures.
When he begins to wax poetic (and it’s often!), he writes some of the most gorgeous prose about God I’ve ever read. And his approach to the primacy of faith AND seamlessly the obvious necessity of works laid on the foundation of faith helps dissolve some of the tensions modern Protestants regularly feel regarding “works righteousness”. Aphrahat is very unapologetic that we are saved from slavery to Death only by the compassion of God; but faith is merely the foundation upon which we become the temple of God, and our good works are the expressions of love which are the necessary living sacrifice of worship and transformation which we are being remade *for*.
My only qualms are (1) the degree to which evident tensions with the Persian Jewish communities leads Aphrahat to develop strongly anti-Semitic supersessionist theology (saying essentially that the church replaces Israel, who has been rejected as a rotten grape cluster, rather than being grafted into it), and (2) the degree to which (no doubt a product of his time and culture) he offhandedly makes remarks that assume the innate inferiority of Eve to Adam, and women to men. Of course he also says all are inherently equal before God and in Christ none of that will matter, but still—it’s off putting to modern ears.
Those qualms aside, I would highly recommend this text to anyone wanting to experience a rather different expression of Christianity while still remaining firmly in a genuinely photo-orthodox camp.
The life of Aphrahat apart from his 23 Demonstrations is all but unknown to us, but he was a Persian Christian living east of the Roman Empire and seemingly entirely unaware of the theological developments happening in the west (including the significant Council of Nicaea). His familiarity with the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) is dizzying, and his ability to draw on obscure passages to develop through lines to Jesus is unparalleled.
Beyond being unfamiliar with Nicaea and Trinitarian theology, he seems also to have been unfamiliar with the book of Revelation. Yet his thought for the most part coheres really well with much of what is considered prior-orthodox, only his thought feels thoroughly more Semitic and shaped by the Hebrew Scriptures.
When he begins to wax poetic (and it’s often!), he writes some of the most gorgeous prose about God I’ve ever read. And his approach to the primacy of faith AND seamlessly the obvious necessity of works laid on the foundation of faith helps dissolve some of the tensions modern Protestants regularly feel regarding “works righteousness”. Aphrahat is very unapologetic that we are saved from slavery to Death only by the compassion of God; but faith is merely the foundation upon which we become the temple of God, and our good works are the expressions of love which are the necessary living sacrifice of worship and transformation which we are being remade *for*.
My only qualms are (1) the degree to which evident tensions with the Persian Jewish communities leads Aphrahat to develop strongly anti-Semitic supersessionist theology (saying essentially that the church replaces Israel, who has been rejected as a rotten grape cluster, rather than being grafted into it), and (2) the degree to which (no doubt a product of his time and culture) he offhandedly makes remarks that assume the innate inferiority of Eve to Adam, and women to men. Of course he also says all are inherently equal before God and in Christ none of that will matter, but still—it’s off putting to modern ears.
Those qualms aside, I would highly recommend this text to anyone wanting to experience a rather different expression of Christianity while still remaining firmly in a genuinely photo-orthodox camp.
September 9, 2020
Wisdom from east of the Romans (Greeks) before the great councils
As Aphrahat says, the Faith is a pearl the luster of which appears no matter from which side one views it. Of course, the Church Fathers, though shining lighys, were not infallible. Neverthe less, much profit may be gained by reading the Demonstrations. I wish the compiler had shared them. Not that I read them all, but some that were left out I would have liked to read.
As Aphrahat says, the Faith is a pearl the luster of which appears no matter from which side one views it. Of course, the Church Fathers, though shining lighys, were not infallible. Neverthe less, much profit may be gained by reading the Demonstrations. I wish the compiler had shared them. Not that I read them all, but some that were left out I would have liked to read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews