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Popular Patristics Series #10
St. Ephrem the Syrian: Hymns On Paradise
St Ephrem the Syrian's cycle of 15 Hymns on Paradise offers a fine example of Christian poetry, in which the author weaves a profound theological synthesis around a particular Biblical narrative. Centered on Genesis 2 and 3, he expresses his awareness of the sacramental character of the created world, and of the potential of everything in the created world to act as a witness and pointer to the creator. God's two witnesses, says Ephrem, 'Nature, through man's use of it, [and] Scripture, through his reading it." In his writing, Ephrem posits an inherent link between the material and spiritual worlds. St Ephrem's mode of theological discussion is essentially Biblical and Semitic in character. He uses types and symbols to express connections or relationships to 'reveal' something that is otherwise 'hidden,' particularly expressing meanings between the Old Testament and the New, between this world and the heavenly, between the New Testament and the sacraments, and between the sacraments and the eschaton. Because his theology is not tied to a particular cultural or philosophical background, but operates by means of imagery and symbolism basic to all human experience, his theological vision expressed in his hymns has a freshness and immediacy today that few other theological works from the early Christian period can hope to achieve. the Holy Mountain. Hymns on Paradise is part of the POPULAR PATRISTIC SERIES.
240 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 1997
47 people are currently reading
1299 people want to read
About the author
Ephrem the Syrian
175 books68 followersEphrem the Syrian was a Syriac deacon and a prolific Syriac-language hymnographer and theologian of the 4th century from the region of Syria. His works are hailed by Christians throughout the world, and many denominations venerate him as a saint. He has been declared a Doctor of the Church in Roman Catholicism. He is especially beloved in the Syriac Orthodox Church.
Ephrem wrote a wide variety of hymns, poems, and sermons in verse, as well as prose biblical exegesis. These were works of practical theology for the edification of the church in troubled times. So popular were his works, that, for centuries after his death, Christian authors wrote hundreds of pseudepigraphal works in his name. Ephrem's works witness to an early form of Christianity in which Western ideas take little part. He has been called the most significant of all of the fathers of the Syriac-speaking church tradition.
Ephrem wrote a wide variety of hymns, poems, and sermons in verse, as well as prose biblical exegesis. These were works of practical theology for the edification of the church in troubled times. So popular were his works, that, for centuries after his death, Christian authors wrote hundreds of pseudepigraphal works in his name. Ephrem's works witness to an early form of Christianity in which Western ideas take little part. He has been called the most significant of all of the fathers of the Syriac-speaking church tradition.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
October 31, 2013
St.Ephraem is nasty with his spirituality. Obi Wan would say that "the force is strong with this one". This dude makes Mother Theresa look elementary. This cat makes Blessed JP II look a energetic, collegiate Theologian. Homey, St.Ephraem commentary, not even speaking of his ill poetry, his commentary alone makes Ghandi look like...He's the man, i'm not touching that one. And just for the record I love Mother Theresa, JPII and Ghandi. They're all laughing about my inane review in Heaven.
If you need new spiritual reading or just want to see what early Christian psyche looked like you definitely need to peep this book. It's absolutely beautiful.
If you need new spiritual reading or just want to see what early Christian psyche looked like you definitely need to peep this book. It's absolutely beautiful.
February 12, 2019
Ephrem the Syrian, Hymns on Paradise. SVS Press.
Sebastian Brock gives an outstanding introduction to the thought-world of Ephrem the Syrian. At the risk of people crying “Harnack Thesis,” Brock teaches you how to view reality as a Semite. Brock’s introduction is doubly good, for St Ephrem’s mindset is not always easy to crack.
This is the best way to explain the problem. For the Hellenized Greek, priority was given to the Form or the Real. Whether Ephrem would have agreed or not, we don’t know. But instead of Forms, in Ephrem we see symbols. Further, Ephrem often moves from individual to corporate to individual without telling the reader. Brock alerts us to these moves: “The Semitic mentality of the biblical writers and of the Syriac poets, such as St Ephrem, finds it very easy to move from the collective to the individual, and from the individual to the collective” (Brock 27).
Key Concepts and Symbols
While St Ephrem held to virginity as the ideal, he didn’t take it in the nigh-Galatianist heretical ways that guys like Methodius of Olympus would. For the word “singleness” Ephrem uses a broader term, ihidaya (wholeness). “Let one such man who is divided/collect himself and become ihidaya before You.”
The meter of the poems doesn’t perfectly translate to English. It was originally some variant of 5 + 5. 5 + 5. 7. 5 + 5. 5 + 5.
While St Ephrem has a strong theology of transcendence, he didn’t do away with the material world. There is a symbolic link between the material and spiritual realms.
Hayla kasya: hidden power, meaning.
The Greek philosopher defined a term by its opposite, which implied a limit to both. Not so with a Semitic thinker like Ephrem. Imagine a circle whose center is inaccessible (think of God’s essence). Ephrem will then juxtapose paradoxical statement on the circumference. Brock explains: “The central point is left undefined, but something of its nature can be inferred by joining up the various opposite points around the circumference” (40).
Raza: symbol. Actually participates in some sense with the spiritual reality. It expresses “relationships and connections” (42).
Kasyutha: hiddenness. That which is to be revealed in Christ.
Galyutha: an objective reality but can only be experienced in a hidden way.
The garment of words. God, who is inacessible, puts on names. This is what Eastern fathers would say by the energies’ revealing who God is.
Paradise
Brock argues that for the Syriac tradition there was an opinion that Paradise was an abode of sacred time, as the Peshitta translated miqqedem (to the East) as “from the beginning.” Brock then ties all of Ephrem’s topological details about the paradisical mountain: it is circular (I.8), encircles the Great Sea (II.6), the Flood only reached the foothills (I.4), on which is seated a barrier (syaga) guarded by the Cherub. The Tree of Knowledge is halfway up (III.3). This is the point at which Adam and Even, presumably after death, could not cross (51-52).
The threefold concentric structure of the mountain is an analogue to the threefold structure of the human person: intellectual spirit (tar’itha), soul (naphsha), and body (gushma).
Hymns
Hymn 5 is particularly poignant. Mar Ephrem is telling us of a vision he had of paradise. There is the famous passage of nature and scripture (5.2). He has some wonderful suggestions on metaphysics concerning the Unseen Realm. Mind isn’t the same as matter and isn’t subject to the same limitations. Ephrem notes,
“A hundred times finer and more subtle/Are the bodies of the righteous when they are risen, at the Resurrection They resemble the mind, which is able, if it so wills, to stretch out and expand, or, should it wish, to contract and shrink; if it shrinks, it is in some place, if it expands, it is in every place” (5.8).
He continues this theme in Hymn 8. The soul on earth sees through the body. The body needs the soul to live and the soul too requires the body to see and here (8.4).
Presumably for St Ephrem the soul and spirit aren’t the same thing. “Far more glorious than the body is the soul, and more glorious still than the soul is the spirit, but more hidden than the spirit is the Godhead” (9.20).
We even get rare humor (though Ephrem probably intended it in all seriousness). He is describing the climate of paradise in contrast to earth. “The air of this earth is wanton as a prostitute with whom the twelve months consort; each one in turn makes her comply with its own whims while she produces fruits from all; whereas the chaste and pure air of Paradise is unpolluted in its purity by the dalliance of months” (10.5).
Sebastian Brock gives an outstanding introduction to the thought-world of Ephrem the Syrian. At the risk of people crying “Harnack Thesis,” Brock teaches you how to view reality as a Semite. Brock’s introduction is doubly good, for St Ephrem’s mindset is not always easy to crack.
This is the best way to explain the problem. For the Hellenized Greek, priority was given to the Form or the Real. Whether Ephrem would have agreed or not, we don’t know. But instead of Forms, in Ephrem we see symbols. Further, Ephrem often moves from individual to corporate to individual without telling the reader. Brock alerts us to these moves: “The Semitic mentality of the biblical writers and of the Syriac poets, such as St Ephrem, finds it very easy to move from the collective to the individual, and from the individual to the collective” (Brock 27).
Key Concepts and Symbols
While St Ephrem held to virginity as the ideal, he didn’t take it in the nigh-Galatianist heretical ways that guys like Methodius of Olympus would. For the word “singleness” Ephrem uses a broader term, ihidaya (wholeness). “Let one such man who is divided/collect himself and become ihidaya before You.”
The meter of the poems doesn’t perfectly translate to English. It was originally some variant of 5 + 5. 5 + 5. 7. 5 + 5. 5 + 5.
While St Ephrem has a strong theology of transcendence, he didn’t do away with the material world. There is a symbolic link between the material and spiritual realms.
Hayla kasya: hidden power, meaning.
The Greek philosopher defined a term by its opposite, which implied a limit to both. Not so with a Semitic thinker like Ephrem. Imagine a circle whose center is inaccessible (think of God’s essence). Ephrem will then juxtapose paradoxical statement on the circumference. Brock explains: “The central point is left undefined, but something of its nature can be inferred by joining up the various opposite points around the circumference” (40).
Raza: symbol. Actually participates in some sense with the spiritual reality. It expresses “relationships and connections” (42).
Kasyutha: hiddenness. That which is to be revealed in Christ.
Galyutha: an objective reality but can only be experienced in a hidden way.
The garment of words. God, who is inacessible, puts on names. This is what Eastern fathers would say by the energies’ revealing who God is.
Paradise
Brock argues that for the Syriac tradition there was an opinion that Paradise was an abode of sacred time, as the Peshitta translated miqqedem (to the East) as “from the beginning.” Brock then ties all of Ephrem’s topological details about the paradisical mountain: it is circular (I.8), encircles the Great Sea (II.6), the Flood only reached the foothills (I.4), on which is seated a barrier (syaga) guarded by the Cherub. The Tree of Knowledge is halfway up (III.3). This is the point at which Adam and Even, presumably after death, could not cross (51-52).
The threefold concentric structure of the mountain is an analogue to the threefold structure of the human person: intellectual spirit (tar’itha), soul (naphsha), and body (gushma).
Hymns
Hymn 5 is particularly poignant. Mar Ephrem is telling us of a vision he had of paradise. There is the famous passage of nature and scripture (5.2). He has some wonderful suggestions on metaphysics concerning the Unseen Realm. Mind isn’t the same as matter and isn’t subject to the same limitations. Ephrem notes,
“A hundred times finer and more subtle/Are the bodies of the righteous when they are risen, at the Resurrection They resemble the mind, which is able, if it so wills, to stretch out and expand, or, should it wish, to contract and shrink; if it shrinks, it is in some place, if it expands, it is in every place” (5.8).
He continues this theme in Hymn 8. The soul on earth sees through the body. The body needs the soul to live and the soul too requires the body to see and here (8.4).
Presumably for St Ephrem the soul and spirit aren’t the same thing. “Far more glorious than the body is the soul, and more glorious still than the soul is the spirit, but more hidden than the spirit is the Godhead” (9.20).
We even get rare humor (though Ephrem probably intended it in all seriousness). He is describing the climate of paradise in contrast to earth. “The air of this earth is wanton as a prostitute with whom the twelve months consort; each one in turn makes her comply with its own whims while she produces fruits from all; whereas the chaste and pure air of Paradise is unpolluted in its purity by the dalliance of months” (10.5).
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November 28, 2020Everyone get your hands on this book
May 31, 2022
Symbolism of the Divine: Entering Paradise through Mystery
An advanced symbolic thinker, St. Ephrem elucidates a rich discourse on the nature of the revelation of the Word to the human consciousness. Ephrem provides a fascinating look into an early 4th century pocket of Christianity and how they interpreted the Scriptures Phenomenologically. Both his Exegetical model and historical worldview is exclusively Typological, seeing Revelation as a nested set of symbolic realities. By participation in these hierarchical patterns of Being through symbolic rituals (particularly, the Eucharist), one can enter paradise and gain wisdom, reconciling the material and immaterial, the divine and the human.
Ephrem and the other Syriac theologians are a group who are consistently overlooked for historical reasons. How the 'cookie crumbled' historically led to the ancient Syrian churches not being a part of the development of mainstream Western or really Eastern thought, and this "third category" of Christian Theology that expresses itself using poetry, often gets overlooked to this day. They may not be as "important" as Augustine, Greg of Nyssa or other theologians whose work was foundational for large modern branches, but in their time they were incredibly important to the preservation of orthodoxy.
The Syriac language, being long dead, makes studying the Syrian theologians difficult as things often do not translate well in to English, but learning Syriac gives one a primary-level view of this era that is worth the time. Syriac is the closest language we have an extensive record of that is closest to the Galilean dialect of Aramaic that Christ spoke. So to better understand the literal words of Christ, it is an incredibly valuable language. On top of this, the Syriac language was instrumental in laying the foundation for the longevity and spread of the Nestorian Schism. Understanding the definitions and usages of Syriac words such as "Miltha" gave me a new level of understanding of Nestorianism and Dyophysitism. It's not a hard learn if you are familiar with ancient Semitic languages, particularly Assyrian, early Hebrew or even modern Arabic has many similarities.
Ephrem, despite being an "armchair" theologian who was never a leader in the church, was incredibly knowledgeable and intuitive. The depth of his Biblical knowledge is surprising, and his ability to perceive connections between verses not normally made is one of his writings' most valuable characteristics. His Exegesis is robust and insightful. Syrian theology uses prose instead of close-knit argumentation, which is an interesting way of transmitting thought. Prose can be just as useful and effective as systematic theologies.
He was as orthodox as they come, and he understood the Trinity and the divinity of Christ in incredible detail and with fascinating insight. His ability to think clearly and keep his epistemology straight was rare anywhere in the ancient world at this time. He understood dogmatic orthodox theology and held a sound and robust hermeneutics model, and his mysticism and emphasis on the experience of mystery is rooted within these realities.
St Ephrem uses a variety of different terms more or less interchangeably, but the most important of these is raza, "mystery" (but often best translated "symbol"). The word, Farsi in origin, first appears in Daniel where it's primary meaning is "secret"; subsequently it occurs in the texts of the Qumran community, and very probably is it the Semitic term lying behind Paul's use of the word Mysterion. By St. Ephrem's time Raza had taken on a wide variety of different connotations, and in the present context it is significant that the plural, raze, like the Greek mysteria, refers to the liturgical "mysteries". As a typological term Raza, "symbol", indicates the connection between two different modes of reality, and here it is important to remember that the fathers employ the term "symbol" in a strong sense, quite different from that of modern usage: for them a symbol actually participates in some sense with the spiritual reality it symbolizes, whereas for most people today the term "symbol" tends to imply something essentially different form the thing it symbolizes. The Patristic view, of course, accords much greater significance to the symbol, whereas modern usage plays down the value of the symbol.
His understanding of mystery is a motif he ties into every doctrine and every verse, linking everything back to the liturgical mysteries that reflect divine ones. The Syriac word "Raza" is used in place for Paul's Greek word "Mysterion" where he emphasizes the place and value of symbols, something the modern church down plays. Paul and the early fathers all understood symbols as powerful representations, not merely a token of the things they resemble. Symbols were considered representatives, not shadows. They had substance and meaning, unlike modern theology's usage of symbols.
The Ontological gap between God the Creator and his creation is in fact impassable as far as any created being is concerned, and any knowledge of, or statement about, God would be impossible had not God Himself taken the initiative and bridged this chasm. He does this by a variety of means, each manifesting something of his hiddenness. The mode of his self-revelation is essentially three-fold: by means of types and symbols which are operative in both nature and scripture, by allowing Himself - the indescribable- to be described in Scripture in Human terms and language, and then, supremely, by actually becoming part of the created world at the incarnation.
Despite spending most of his life in the scriptures and no having much proper theological training, he did not fall into Biblicism or begin to mold scripture to his pre-conceived beliefs. His exegesis was luminous, in keeping with the Apostles teachings but also fresh. For instance, his affirmation of the Biblical doctrine of human agency and condemnation of the pagan doctrine of Fatalism (unconditional predestination as it would later be called) shows how faithful he was to scripture, knowledgeable about the original theology of the apostles, the original texts and authors of the Bible, as well as how aware he was of the pagan beliefs that existed in the culture he grew up in.
-------------------------------
Some quotes:
"This is a book which, above its companions,
has in its narrative
made the Creator perceptible
and transmitted His actions;
it has envisioned all His Craftsmanship,
made manifest His works of art"
"I took my stand halfway
between awe and love;
a yearning for Paradise
invited me to explore it,
but awe at its majesty
restrained me from my search.
With Wisdom, however, I reconciled the two:
I revered what lay hidden
and meditated on what was revealed.
The aim of my search was to gain profit,
the aim of my silence was to find succor."
An advanced symbolic thinker, St. Ephrem elucidates a rich discourse on the nature of the revelation of the Word to the human consciousness. Ephrem provides a fascinating look into an early 4th century pocket of Christianity and how they interpreted the Scriptures Phenomenologically. Both his Exegetical model and historical worldview is exclusively Typological, seeing Revelation as a nested set of symbolic realities. By participation in these hierarchical patterns of Being through symbolic rituals (particularly, the Eucharist), one can enter paradise and gain wisdom, reconciling the material and immaterial, the divine and the human.
Ephrem and the other Syriac theologians are a group who are consistently overlooked for historical reasons. How the 'cookie crumbled' historically led to the ancient Syrian churches not being a part of the development of mainstream Western or really Eastern thought, and this "third category" of Christian Theology that expresses itself using poetry, often gets overlooked to this day. They may not be as "important" as Augustine, Greg of Nyssa or other theologians whose work was foundational for large modern branches, but in their time they were incredibly important to the preservation of orthodoxy.
The Syriac language, being long dead, makes studying the Syrian theologians difficult as things often do not translate well in to English, but learning Syriac gives one a primary-level view of this era that is worth the time. Syriac is the closest language we have an extensive record of that is closest to the Galilean dialect of Aramaic that Christ spoke. So to better understand the literal words of Christ, it is an incredibly valuable language. On top of this, the Syriac language was instrumental in laying the foundation for the longevity and spread of the Nestorian Schism. Understanding the definitions and usages of Syriac words such as "Miltha" gave me a new level of understanding of Nestorianism and Dyophysitism. It's not a hard learn if you are familiar with ancient Semitic languages, particularly Assyrian, early Hebrew or even modern Arabic has many similarities.
Ephrem, despite being an "armchair" theologian who was never a leader in the church, was incredibly knowledgeable and intuitive. The depth of his Biblical knowledge is surprising, and his ability to perceive connections between verses not normally made is one of his writings' most valuable characteristics. His Exegesis is robust and insightful. Syrian theology uses prose instead of close-knit argumentation, which is an interesting way of transmitting thought. Prose can be just as useful and effective as systematic theologies.
He was as orthodox as they come, and he understood the Trinity and the divinity of Christ in incredible detail and with fascinating insight. His ability to think clearly and keep his epistemology straight was rare anywhere in the ancient world at this time. He understood dogmatic orthodox theology and held a sound and robust hermeneutics model, and his mysticism and emphasis on the experience of mystery is rooted within these realities.
St Ephrem uses a variety of different terms more or less interchangeably, but the most important of these is raza, "mystery" (but often best translated "symbol"). The word, Farsi in origin, first appears in Daniel where it's primary meaning is "secret"; subsequently it occurs in the texts of the Qumran community, and very probably is it the Semitic term lying behind Paul's use of the word Mysterion. By St. Ephrem's time Raza had taken on a wide variety of different connotations, and in the present context it is significant that the plural, raze, like the Greek mysteria, refers to the liturgical "mysteries". As a typological term Raza, "symbol", indicates the connection between two different modes of reality, and here it is important to remember that the fathers employ the term "symbol" in a strong sense, quite different from that of modern usage: for them a symbol actually participates in some sense with the spiritual reality it symbolizes, whereas for most people today the term "symbol" tends to imply something essentially different form the thing it symbolizes. The Patristic view, of course, accords much greater significance to the symbol, whereas modern usage plays down the value of the symbol.
His understanding of mystery is a motif he ties into every doctrine and every verse, linking everything back to the liturgical mysteries that reflect divine ones. The Syriac word "Raza" is used in place for Paul's Greek word "Mysterion" where he emphasizes the place and value of symbols, something the modern church down plays. Paul and the early fathers all understood symbols as powerful representations, not merely a token of the things they resemble. Symbols were considered representatives, not shadows. They had substance and meaning, unlike modern theology's usage of symbols.
The Ontological gap between God the Creator and his creation is in fact impassable as far as any created being is concerned, and any knowledge of, or statement about, God would be impossible had not God Himself taken the initiative and bridged this chasm. He does this by a variety of means, each manifesting something of his hiddenness. The mode of his self-revelation is essentially three-fold: by means of types and symbols which are operative in both nature and scripture, by allowing Himself - the indescribable- to be described in Scripture in Human terms and language, and then, supremely, by actually becoming part of the created world at the incarnation.
Despite spending most of his life in the scriptures and no having much proper theological training, he did not fall into Biblicism or begin to mold scripture to his pre-conceived beliefs. His exegesis was luminous, in keeping with the Apostles teachings but also fresh. For instance, his affirmation of the Biblical doctrine of human agency and condemnation of the pagan doctrine of Fatalism (unconditional predestination as it would later be called) shows how faithful he was to scripture, knowledgeable about the original theology of the apostles, the original texts and authors of the Bible, as well as how aware he was of the pagan beliefs that existed in the culture he grew up in.
-------------------------------
Some quotes:
"This is a book which, above its companions,
has in its narrative
made the Creator perceptible
and transmitted His actions;
it has envisioned all His Craftsmanship,
made manifest His works of art"
"I took my stand halfway
between awe and love;
a yearning for Paradise
invited me to explore it,
but awe at its majesty
restrained me from my search.
With Wisdom, however, I reconciled the two:
I revered what lay hidden
and meditated on what was revealed.
The aim of my search was to gain profit,
the aim of my silence was to find succor."
January 31, 2025
This is one of the best books I've ever read... maybe the best.
some of the best theology, exegesis, and poetry all in one work.
some of the best theology, exegesis, and poetry all in one work.
May 18, 2021
Deem me worthy that through Your grace we may enter Your Paradise.
September 28, 2025
Whoever is giving this book less than 5 stars is wrong.
November 7, 2024
I feel like a lot of the motivation that people nowadays have to be “spiritual, but not religious”, is a desire to dive deeper into the patterns of reality and experience and be in tune with it. The resistance against organized religion is a resistance against (seemingly) arbitrary rules that take us away from discovering the truth behind our experience.
When did this divide begin? When did people start associating religion as simply the man-made institutions that are a far off derivative from spirituality/deeper understandings of reality? The term religion comes from the latin word “religare” (to bind back). Religion is supposed to be how we view everything in our lives coming together.
I firmly believe that the Church Fathers are the path to communicating this to the “spiritual, but not religious” people. This path is a guide to an enchanted worldview and St. Ephrem certainly had one, connecting patterns in our day-to-day life to Eden, Paradise, and more through poetry.
These Hymns open up a whole new world for me within the Christian narrative. Such deep insights connecting the way in which the world around us plays out and the Biblical stories we know and love.
“I was in wonder as I crossed
the borders of Paradise
at how well-being, as though a companion,
turned round and remained behind.
And when I reached the shore of earth,
the mother of thorns,
I encountered all kinds
of pain and suffering.
I learned how, compared to Paradise,
our abode is but a dungeon;
yet the prisoners within it
weep when they leave it!
I was amazed at how even infants
weep as they leave the womb--
weeping because they come out
from darkness into light
and from suffocation they issue forth
into this world!
Likewise death, too,
is for the world
a symbol of birth,
and yet people weep because they are born
out of this world, the mother of suffering,
into the Garden of splendors.”
[Hymn V. 13-14]
When did this divide begin? When did people start associating religion as simply the man-made institutions that are a far off derivative from spirituality/deeper understandings of reality? The term religion comes from the latin word “religare” (to bind back). Religion is supposed to be how we view everything in our lives coming together.
I firmly believe that the Church Fathers are the path to communicating this to the “spiritual, but not religious” people. This path is a guide to an enchanted worldview and St. Ephrem certainly had one, connecting patterns in our day-to-day life to Eden, Paradise, and more through poetry.
These Hymns open up a whole new world for me within the Christian narrative. Such deep insights connecting the way in which the world around us plays out and the Biblical stories we know and love.
“I was in wonder as I crossed
the borders of Paradise
at how well-being, as though a companion,
turned round and remained behind.
And when I reached the shore of earth,
the mother of thorns,
I encountered all kinds
of pain and suffering.
I learned how, compared to Paradise,
our abode is but a dungeon;
yet the prisoners within it
weep when they leave it!
I was amazed at how even infants
weep as they leave the womb--
weeping because they come out
from darkness into light
and from suffocation they issue forth
into this world!
Likewise death, too,
is for the world
a symbol of birth,
and yet people weep because they are born
out of this world, the mother of suffering,
into the Garden of splendors.”
[Hymn V. 13-14]
January 19, 2021
This book is made up of 15 “Hymns on Paradise,” consisting in meditations on Genesis 2-3. Overall it’s a good book and an interesting look into far eastern thought in the early Church. Some of the meditations are very straight forward in interpreting the biblical text, while others can get very speculative (too much for my taste at times). All of them are beautiful. Alongside the hymns, Ephrem’s commentary on Genesis 2-3 is included at the end of the book, which is helpful in interpreting his poetry. If you like poetry and want some insight into the eastern early church, I recommend it.
July 9, 2023
“I was amazed at how even infants
Weep as they leave the womb-
Weeping because they come out
From darkness into light
And suffocation they issue forth
Into this world!
Likewise death too
Is for the world
A symbol of birth,
And yet people weep because they are born
Out of this world, the mother of suffering,
Into the garden of splendors.”
Weep as they leave the womb-
Weeping because they come out
From darkness into light
And suffocation they issue forth
Into this world!
Likewise death too
Is for the world
A symbol of birth,
And yet people weep because they are born
Out of this world, the mother of suffering,
Into the garden of splendors.”
September 17, 2019
St Ephrem's Hymns on Paradise is one of the most beautiful theological expressions I have ever encountered. I is A synthesis of Poetry and Theology that reveals the heart of God.
St Ephrem's comprehension of biblical symbolism is phenomenal. Paradise; an ark, a mountain, a temple. The tree of life; the cross of Christ. The robes of Glory and many more are revealed here in such beautiful imagery.
St Ephrem's comprehension of biblical symbolism is phenomenal. Paradise; an ark, a mountain, a temple. The tree of life; the cross of Christ. The robes of Glory and many more are revealed here in such beautiful imagery.
February 11, 2022
I’m extremely shy when it comes to posting reviews publicly, yet this book prompts me to do so. Please disregard all poor grammar. Review is at the end.
Brief personal background, I naturally gravitate to non-fiction, documentaries, and many times books relating to consciousness… also books/topics opposite of personal perspective to objectively view alternate perceptions.
I’m a physician who lives to serve humanity, with a burning curiosity to explore science, hunger to leave no stone unturned, embrace evidence based medicine and with every subatomic particle know that science and God blend harmoniously as one (when eyes and ears are attuned)
My personal core reason for living is what has been written in the Shema: The Lord is our God, the Lord is One, love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and might. Also, to love your neighbor as yourself.
Besides the written Word, this is one of the greatest spiritual books I have read and aligned with in my green 36 years.
If you’ve experienced a point in life where you’ve been pulverized to the depths of a deep valley and was Mercifully picked up by our Supreme Father, where your only humbling response is complete loving surrender, gratitude and awe- this book will fill your cup from the accounts of a fourth century man of God. His visions of Paradise, this world, and the blending of the two on Earth is Brilliant. As you read (with renewed spiritual eyes) you too will deeply sense exactly what he’s talking about, what he has experienced.
Friend, reader, I pray this book is read purely without distortion of modern day distractions. I pray as you read this, you receive the light whispered through this book in the way it was written.
Brief personal background, I naturally gravitate to non-fiction, documentaries, and many times books relating to consciousness… also books/topics opposite of personal perspective to objectively view alternate perceptions.
I’m a physician who lives to serve humanity, with a burning curiosity to explore science, hunger to leave no stone unturned, embrace evidence based medicine and with every subatomic particle know that science and God blend harmoniously as one (when eyes and ears are attuned)
My personal core reason for living is what has been written in the Shema: The Lord is our God, the Lord is One, love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and might. Also, to love your neighbor as yourself.
Besides the written Word, this is one of the greatest spiritual books I have read and aligned with in my green 36 years.
If you’ve experienced a point in life where you’ve been pulverized to the depths of a deep valley and was Mercifully picked up by our Supreme Father, where your only humbling response is complete loving surrender, gratitude and awe- this book will fill your cup from the accounts of a fourth century man of God. His visions of Paradise, this world, and the blending of the two on Earth is Brilliant. As you read (with renewed spiritual eyes) you too will deeply sense exactly what he’s talking about, what he has experienced.
Friend, reader, I pray this book is read purely without distortion of modern day distractions. I pray as you read this, you receive the light whispered through this book in the way it was written.
July 28, 2024
A beautiful work of theological poetry! After reading this book as well as Gregory of Nazianzus’s theological poetry, I have come to love theological reflection expressed through poetic verse. What a unique but neglected practice in the contemporary theological scene. Moreover, Ephrem reflects on the mysterious nature of paradise as recorded in the Genesis account and longed for in the eschaton. This book, like C. S. Lewis’s “The Last Battle,” will make you excited for heaven and thankful to God’s grace and mercy for making us worthy of this paradise (Ephrem’s words). The introduction from Sebastian Brock is long but a worthwhile read as it provides key biographical information on Ephrem and his ascetic lifestyle. Brock also summarizes well the theological and eschatological vision of Ephrem, and explains Ephrem’s view of the levels and nature of paradise. Anyone interested in biblical typology will find this an engaging read as the hymns provide a glimpse at patristic participatory typology. Also of interest is Ephrem’s commentary on Genesis 2-3 that provides key biblical and theological context to Ephrem’s hymns on paradise. A lot of this commentary is also included in the Ancient Christian Commentary on Genesis 1-11, so this was familiar ground for me. Ephrem’s insights here provide another patristic reflection on the doctrine of creation. There is so much rich and worshipful reflection in this book. Highly recommend!
February 5, 2022
Beautiful hymns. Here is a favorite:
"Let us give thanks to God
who clothed Himself in the names of the body's various parts:
Scriptures refers to His "ears"
to teach us that He listens to us,
it speaks of His "eyes'
to show that He sees us.
It is just the names of such things
that He put on,
and - although in His true being
there is no wrath or regret -
yet He put on these names
because of our weakness.
"Let us give thanks to God
who clothed Himself in the names of the body's various parts:
Scriptures refers to His "ears"
to teach us that He listens to us,
it speaks of His "eyes'
to show that He sees us.
It is just the names of such things
that He put on,
and - although in His true being
there is no wrath or regret -
yet He put on these names
because of our weakness.
April 20, 2022
Simply beautiful. The introductory section was an incredible help because it placed St. Ephrem's poetry on a nice pedestal for you to admire and enjoy in a deeper way. The poetry itself was profound and lovely.
December 24, 2024
Loved this! This will make you feel uncomfortable if you're so deeply committed to human authorial intent. But if you would allow his spiritual insights to speak to your soul, this book will be a river of life to you.
February 12, 2025
what a beautiful gift of grace; Ephrem does not shy away from the body or creation, but invites all to be caught up in rapture and expectation for the Eden lost and now regained — this is Dante and Milton married in a symphony of scents, vision, and texture
December 15, 2025
I do not know of anyone who could have done a better job at writing the introductory notes than Brock. Of course, the only downside is the realization of how one is missing out by not reading the original texts!
Read
September 18, 2022It is my semester
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2022
Deep how he puts it sometimes
January 17, 2023
St. Ephrem harkens back to Genesis revealing the realities of the world through the Creation Story and Adam and Eve.
Amazing book, that will likely be an annual reader for me.
Amazing book, that will likely be an annual reader for me.
July 19, 2023
Amazing
August 2, 2024
Best patristic ever
December 31, 2024
This was not easy to get into for me, but I appreciated the last few hymns on the theme of loving overmuch a life in captivity whilst dreading final libration the most.
June 7, 2025
There are some nuggets throughout, particularly in Hymns XII, XIII, and XV, but overall the book was just “ok”.
October 23, 2025
Incredible book. My tiny brain needs to read this a few more times before it clicks seamlessly, but what a wonderful analysis of Genesis. Top notch.
November 16, 2025
Very readable translations, courtesy of Sebastian Brock.
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