Status Updates From Hymns on the Nativity

"37. For greater is the joy of the Birth than the Conception. — Yea it was one angel, that brought us tidings of Your Conception: — but in the joy of Your Birth, a multitude of Watchers brought tidings.

R., Blessed be Your tidings in Your day!"
That's really interesting, to me.

"34. His Will was able, even by force to rescue us.— But since it was not force that made us guilty, it was not by force He purged us.— The Evil One by enticement enslaved us: Your Birth enticed to give us life.

R., Blessed be He Who planned and gave us life!"

"The gold of the idols worshipped You, that You treated it as alms; which availed not apart, for the uses of life."

"19. Sin had spread its wings, and covered all things — that none could discern, of himself or from above, the truth.— Truth came down into the womb, came forth and rolled away error.

R., Blessed is He Who dispelled Sin by His Birth!"

"17. The Evil One knew how to harm us; and by lights he blinded us — by possessions he hurt us, through gold he made us poor — by the graver's graven images, he made us a heart of stone."

Arrived at Hymn 15.

Hymn 13 is full of brilliant exegesis, showing Christs power and linking Him to the prophecies of the Old Testament.

Arrived at Hymn 13. Great Christmas reading.

"He that has sanctity, if he be in danger, lo! Here is his Guardian! He that has iniquity, lo! Here is his Pardoner! He that has a devil, here is the Pursuer thereof! They that have pains, lo! Here is the Binder up of their breaches."

Arrived at Hymn 12.

Another good one for the christian communists:
"What moves You that You let all that saw You have You, both rich and poor?"

The sepulchre and the virgin birth are related. Also, Samon killing the lion is seen as a metaphor for Christ killing death, and bringing forth life (the honey being a symbol for that). Ephrem draws connections I never even contemplated.

"Blessed be the Merciful One, who saw the weapon by Paradise, that closed the way to the Tree of Life; and came and took a Body which could suffer, that with the Door, that was in His side, He might open the way into Paradise."

Arrived at Hymn 5. Great Christmas reading!

I think his views on the salvation through the crucifixion conforms quite well with Saint Anselms. There were one or two sentences on Marys virginity I found somewhat troublesome, but nothing severe.

Ephrem, who had as little to do with pagan germanic festivals as anyone, said Christ was conceived in March and born in December.

These hymns are beautiful for Christmas.