Житие святого отца нашего Ефрема, патриарха Антиохийского

Saint Ephrem was originally a military leader in the East during the reign of the emperors Anastasius 3718 and Justin 3719. Then he was appointed Patriarch of Antioch 3720, as a pious man who led a virtuous and godly life, very merciful to the poor, compassionate to everyone who was in troubles and misfortunes. His election to the patriarchate took place by God’s favor and the revelation of this to one holy bishop, who lived at a time when the city of Antioch was being restored after destruction. At that time, due to the multiplication of various heresies and heretics in Antioch - Nestorians 3721, Eutychians 3722 and others, blasphemies were uttered against the deity of Christ and the honor of the Most Holy Theotokos was humiliated; therefore, the wrath of God broke out over the city of Antioch. On the twenty-ninth day of the month of May, at noon, on Friday, a terrible earthquake began here; At the same time, the fire engulfed the entire city. The earthquake destroyed stone buildings and city walls; and the fire destroyed everything else; this was to show everyone the great wrath of God for human sins. Antioch almost became like Sodom and Gomorrah 3723, for most of the city perished, and at the same time countless citizens perished, some of them died under the buildings that fell on them, others were burned by fire; Among others, Patriarch Euphrasius of Antioch died under a collapsed column in 3724. Then weeping and bitter sobbing arose among the survivors; the inhabitants of all the surrounding cities and countries came from everything that had happened into great fear and horror. This Divine wrath, which violently fell upon Antioch, was seen with the spiritual eyes of some of the holy fathers who were very far from the city (such as the Monk Theodosius the Great, who was in Palestine, and the Monk Zosimas, who was in Caesarea in Palestine). Therefore, with tears they began to pray to God not to completely destroy the city, with which He was righteously angry. After this terrible earthquake and severe fire, Emperor Justin sent the military leader of the East, this blessed Ephraim, to Antioch with the goal of building the city with new buildings. Ephraim diligently fulfilled the assignment given to him. Among those who worked there was one, then unknown to anyone, bishop, who, having resigned his rank and title of bishop, under the guise of a beggar, was building a building together with other workers. One day the military leader Ephraim had the following revelation about this bishop. Tired of work, the bishop lay down to sleep on the ground; Then they saw a pillar of fire above him, reaching to the sky. Blessed Ephraim observed it not once, not twice, but many times and was greatly horrified by what he saw, for truly this miracle was terrible and full of horror. Meanwhile, the governor did not know that this worker was a bishop, because by his appearance it was impossible to know who he was. He had the appearance of a simple beggar: his head was always covered in dust, his clothes were torn rags, stained with dirt, his body was exhausted from great labor and immeasurable abstinence. Calling this worker to him, Ephraim began to ask him privately who he was, where he was from and what his name was. He answered: – I am one of the poorest inhabitants of this city; Since I do not have the food necessary for life, I work for pay, and God feeds me. Then Ephraim, being overshadowed by God, said to him: “Believe me, I won’t let you go until you tell me the whole truth.” No longer able to hide himself, the bishop said to the military leader: “Give me your word before God that you will not tell anyone about me while I am alive.” Ephraim promised him this with an oath. Then the worker said: “I was a bishop, but I left the bishopric for God and came here to unknown people; by working here, I acquire with my labor a modest livelihood; but I will not tell you my name and the city in which I was bishop. You add one more mercy to the mercy that you show. These days the Lord will elevate you to the episcopal throne of this Antiochian Church - “to shepherd the Church of the Lord and God, which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28), - our true God. So, give out, as I told you, abundant alms and, opposing heretics, stand firmly for the Orthodox faith. With such deeds you will please God. Having said this, the unknown bishop left Ephraim. Meanwhile, blessed Ephraim, having heard this, was greatly amazed and said to himself: “How many hidden servants God has with Himself, Whom only He knows!” The bishop was no longer among the workers, but retired somewhere else; he did not want to be recognized by people, for he avoided vain human glory. His prophecy soon came true, for, after a few days, blessed Ephraim, by the destinies of God, was appointed patriarch of the great city of Antioch. What was the zeal of His Holiness Patriarch Ephraim for piety and at the same time for holiness, this is obvious from the following. One day he was informed about a certain stylite who lived in the vicinity of Hierapolis 3725 - it was Ephraim who was told that that stylite was in communication with the Severian heretics 3726. The great bishop of God then personally went to him and begged him, and even tearfully begged him, to abandon Severus’ delusion and join communion with the holy catholic Apostolic Church. The stylite answered the patriarch: – I will never join your Church! “How do you want,” asked the patriarch, “to see proof that by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the catholic apostolic Church is free from the error of unbelievers?” Wanting to frighten the patriarch, the pillar replied: - Let us order, Mr. Patriarch, to light a large fire and we will both enter it: the faith of the one who comes out of the fire unharmed will be right; we will all follow him! The Patriarch answered the stylite: “You should listen to me as a father and not try anything beyond our strength.” But if you want to experience things that surpass the power of my insignificance, then I, trusting in the mercy of the omnipotent Son of God, believe that He will do this to save your soul. After this, the patriarch said to those present: - May the Lord be blessed! Bring some wood here. When a lot of firewood had been brought, the patriarch ordered a huge fire to be lit near the pillar, and then said to the pillar: “Come down from the pillar, and, according to your words, we will both go into the fire.” Meanwhile, the pillar was amazed at the ardent faith of the patriarch and his firm trust in God and did not want to leave the pillar. Then the patriarch said to him: “Didn’t you decide that yourself?” Isn’t this exactly the way you wanted to experience God? Why now do you not want to enter the fire? Following this, the patriarch, taking off his omophorion and standing near the fire, raised his eyes to heaven and prayed to God, saying: “Lord Jesus Christ, our God, who deigned for our salvation to truly be incarnate and born of our Most Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary! Show us true faith now.” Having finished the prayer, the patriarch threw his omophorion into the middle of the flame. Despite the fact that the fire burned for about three hours and the wood was fully ignited, the patriarch took his omophorion out of the fire intact and not at all damaged. - Surprised by everything that happened, the pillar learned that true faith is the faith of the patriarch; Therefore, he renounced his wickedness, cursing Severus, turned to the holy catholic apostolic Church and from the hands of His Holiness Patriarch Ephraim received holy communion of the Divine Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ and glorified God. This great saint of God performed many other miracles. After worthy management of his flock, he reposed before God 3727, whom he served with faith and righteousness all the days of his temporary life. He entered into the joy of his Lord, and the One whom he piously glorified on earth, he now glorifies in heaven with all the saints. Amen. Anastasius I reigned from 491 to 518. Justin I reigned from 518 to 527. Ephraim was patriarch from 527 to 545. Nestorianism was founded by Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople (bishop from 428 to 431), who taught that Jesus Christ is not the true God, but only a man, the son of Joseph and Mary, awarded for the holiness of life the special grace of God and saving us not by His redemptive merits, but only by the teaching and example of His life. Nestorianism was condemned at the Third Ecumenical Council, which took place in Ephesus (in 431). Despite the conciliar condemnation, the Nestorian heresy existed until the 7th century. in Persia, India and China. Eutychianism was founded by the Archimandrite Eutychius of Constantinople, who taught that Jesus Christ had only one nature - divine, while the Orthodox Church has always recognized and recognizes in Jesus Christ two natures, unmerged and inseparable: divine and human, the Eutychians were also called - monophysites (or "same naturalists" - from the Greek μονος - one and φυοις – nature). This heresy was condemned at the IV Ecumenical Council, which took place in the city of Chalcedon in 451, but existed during the time of St. Ephraim (VI century), and even much later. Sodom and Gomorrah were Palestinian cities located in the Jordan Valley and known for their wickedness, for which they were destroyed by God (see Gen. 19: 1–28). Euphrasius was patriarch from 523 to 527. Hierapolis was located in the Asia Minor region of Phrygia. Severians are heretics who accepted the Monophysite heresy in a modified form. The Severians, although they recognized, like the Monophysite heretics, only one nature in Jesus Christ - divine, but allowed in it a difference in the properties of divine and human; so they argued that the flesh of Christ before the resurrection was, like ours, corruptible. This heresy received its name from the name of Severus, Patriarch of Antioch (from 512 to 518). The death of Saint Ephraim followed in 545. Saint Simeon of Divnogorsk was notified from above about his death; at the moment of his death, he saw his soul ascending by the Angels to God (you can read more about this in the life of St. Simeon the Divnogorets, on the 24th day of the month of May). Patriarch Photius (ruled the Church of Constantinople from 857 to 867; then again, from 877 to 886) testifies about Saint Ephrem that, although he was a Syrian by origin and language, he also spoke the Greek language with some skill. Almost all of Saint Ephraim's works were written in defense of the Orthodox teaching about the Face of Jesus Christ and the union in Him of two natures - divine and human - against the Monophysites. You might be interested in: