§ 130. Сочинения и дух Ефрема. Нравственные сочинения. Поучения с кафедры. Наставления для иноков.

St. Ephraim left behind quite a lot of writings 370. In some of them he is an interpreter of Scripture, in others a denouncer of heresy and a singer of the Church; in others, a teacher of Christian life and, in particular, a preacher of heartfelt contrition. Works of the latter kind constitute the personal stamp of the soul of St. Ephraim and together his glory for all ages. St. Gregory of Nyssa says that “crying for Ephraim was the same as breathing air for others - his tears flowed day and night.” Ephraim himself says about himself: “When I lie down to rest, Your love for people, Lord, comes to my mind, and I get up in the middle of the night to thank You. But the memory of my sins frightens me and I begin to pour out tears, ready to even lose heart, if the thief, the tax collector, the sinner, the Canaanite woman, and the bleeding Samaritan woman had not hastened to strengthen me half-dead.”371 In his dying will, Ephraim expressed what had filled his soul throughout his life, he expressed his contrite spirit. He wrote: “Whoever places me under the altar, let him not see the altar of my God; It is not proper for a stinking corpse to lie in a holy place. Whoever buries me in the church, let him not see the church of light; empty glory is useless to the unworthy.... Take me on your shoulders and run with me and throw me as an outcast.... Oh, if only someone would show you my deeds! You would spit on me. Truly, if the smell of my sins could be noticed, you would have fled from the stench of Ephraim.... Do not cover the exchanges with aromas - this honor is of no benefit to me. Burn incense in the sanctuary, and help me with prayers; dedicate the aromas to God, bury me with psalms.... Do not put me in your coffins: your decorations will serve me nothing. I promised God to be buried among strangers; I am a wanderer, like them; So, brothers, place me with them. Look, Lord, I beg You. Have mercy on me. I pray to You, Son of the Merciful, do not repay me for my sins” 372. What could a soul, imbued with such deep contrition, talk about most often, if not about heartfelt contrition, if not about the tears with which we need to wash away our sins? Ephraim spoke most often about tearful contrition. All his moral instructions are fragrant with heartfelt tenderness. Ephraim began more than one of his instructions this way: “Be distressed, my soul; be distressed also over the blessings which you received from God and lost. Lament the evil deeds you have done. Contrite over everything in which God has shown His long-suffering towards you. Come, my brothers, come, servants of Christ, let us be contrite in heart and weep before Him day and night. Come, let us think about that terrible and menacing judgment and our subsequent condemnation” 373. In this feeling of contrition, the most common subjects of Ephraim’s conversations are: repentance 374, memory of death and judgment 375, fear of God 376, attention to oneself 377, humility 378, against pride 379 and so on. In this feeling of contrition, Ephraim very often turns to himself, reproaches his life, and asks others to pray for Ephraim 380. Ephraim's contrition, with all its depth, was not the contrition of any hopelessness - his tears flowed from a heart full of love for the Lord and hope for the Savior. Therefore, his tears were tears of sweet tenderness. “The face of Ephraim,” says St. Gregory, blossomed and shone with joy, while streams of tears flowed from his eyes. Ephraim, even where he speaks of contrition, ascends in thought to the goodness of God, pours out thanksgiving and praise to the Most High.” In all his words and deeds, notes St. Gregory, the psalm word came out of his soul: “My heart trusts in Him.” And between his instructions we see whole reflections about love for the Lord 381, about the blessings of hope, and so on. 382. This is why there is so much sweetness and strength in Ephraim’s instructions; they amaze and console, crush with fear and fill with meek tenderness, make those who have not known tears shed tears. If Ephraim was primarily a teacher of contrition; this does not mean that he was one-sided, talking only about contrition. On the contrary, there is almost no moral subject on which Ephraim did not have instruction 383 and he taught a correct and complete concept of moral perfection and virtue 384 . Ephraim's four words about freedom 385 are especially important for moral teaching. Quite many of the instructions of St. Ephraim spoke from the church pulpit 386. His word, as a church speaker, with its warmth, is distinguished by an abundance of pictures and figurative expressions: but this belongs to the Eastern language and therefore does not violate the simplicity and sincerity characteristic of Ephraim. His word flows like a stream from his pure heart; his eloquence is natural eloquence, breathing with the warmth of the heart; it is always alive, strong, but at the same time meek; he embraces his objects clearly and truly; his words sometimes lack the fullness that would be needed for an abundance of thoughts and feelings; but he always speaks simply; From here and where he speaks about lofty subjects, he is understandable to everyone. As a church speaker, Ephraim occupies a high place among church speakers. Others of Ephraim's moral works were written for monks; These are: words of admonition to Egyptian monks, about the perfection of the monk, admonitions to ascetics 387, about virtue, about spiritual life - both for the new monk 388, about hermits 389. As much as Ephraim was strict with himself, his instructions to others were just as lenient. He did not want young ascetics to indulge in the heat of piety and soon condemn themselves to strict exploits; he advises them to take on little, but what they accept, to do exactly. On one Greek the works of Ephraim were published in 1709 in Oxford; in one Latin Fossom, 1603–1675 in Cologne. The most complete edition: Opera omnia, quae extant syriace, graece et latine, in sex tomos distributa a Sim. Assemanio et Evodio Assemanio, Romae 1732–4746. Asseman's edition, while complete, still lacks much. And a) some of the works of St. Ephraim isn't here yet. According to the RCP. Asseman (Bibl. Or. I, 70) knows the interpretations of Ephraim on Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah and Haggai, and from the first there are extracts: but in the publication of the works these interpretations are not present. There are also no interpretations of the New Testament. From Greek essays, according to the RKP. 5 Words in Benetian are known. B-ke St. Mark (cod. 52) and 3 in Turin. (cod. 96), also unpublished. Many of the works mentioned by Gregory of Nissk. and the Syrian biography, either did not reach us, or were not found. Assemani Bibl. Or. I, 50–56–60–70. See note above. 39 and below approx. 116. An interpretation of St. Ephraim on the Epistles of St. Paul, preserved in an Armenian translation of the 5th century and found in the RKP., writ. in 999. S. Ephraemi Syri Comm. in er. Pauli, armen. et lat. studio Bapt. Aucher Venet. 1833. In addition, the interpretation of St. Ephraim on the books of Chronicles and on the agreement of the Gospels was published in the Armenian translation, also not in Asseman’s edition: Op. S. Ephraem. Syri, armen., T. I, 3. Of the 20 conversations translated into Armenian in V, only two are included in the Asseman edition (Neumanni Gesch. armen. Litter, p. 84). b) The Latin translation of Syriac works made by Peter Benedict turns out to be too free and sometimes erroneous, c) The Greek text of the 3rd volume sometimes repeats the same thing that was printed in volumes 1 and 2; – in all 3 volumes the text has many errors. This publication is supported by: aa) Chrestomathia Syriaca S. selecta carmina Ephraemi, ed. a Hahn, Lips. 1825, and his de-Bardesane gnostico. Lips. 1819. bb) Hahn Ephraem. d Syrer. üb. d, Willensfreiheit in Illgens Abhandlungen. 11. c) Ephraem. Syrer Sermoner gegen Juden, übers, von Hahn in Illgens Abhandlung. 111.Leip. 1824 r, Uhlemanns Ephraem. ed. Syrer über die Schöpfung in Illgens Zeitschrifl für hist. Theologie, I, 1. An excellent collection of edifying works by St. Ephraim: Auserlesene Schriften d. heil. Ephraems, a.s. d. syrisch, und griech. übers, von Pius Zingerle, Iustr. 1830–1835. 8. in 5 Bänden, dd) Sämmliche Schriften d. heil. Ephraems, aus syrisch, u. griech. übers., Kempten 1842–1847. 8 T. 11–10. her) S. Ephraems Syris. Opera, que extant armenice, Venetiis 1836. T. 1–4. in-8. In Russian translation: Works of St. Ephraim Sirin M. 1848–1854. T. 1–8. From the Syriac 1st text – Assem. In O. 1, 143. Zingerle. 13.4. Cheat. Crush. Word . Op. graec. I, 116–164. The word about the contrition of the river. 154. Crush. R's word 158. One must not laugh and be arrogant, cry and mourn oneself. 254, how a soul should pray to God with tears, p. 193. On Repentance Op. gr, I, 148.2, 154.3, 78–84–83–86–160–308–371–376. In Sirsky 76 exhortations to repentance T. 3. r. 367–564. Op. gr. T. I, p. 167. T. 2, p. 50. 192. 209. 222. 247. T. 3, p. 93. 113. 114. 119. 127. 134. 176. 140. 148. 152. T. I, p. 2. 158. T. 2, p. 114. 145. 154. 165. T. I, p. 40. T. 2, p. 186. T. I, p. 8. 100 chapters r. 293. T. 2, p. 85. 86. 119. See T 2, p. 222. T. 1, p. 111. 119 and so on. Op. gr. T. 2, p. 169. 209. T. 3, p 13. 21. 314. T. 2, p 334 T. 1, 282. 3, 383. Op. gr. T. 4. on correcting pride, towards those who live wickedly, about passions, about prayer in temptation, how to acquire humility? Orat. 1. 2. 40. 22. 34. Op. gr. T. 3. about prayer; about love for the poor; that there is no need to be surprised by vain things; about not tempting your neighbor; about those who deceive the hearts into uncleanness; about moving away from carnal lusts; about abstinence; about virginity; about remembering death; about spiritual feat; about fighting the world; about drunkenness, etc. Orat. 4. 6. 7. 11. 13. 14. 20. 24. 30. 50. 76. Op. graec. 3, 324, 397. Orat. 50. T. 1, 1–18. 2, 56. Sl. op. 51. 52. 13 His words at the Nativity of Christ are also remarkable in that they were spoken over a period of 13 days, from the feast of the Nativity of Christ to the holidays. Baptism. Two of them are in Nenetsk. translation with note published Augusti in Denk würdigk. Archaeol. T. 1. f. 251–558. Between Greek words in 2 volumes about the transfiguration of the Savior, praise. Word to Basil the Great, Word to the sinner wife who anointed the Lord, praise. Word to the glorious martyrs, Word to Abraham and Isaac; in 3 vols. Praise to Peter and Paul, and the other apostles, about the suffering of the Savior; in the Armenian translation, the Word about John the Baptist; about the first martyr Stephen. All these Words are festive and, of course, spoken in the church. Or. gr. T. 2, p. 6. 21. 27. Vol. 1, 24. 28. A lot has been written for monks, however, in such a way that much applies to every Christian. Op. graec. I. 1–18. 40–70. 188–93. 201–216. 216–219. 258–82. T. 2. r. 72–26. 322–23. 336–40. 356–65. 370–77. 411–23. T. 3, 150–52, 337–56. 358–61. 403–6. 478–82. Op. Syr. T. 3, 650–54. You might be interested in: