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Hymns on Faith

St Ephrem the Syrian, tr. Morris, 1847; selections

25. Rhythm the Twenty-fifth

Would that some one would give to me a little breathing of the Spirit, not that I might prophesy, for that were death to ask for, but that I might have enough to set forth the praise of Him, that is greater than all, with my poor tongue. For without the gift of that Divine Majesty Itself no mouths are able to set His treasures forth, since it is with His key that those treasuries are opened in the presence of His treasurers¹. Glory be to the Gift which lispeth² in the mouth of the speakers, though by its speech it snatcheth not their own free will away. The mouth is owner of two things at once. With that which is His, it museth on Him; with that which is its own, it magnifieth Him: without the gift of the word too the mouth cannot declare of Him, who is the Word, what and how great He is. It is by word too that³ man is able to speak in behalf of himself, and be his own spokesman. The eye also is able by the light to see the light, for by the rays thereof is it able to see its beauty. Even by the brilliancy from itself man is able to see the lightning in the heavens. For without the guidance sent forth from the lights [of heaven], the eye were not able to come to the light, and also in the midst of thick darkness fire by its shining draweth the pupils unto itself.

The type of the Son of the Creator is sealed upon the creatures⁴: through the light, fire, and also water, as with the rest wherein He is, can human nature approach, through the type of His Majesty. By the gift of the sea the swimmer has strength to swim on the deep, because the power of the water supporteth him. Not incoherent⁵ are the tides there, the dashings also, and the waves, and the murmurings. And as the surface of the sea is on the very verge and confine of⁶ destruction, whereon thou yet mayest ride; so there are also those that dwell in the depths⁷ of it, after the fashion in which these knowing men do in the generations of the Divine Majesty.

And though the seed be from us, yet is the fruit from⁸ His good pleasure; that Gift of His doth not teach us slothfulness. Its thriving strength suggests to us by thriving⁹ strength to seize upon the riches which His mercies have brought unto us. And the rain too which He sprinkleth¹⁰ over all is His Gift; this doth not teach idleness unto the¹¹ husbandmen. Their labour increaseth their stores; and here again thrift increaseth solid boasts.

May Thy Gift, O Lord, take me up soon unto Thy height! by Thee I can be great enough to reach unto Thee. For if through the creatures man is able to attain to the creatures, may I through Thee attain, Lord, unto Thee! Me shall the example of Zacchæus persuade, for he reached forward to Thee! By Thee his weakness was made great, and he mounted and reached to Thee. Lo! the voice which came from Thee to him, brought near to Thee him that had¹² kept aloof of Thee. The fruitless fig tree yielded fruit; tasteless insipidity yielded a taste. The sycamore¹³ by means of its fruit became a salt, which cleared away tastelessness. A marvel is the fig tree which was despoiled of its natural fruit, and bare a different fruit that was not according to its nature, and that which in another form was not eatable, the hungry ate in the possessions which he distributed. May Thy Gift call me also as it did Zacchæus, not that I may distribute possessions as he did, Lord, but that I may make haste, and restore again interest¹⁴ upon Thy money.

For this thing also, namely, that He gave His money to the merchants, sheweth us that without His being joined unto us, there were no trading: and so neither is there any finding of the Truth without His Gift¹⁵. Run, my brethren, and gather along with us all similitudes, for lo! they are too many for our mouth to describe. Be ye then pleased with what we have found, and it is right that we be also with what ye have. For the lump cannot without the gift of leaven partake in the flavours thereof. By the Gift from Him the whole lump¹⁶ may have it entirely diffused throughout itself. Neither can the curdle thicken milk without the hidden power of the rennet. By the gift that comes from it, it thickens milk’s fluid nature into a close mass.

Grant unto my unsteady nature Thy straight ascents¹⁷! By Thee, Lord, let my vileness ascend unto Thy Majesty! By Thee let it reach up unto Thy Height, in a large room, that¹⁸ there it may worship Thee!

Notes

Treasurers. Perhaps St. E. here alludes to some office in heathen courts, like that of the Comes Privatarum in the Roman. Vide Cod. Theod. i. tit. 32. §. 2. The Jews however had a sort of treasurer called Apostoli, (see Petav. ad Epiphan. xxx. p. 135.) which in part would resemble Christ’s Apostles, as having the keys of His treasures.
p. 122, n. k.
See on lvii. §. 5.
St. Aust. de Trin. vi. §. 12. St. Athan. de Incarn. 14. speaks of the Son making known the Father through the things of the creation. See R. xxxv. §. 3. Of light see R. xi. §. 1. of water R. v. §. 5. and R. lxxv. §. 2.
S. mixed
S. is about to be and is equipped for
p. 114, n. g.
1 Cor. 3, 6.
Comp. note n, p. 125.
Mat. 11, 12.
Hos. 10, 12.
p. 16, n. b.
S. insipid fig
R. v. fin.
n. h. p. 87.
R. xii. §. 3. and p. 8. n. p.
[Syriac]. Ass. recti aditus, as if from [Syriac]; the occurrence of [Syriac] so immediately would alone seem to determine the etymology of the word, which does not occur in the Lexicon. Ps. lxxxiv. 6. would occur to those acquainted with the Greek and Latin Fathers, as referred to here: and possibly St. E. may have had a version in which the ἀναβάσεις of the LXX was given.
Ps. 18, 20.