Ephraem the Syrian

The metrical sermon was an important theological and evangelical instrument among Christians of the Syriac-speaking tradition in the Late Antique period. Ephraem the Syrian (+ 373), the greatest of the writers of Syriac and the formative voice of that tradition, uses this medium to address many matters fundamental to his vision of christianity and of immediate concern to the Christians of his time and place. These six sermons contain interesting meditations on the nature of revelation in Scripture and its proper understanding, the meaning and correct expression of the Nicene christological position, the connection between religious life and progress in theological understanding and the difficulties besetting the Church of his time (the sixth showing evidence of the Persian attacks on Nisibis).

These sermons demonstrate the clarity and acuity of which verse is capable when in the hands of a master and offer the modern reader a fresh, powerful voice from early Christianity.
The volume includes indexes of scriptural references, theologically significant Syriac words (with all their appearances noted) and of topics and themes addressed. These are designed to increase the volume's usefulness for teaching, especially for students innocent of Syriac.