ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ

Harp of the Holy Spirit. Deacon. ܫܡܫܐ ܕܣܘܪܝܝܐ ♰ܞ

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

Excerpts from the works of St. Ephrem the Syrian will be tweeted on scheduled every Monday at 9:30am ET. Please follow, and share this account with all. May God bless you!

NB: Due to Twitter's format, I can't keep the original metre of St. Ephrem

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

Your body’s senses can speak to us
About the spiritual senses
Of the stinking demons:
With these nostrils Legion breathes.
With these feet, the Evil One runs
Over all creation

-On Faith 75

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

Then your whole body [is useless], if
the senses
Cannot meet the divinity
Hidden from all.
The three useless senses...
Call out that they are alien
To the discussions of the Father, Son,
And Holy Spirit

-On Faith 75

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

No mouth has ever tasted
That light, nor a nose
Inhaled [its] scent.
Nor has the ear ever heard
The Light’s voice, as it moves
Across creation.

-Hymns on Faith 75.8

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

The subtlety of that light
Cannot be touched; it is not concealed
By things that hold it.
The heat from that ray
Cannot be seen by the eyes—
It is [too] fine.
It has conquered the eyes with its heat
And the hands with its subtlety,
For they cannot touch or see [it]

-On Faith 75

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

The mouth that He gave is for His bread
And for His cup; the eyes that He created
Are for His books; and for His Church
He also gave the feet. And if to the Stranger
These things are useful, unbelievers are vanquished!

-Adv. Haer 43.25

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

This is a marvel, that He gave commandments
That are not the old ones, and He gave members
That are not foreign! The senses, which He healed,
Proclaim Him. For even if the sounds that He gave
Are new, they are not foreign!

-Adv. Haer 44.7

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

They do not indeed put new wine
In old wineskins. But He gave the senses
According to the commandments: a new ear
According to the commandment. For by the ear that
has grown old
New melodies are not heard

-Adv. Haer 44.6

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

The work of the carpenter, the carpenter then
Is able to repair. A blacksmith, too,
Can repair the work of a blacksmith. And the Son of
the Creator,
can repair the work of the Creator. Because healing,
too,
Is a second creation

-Adv. Haer 43.9

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

That is to say, the body is between the Healer
And the Fashioner. The one they have blamed,
And the other they have praised. Their works are one.

-Adv. Haer 43.8

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

If it is the case that the body is a detestable instrument
Of the detestable Wicked One: its flutes grew old,
the body’s sense organs, and our Lord
came
setting them straight. He made firm His harp,
Which He healed; He gave health to the body

-Adv, Haer 43.19

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

Look: the senses of the sons of the High One,
Though subtle and spiritual,
Are yet insufficient.
Therefore, cease from discussion,
O dense senses of the fat body,
Causing pus to flow!

- On Faith 75

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

He divided up and gave. He gave to us the earth
For the feet; He gave to us light
For the eyes; and for the ears
He gave sounds and words. In these things which he gave
He is found trustworthy in
everything that he promised.

-Adv. Haer 43.24

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

Let the sixth day praise the one who created Adam on Friday. The evil one deceived him by mixing poison in his food. Whereas Jesus, through His incarnation, dispensed The Medicine of Life to both of them, and thereby man became alive

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

Instead of clarifying wine, let us clarify our thought So that we will be able to see the Clear One Who overcame the Evil One by means of fasting, that Disturber of All.

-Hymns on Fast 1.3

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

Fasting is bright and beautiful for any who pure enough To gaze on God. The turbid one, stirred up by anything Cannot fix his eye on the Clear One. He who possesses a clear eye, Can gaze upon Him; as much as it is given to him to gaze.

-Hymns on Fast 1.3

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

Fasting secretly purifies the soul So it can gaze on God and grow in the vision of Him. For the weight that is from the earth, bends it back to the earth. Blessed is He who gave us fasts, The sheer wings by which we fly to him.

- Hymns on Fast 1.2

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

This is the fast which exalts; which shone forth from the First Born So as to exalt the younger ones. In fasting there is an occasion for delight for the discerning; When one sees how much he will have grown.

-Hymns on Fast 1.2

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

For by means of it [fasting] a man can overcome that one who with fruit overcame Adam; He became greedy and gobbled it. Blessed is the First-Born who encompassed Our weakness with the wall of his great fasting.

-Hymns on Fast 1.1

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

The is the fast of the First Born, the first of his victories. Let us rejoice in his coming; for in fasting he has overcome. Though he could have overcome by any means, He revealed for us the strength hidden in fasting, Overcomer of All.

Hymns on Fast 1.1

[ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ @MarAphremSuraya]

[Satan]: I enhanced my racings with the speed,
and I overrun them. I was fighting.
The clamor of many was armor to me.
I rejoiced in the noise of people that gave me a little
room,

- Carmina Nisibena 41.2