The Hymns on Faith

448 Pages·2015·4.1 MB·English

by  Ephrem the Syrian

THE FATHERS
OF THE CHURCH
A NEW TRANSLATION
VOLUME 130
THE FATHERS
OF THE CHURCH
A NEW TRANSLATION
EDITORIAL BOARD
David G. Hunter
University of Kentucky
Editorial Director
Andrew Cain Joseph T. Lienhard, S.J.
University of Colorado Fordham University
Brian Daley, S.J. Rebecca Lyman
University of Notre Dame Church Divinity School of the Pacific

Susan Ashbrook Harvey Wendy Mayer
Brown University Australian Catholic University
William E. Klingshirn Robert D. Sider
The Catholic University of America Dickinson College
Trevor Lipscombe
Director
The Catholic University of America Press
FORMER EDITORIAL DIRECTORS
Ludwig Schopp, Roy J. Deferrari, Bernard M. Peebles,
Hermigild Dressler, O.F.M., Thomas P. Halton
Carole Monica C. Burnett
Staff Editor
ST. EPHREM
THE SYRIAN
THE HYMNS ON FAITH
Translated by
JEFFREY T. WICKES
Saint Louis University
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA PRESS
Washington, D.C.
Copyright @ 2015
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA PRESS
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
the American National Standards for Information Science—Permanence
of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ansi z39.48-1984.
∞
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ephraem, Syrus, Saint, 303-373.
[Hymni de fide. English]
Hymns on faith / St. Ephrem the Syrian ; translated by
Jeffrey Thomas Wickes, St. Louis University.
pages cm. — (The fathers of the church, a new translation ; volume 130)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-8132-2735-1 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Hymns, Syriac. 2. Hymns,
Syriac--Translations into English. I. Wickes, Jeffrey Thomas, 1978–
translator. II. Title.
br65.e633h9513 2015
264'.014023—dc23
2014042752
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Syriac Transliteration Chart xi
Abbreviations and Sigla xiii
Bibliography xvii
Introduction
I. Ephrem and Syriac Christianity 3
II. Ephrem’s Life and Works 5
III. The Collection of the Hymns on Faith 15
IV. The Audience and Context of the Hymns on Faith 19
V. The Language of Investigation and Ephrem’s
Theological Voice 43
A. bsâ 47 / B. b‘â 48 / C. draš 48
D. ‘qab 49 / E. Other Vocabulary 51
VI. A Note on Translation 52
THE HYMNS ON FAITH
Hymn One 57 Hymn Ten 121
Hymn Two 63 Hymn Eleven 126
Hymn Three 68 Hymn Twelve 131
Hymn Four 71 Hymn Thirteen 135
Hymn Five 80 Hymn Fourteen 138
Hymn Six 90 Hymn Fifteen 140
Hymn Seven 99 Hymn Sixteen 142
Hymn Eight 105 Hymn Seventeen 145
Hymn Nine 113 Hymn Eighteen 148
vi CONTENTS
Hymn Nineteen 151 Hymn Fifty 262
Hymn Twenty 154 Hymn Fifty-One 265
Hymn Twenty-One 157 Hymn Fifty-Two 269
Hymn Twenty-Two 160 Hymn Fifty-Three 273
Hymn Twenty-Three 162 Hymn Fifty-Four 277
Hymn Twenty-Four 165 Hymn Fifty-Five 281
Hymn Twenty-Five 168 Hymn Fifty-Six 285
Hymn Twenty-Six 172 Hymn Fifty-Seven 289
Hymn Twenty-Seven 177 Hymn Fifty-Eight 292
Hymn Twenty-Eight 180 Hymn Fifty-Nine 296
Hymn Twenty-Nine 186 Hymn Sixty 300
Hymn Thirty 188 Hymn Sixty-One 305
Hymn Thirty-One 192 Hymn Sixty-Two 310
Hymn Thirty-Two 196 Hymn Sixty-Three 316
Hymn Thirty-Three 199 Hymn Sixty-Four 321
Hymn Thirty-Four 201 Hymn Sixty-Five 324
Hymn Thirty-Five 203 Hymn Sixty-Six 328
Hymn Thirty-Six 208 Hymn Sixty-Seven 331
Hymn Thirty-Seven 213 Hymn Sixty-Eight 334
Hymn Thirty-Eight 218 Hymn Sixty-Nine 337
Hymn Thirty-Nine 223 Hymn Seventy 340
Hymn Forty 225 Hymn Seventy-One 343
Hymn Forty-One 229 Hymn Seventy-Two 346
Hymn Forty-Two 233 Hymn Seventy-Three 349
Hymn Forty-Three 237 Hymn Seventy-Four 352
Hymn Forty-Four 240 Hymn Seventy-Five 356
Hymn Forty-Five 244 Hymn Seventy-Six 359
Hymn Forty-Six 248 Hymn Seventy-Seven 361
Hymn Forty-Seven 252 Hymn Seventy-Eight 365
Hymn Forty-Eight 256 Hymn Seventy-Nine 369
Hymn Forty-Nine 259 Hymn Eighty 374
CONTENTS vii
Hymn Eighty-One (Hymn One “On the Pearl”) 377
Hymn Eighty-Two (Hymn Two “On the Pearl”) 381
Hymn Eighty-Three (Hymn Three “On the Pearl”) 384
Hymn Eighty-Four (Hymn Four “On the Pearl”) 387
Hymn Eighty-Five (Hymn Five “On the Pearl”) 390
Hymn Eighty-Six 393
Hymn Eighty-Seven 398
Indices
General Index 405
Index of Holy Scripture 421

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The present translation has developed slowly, in a variety of
places, and in conversation with a number of different people.
It is my great pleasure to thank them here.
Joseph Amar guided my study of Syriac during my doctoral
studies at the University of Notre Dame. I read many of these
hymns in Syriac with him, and he has offered continuous feed-
back and friendship, at no small inconvenience to himself. Mal-
fono, thank you.
Robin Darling Young has been a constant source of encour-
agement from the time I began graduate studies. She has read
Syriac and Armenian with me and challenged me to ask bigger
questions and to read more sources.
I initially began studying this particular hymn cycle for a
seminar with Brian Daley, SJ. Fr. Daley encouraged my work
then and has repeatedly answered long e-mails about the
fourth-century controversies.
M. Tzvi Novick served on my dissertation committee, and, in
that capacity, read significant portions of this translation. His
eye for detail is surpassed only by his kindness.
Susan Ashbrook Harvey originally suggested I submit this
translation to the Catholic University of America Press. She has
kindly promoted my work and offered feedback as often as I
have asked.
Robert Kitchen read the entirety of this translation and
checked it for accuracy against the Syriac. He noticed many
errors and, beyond that, offered many helpful suggestions for
improving my English.
Carole Monica Burnett, the editor of the Fathers of the
Church series, has been prompt and clear in answering my
ix