St. Ephrem (306-73)

Saint Ephrem the Syrian was a deacon, hermit, and Doctor of the Church. He wrote both commentaries on Scripture and theological poetry, combatting false teachings of his time.

He was born in Nisibis (the modern-day Turkish town of Nusaybin, on the Syrian border) into a Christian family. He was baptized as an adult and embraced an ascetic lifestyle. He lived much of his life as a hermit, supporting himself by making sails for ships.

He moved to Edessa (also in Turkey), where he was ordained a deacon. He delivered homilies known for both their orthodoxy and calls to the congregation for repentance.

One of his techniques of challenging the errors of his day was to take popular songs of heretics and use their melodies to compose hymns embracing orthodox teaching. He was known as the “Harp of the Holy Spirit.” Pope Benedict XVI declared that Ephrem sang the praises of God “in an unparalleled way … with rare skill.” 

As Ephrem sensed his death approaching, he asked his friends for only a modest burial, telling them, “Allow me only a portion and place of a pilgrim; for I am a pilgrim and a stranger as all my fathers were on earth.”