The Church Teacher Venerable Ephraim the Syrian was born around 306 during the reign of Constantine the Great (306-337) in the city of Nisibis (Nisibis, or Nisibida, - a large and populous city in Mesopotamia), the province of Mygdonia, which bordered the Persian Kingdom.
According to Syrian acts, he was the son of a pagan priest, but according to indications in his own writings, his parents were simple farmers and good Christians. Among his ancestors and relatives were several martyrs, and he himself was brought up in the fear of God from early childhood.
In a dream, the future glory of her son was revealed to his mother. By a special vision during his unexpected stay in prison, where he was imprisoned by misunderstanding, he himself was called to spiritual meditation and prayerful attention to the manifestations of God's providence. Soon after leaving prison, he left the world and went away to the hermits in the mountains, where he became a disciple of St. James, who in 314 occupied the episcopal see of Nisibis. He soon acquired the fame of a great prayer man and wise teacher, and some brothers had visions that testified that St. Ephrem had been given a special grace by St. Spirit to preach and teach Christians.
During his long prayerful life, the Venerable Ephrem visited many countries, took part with his bishop James of Nisibis in the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325), and according to some traditions, he was also in the Egyptian deserts with the great ascetics of Nitria.
But most of his time he devoted to prayer and to writing preaching and explanatory books. He wrote polemical books even in verse, for example against Apollinarius the Younger, and interpreted the entire Holy Scripture verse by verse. Many of his talks, instructions, sermons, exhortations to monks, interpretations of St. Scripture, many works on dogmatic questions, many prayers and hymns intended for liturgical use and his well-known Lenten prayer "Lord and Master of my life...", the fruit of great spiritual experience. According to tradition, he wrote about 300 poems and through them so successfully counteracted heretical teachings that the heretics attacked him with weapons, almost killing him. This did not cool his zeal to spread divine truths, so many called him the "Syrian Prophet".
The subject of his talks and teachings was mainly humility, the memory of death and judgment, repentance, reverence before God, vigilance towards oneself, the struggle with pride, in fact everything - permeated by the joyful hope of God's mercy. St. Gregory of Nyssa (331-394) wrote about him – Being closer to this capital of the East, this city was visibly larger, livelier, and full of more temptations.
For his livelihood, the Venerable Ephraim worked in a bathhouse, and in his free time he preached the word of God to the pagans, but still he was burdened by life in the big city and, on the advice of a certain elder Julian, he went to a feat in one of the mountains neighboring Edessa. However, it was revealed to the same elder in a vision that Ephraim had been chosen by God to enlighten his compatriots, and Ephraim, having returned to the city, again took up the interpretation of the Holy Scripture. His preaching attracted many to him. He again began to get bored with the constant crowding of people around him and wanted to go away to the desert again. But an angel appeared on his way: "Where are you fleeing, Ephraim?"
– I want to live in silence, therefore I flee from the gossip and the temptations of the world.
– Fear, lest the word written be fulfilled upon you: "Ephraim is like a young ox that wants to free its neck from the yoke..."
Ephraim was ashamed and returned to his ministry. For the success of his work, he founded a school in Edessa, from which many famous teachers of the Syrian Church later came out. By the way, sometimes he still went away for silence and prayerful asceticism in the desert and even founded a small monastery not far from Edessa – but then he returned to Edessa again, where with his teachings he led to repentance and won many souls for God.
A great friend of St. Ephrem was the Venerable Abraham the Recluse (336). The two of them often visited each other and spent some time in pious conversations.
The humility of St. Ephraim the Syrian was incredible. One day, a commotion broke out in Nisibis while he was still there. The city was agitated by the news that the daughter of a prominent merchant was expecting a child from Ephraim the "saint". The venerable man himself did not reject the slander, seeing in this unexpected misfortune some divine providence. Questioned in front of witnesses by Bishop St. James himself, Ephraim fell at his feet and with great contrition said: "Truly, my father, I have sinned and am guilty!" Everyone endured the worst rumors before this undoubted confession. Only the holy elder James did not abandon his novice, and Ephraim continued to live with him. The day comes when the father of the sinful maiden, in the presence of the bishop, gives the child into the hands of poor Ephraim.
– Here is your son, look after him!
– Truly, my fathers, I am very sinful. But I beg you: Pray for me, may I be pardoned by God!
The shame heroically endured by the innocent man of God was soon repaid a hundredfold. God Himself suggests to him how to regain his good name. In the crowded temple on a feast day, he was seen entering through the people and heading towards St. James with the child in his arms. Having received permission from him and to everyone's amazement, he ascended the pulpit, lifted the infant high and said to him in a loud voice:
– I adjure you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, reveal to us the truth! Tell me, who is your father!
– Ephraim, the host of the metropolitanate! – repeated the infant three times. The whole church knelt, and from the eyes of the slanderers flowed bitter tears of repentance, and everyone rushed to ask for his forgiveness. The venerable one gently exhorted them not to judge anyone hastily.
Once St. Ephraim the Syrian had a vision. He saw in a dream a pillar of fire raised to heaven and heard a voice: "Ephraim, Ephraim! As you see this pillar of fire, so is Basil, the Archbishop of Caesarea of Cappadocia!" Since he did not know the Greek language, but only his native Syrian, St. Ephraim the Syrian, accompanied by an interpreter, set out for Caesarea and found Basil during a sermon in the temple. Touched by this vision, Ephraim began to praise Basil loudly, and after the service they met and talked amicably. Both had known each other for a long time. Basil the Great asked him:
– Honorable father, why are you not ordained a presbyter, since you are worthy of it?
– I am sinful, Bishop - replied Ephraim.
– Oh, if only I could have your sins! - sighed Basil and added:
– Let us kneel!
And when they knelt, St. Basil laid his hands on Ephraim's head and ordained him a deacon. Then St. Ephraim spoke Greek wonderfully, spent three more days with Basil, who ordained him a priest, and returned to Edessa. There he continued his previous life, spending it in prayer and writing his edifying teachings, always avoiding human honor and temporary glory. Once the people wanted to seize him by force and make him a bishop, but he pretended to be mad and ran around the city, dragging his robe, while another was consecrated as bishop.
The Venerable Ephraim slept little, ate little - just enough to avoid dying of exhaustion. Day and night he spent himself in prayers and tears, thinking about the Last Judgment, about which he wrote and spoke a lot. His contemporaries said of him that his mouth tired of speaking, but not his mind. And the grace of God was so abundant in him that he sometimes prayed to God: "Reduce the waves of Your grace!"
Having lived many years in God's favor, the Venerable Ephraim the Syrian quietly passed away into eternity, having promptly written his famous Testament to his disciples, for it was revealed to him when he would die. He died in the arms of one of his beloved disciples in the year 373. According to his will, he was buried at the end of the city cemetery, where poor pilgrims were buried. Later, his imperishable relics were placed in the tomb of the Edessa bishops in one of the city churches. Today, his grave is displayed in the suburban monastery "St. Sergius". Parts of his holy relics are kept in the temple "St. Transfiguration" of the Sinai Monastery.
St. Ephrem the Syrian is one of the ancient fathers who were the earliest translated into Old Bulgarian. St. John of Rila quotes his "Parenesis" ("Exhortation") in his Testament.
Today, everyone with the name Ephrem celebrates his name day.