i!|ii!|!l5l^il?l;i:i; SELECT METRICAL HYMNS AND HOMILIES OF EPHRAEM SYRUS. (Eransktrii frnm tljB nriijitml Itjrint, WITH AN INTRODUCTION AND HISTORICAL AND PHILOLOGICAL NOTES, BY THE REV. HENRY BURGESS, PH.D., OF GOTTINGEX, A PRESBYTER OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND, TRANSLATOR OF THE FESTAL LETTERS OF ATHANASIUS FROM AN ANCIENT SYBIAC VERSION. " The Church listens to all words : But is not drawn away after them." Tsaac Mayuus ROBEUT B. BLACKADER, 13 PATERNOSTER ROW SAMPSON LOW, SON AND CO., AGENTS FOR THE UNITED STATES. BERLIN: ASHER AND CO. 1853. LONDON PRINTED BY WALTON AND MITCHELL, 24 WARDOUR STREET, OXFORD STREET. -3^355 TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE ALBERT;— TO THE DIGNITARIES, THE CLERGY IN GENERAL, AND THE LAY MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND;- AND TO THE MEMBERS OF OTHER RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES;- THE PATRONS OF THIS ATTEMPT TO ILLUSTRATE SYRIAN METRICAL LITERATURE, €\\i %^\\\m IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED. 444 " in the admonitory writings of ephraem, every one may justly admire how deeply his power of influencing others penetrates ; how much of sweetness proceeds from them ; and how genius everywhere buds forth. it is not surprising that in his choice of language and of illustrations, his discourses incline to the customary style of homilies, and that he should employ a simplicity op utterance." Photius. CONTENTS. Dedication m Preface ix Introduction : — I. On the Origin and Development of Syrian Metrical Literature ; II. On the Laws of Syrian Metrical Li- terature ; III. On its existing Monuments ; lY. On the Poetry of Ephraem, and the present Translations ; V. Life of Ephraem ; VI. List of Authors xxiii L On the Death of a Child 1 II. On the Death of Children 4 III. On the Death of Children 6 IV. On the Death of Youth 9 V. On the Death of a Young Person 11 VI. On the Death of a Private Person 14 VII. On the Death of a Presbyter 17 VIII. On the Death of a Bishop 20 VI CONTENTS. PAGE IX. On the Death of a Deacon 23 X. A Prayer in the Prospect of Death 25 XI. On the Death of a Private Person 26 XII. The Parting of Body and Soul 29 XIII. Hymn on the Resurrection 31 XIV. On the Funeral of a Prince or Rich Man 34 XV. Christ the Companion of the Disemhodied Soul ... 41 XVI. On the Death of a Monk 44 XVII. On the Death of a Woman 48 XVIII. On the Death of an aged Man 51 XIX. On the Death of a Presbyter 53 XX. Necessity for Preparation for Death 56 XXI. On the Death of a Presbyter 58 XXII. For a Time of Pestilence 61 XXIII. A Prayer in prospect of Judgment 63 XXIV. A Morning Hymn 67 XXV. Hymn for the Evening 73 XXVI. Hymn for Easter 77 XXVII. Before retiring to Rest 80 XXVIII. Hymn for the Lord's Day 83 XXIX. A Hymn of the whole Church 89 XXX. For the whole Church 93 XXXI. A Prayer to the Trinity 95 XXXII. For Defence against Satan 98 XXXIII. For the whole Convent 100 XXXIV. A general Invocation 103 XXXV. The Praises of Noah 105 3fJ!Btririil Inmifo. I. Description of Paradise 113 II. The Subtilty of Satan 121 CONTENTS. Vii PAGE III. Ad Clerum 126 IV. On the Mystery of the Trinity 135 V. That Matter is not Eternal 142 VI. Eri-or counterfeits Truth 152 VII. The Mystery of the Trinity 156 VIII. On the Two Natures of Jesus Christ 167 IX. Man is ignorant of HimseK 173 Indices : — I. Of Syriac words illustrated ; II. Of Texts of Scripture ; III. Of Subjects 183 List of Subscribeks, " The Syrians attribute to Ephraem twelve thousand songs ; the Copts, fourteen thousand." — Asseman, 1 ^rnijtr nf dEpjirntm. • O Lord, unite in peace Both priests and kings ; And in one Church Let the priests offer prayers On behalf of kings, And let princes be merciful To those about them. And let the peace which is in Thyself Be possessed also by us, O Thou Lord of all things Both avithout and within !" PREFACE. Having in early life acquired tlie habit of reading the Hebrew Scriptures, when professional duty required me to attend to the criticism af the New Testament^ the tran- sition was easy to the Syriac versions of it, which yield so abundant a harvest of good things to those who culti- vate them. In this, as in all intellectual pursuits, the desire grew by what it fed upon, and incursions were made, as opportunities offered, into other departments of the field of Syriac liteTature. In the year 1845 the Epistles of Ignatius, found in a Syriac version in Egypt, in a form so different from the current Greek copies, were published," and I studied them diligently ; and, from the Introduction prefixed to them, a The Ancient Syriac Version of the Epistles of St. Ignatius to St. Polycarp, the Ephesians, and the Romans. Edited, with an English Translation and Notes, by William Cureton, M.A. London : 1845. Mr. Cureton has since much en- larged his contributions to this important subject, in a -n-ork entitled, Corpus Ignatianum. b X PREFACE. became acquainted with the existence of immense stores of literary remains, yet shut up in libraries, and ready to unfold their valuable contents to the student. I became especially interested in the expeditions to the East, under- taken by the Rev. Henry Tattam (now Dr. Tattam), and their important results ; and beg in this place to acknowledge my obligations to that gentleman, partly for the stimulating influence of his example, and partly for more direct assistance in my oriental pursuits. During a temporary residence in London a few years back, I was able to gratify a desire to inspect for myself the Syriac treasures of the British Museum, and I did so with an ardent wish to acquire all the knowledge on the subject which was practicable ; as I entertained a hope, at that time, of gaining an official connexion with the Manuscript department on the retirement of the Rev. William Cureton. That hope was not realized, but the occasion was highly valuable to me, as it gave me some insight into the external aspects of Syriac literature ; and, what is of greater importance, inspired me with a determination to do all that might lie in my power to pro- mote the study of a language in which are locked up such inestimable treasures. I especially consulted and examined the venerable MS. of the Syriac version of the Festal Letters of St. Athanasius, the printed text* of which b The Festal Letters of Athanasiits, discovered in an ancient Syriac version and edited by William Cureton, M.A., F.E.S. Printed for the Society for the publication of Oriental Texts. 1848. PREFACE. XI I had received before I came to London, and had com- menced translating. At the commencement of the year 1850 I entered into an engagement with the editors of the Library of the Fathers^ printed at Oxford, to translate into English the Festal Letters for that series of works, and this task was accomplished, and the manuscript delivered to the Rev. H. G. Williams, the editor, in May, 1851. I had hoped that long since that valuable relic of ecclesiastical litera- ture would have been in the hands of the public, but the unavoidable delay will be productive of this advantage, that I shall be able to revise and correct my translation with all the light which the after study of the language may throw upon it. I may mention that about this time I became acquainted with another valuable acquisition, secured from threatened ruin in the East by the aid of our Government : I mean the Syriac text of a version of the Theophania of Eusebius,^ which, like the Letters of Athanasius, had long been lost in the original Greek. This was presented to me by the editor, the Rev. Dr. Samuel Lee (o /naicapiTrj^ !) and formed a valuable addition to my small store of Syriac books. But the work which first introduced me to the metrical compositions of the Syrians was a Grammar of the lan- c Eusebius, bishop of Ccesarea, on the Theophania, or Divine Manifestation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. A Syriac version, edited from an ancient MS. recently discovered, by Samuel Lee, D.D. London. Printed for the Society for the publication of Oriental Texts. 1842. h2 XU PREFACE. guage, in metre, by the celebrated Abulpliarag ;'^ and, althougb the subject is not inviting, nor the taste very good, displayed in cooping up a scientific treatise in hepta- syllabic verses, it yet gave me a high opinion of the flexi- bilit}^ of the language and its capacity for expressing the more recondite and abstract objects of thought. This curious production is said by the writer himself to have been composed in the short space of fourteen days, at a season of his life fully occupied by ecclesiastical affairs ; yet it is described by Dr. Bertheau as plainly indicating that its author was well conversant with such studies, and exhibiting an accurate knowledge of the art of gram- mar as it was then cultivated by learned men. The Prooe- mium exhibits a poetical and pious spirit : — " The gloiy of Thy Name, O glorious One ! My soul, Tliine image, would celebrate. And, cast into the sea of material things, And agitated in the midst of its waves. To Thee with loud voice, O Thou that dwellest in the highest ! With the eyes of its understanding lifted up. It cries and says, O Thou Most High !" &c., &c. By mere accident, apparently, I ordered from a book- seller's catalogue what was there designated as Hahn's Syriac Ckrestomathy ; but which I found to be a selection of Hymns from Ephraem Syrus, arranged in metrical form, d Gregorii Bar Hebrcei, qui et Ahulpharag, Grammatica LingucB Syriacce, in Metro Ejphraemeo. Textum edidit, vertit, annotatione instruxit, Emestus Bertheau, Dr., Professor Gottingensis. Gottingge, 1843. PREFACE. XUl and accompanied with notes/ And, by a remarkable coincidence, I obtained from the same source, without knowing at the time its relation to the work just men- tioned, the Bardesanes-^ of Hahn, which contains per- haps the fullest account which had been published of the metres of these Syrian compositions before the present undertaking. The way was thus prepared for a further and fuller examination of the whole subject ; the speci- mens furnished by Hahn, although certainly not the best, excited an eager desire to become acquainted with the Syrian metrical church literature in all its parts, and I procured the works of Ephraem, as far as published, and the BihUotheca Orientalls of Asseman. "With these aids the following translations have been executed. \Yhen I first contemplated the task which is now com- pleted, I intended it to be more extended in its range than I have been able to make it. I hoped to give spe- cimens of the principal hymn-writers of the Syrian Church, allotting the largest space to Ephraem, as the e The title of this work, to which I aud others are under such obligations, is, Chrest&mathia Syriaca, slve S. Ephraemi Carmina Selecta. Ediderunt notis criticis philologicis historicis, et Glossario locupletissimo illustraverunt, A ugustus Hahn et Friedrieus Ludovicus Sv.ffert. Lipsiae : 1825. This work refers constantly to the " Bardesaxes." I may mention here that this selection of hymns by Hahn seems to have introduced the subject of Syriac metrical compositions to others in England besides myself, and excited the same sentiments of their value. I have met with two distinguished instances of this in the correspondence which has been called forth by the preparation of this work. / Bardesanes Gnosticus Syrorum primus Hymnologus. Commentatio Historico- Theologica, quam scripsit Augustus Hahn. Lipsiae : 1819. XIV PREFACE. most celebrated and most highly endowed of the venerable band. I knew that our National Library is rich in mate- rials for the accomplishment of such a design, and hoped to be able to make my volume more valuable by the intro- duction of some pieces which have never yet appeared in any printed form. But I found that my wishes had far outrun my capacity for realizing them. The great dis- tance of my residence from London, my pressing and un- intermitting duties at home, both parochial and private, and other considerations, together constituted a barrier which I could not pass, and I was compelled to confine myself to Ephraem, and such critical and exegetical aids as my own small library afforded. I certainly have much regretted this on several grounds, although as my task proceeded I found less cause for lamenting my disappoint- ment and feeling impatient under the restrictions which imperative necessity imposed upon me. The metrical pro- ductions of the renowned Deacon of Edessa are so nume- rous and varied, that the difficulty has consisted rather in knowing what to select, and how to do justice to him within such narrow limits, than in any want of materials. I have therefore ceased to regret being confined to one author, feeling sure that in one small volume it is better to convey a full idea of his mental powers and composi- tions, than to furnish hasty and incomplete outlines of a greater number. Great injustice will be done me if this work is con- sidered in any other light than as a specimen of what may be effected in the interesting though neglected field en- PREFACE. XV tered upon. Anything like completeness is out of the question within the space which circumstances have assigned to me, and would demand a far higher oriental scholarship than I can pretend to. If I succeed in con- veying to English readers some conception of the value of the Syrian hymnology, and thus open the way to future acquisitions from the same source, my highest wish on the subject will be gratified. The execution of this circumscribed design has convinced me of the vast extent of the literary field, a small corner of which I have attempted to till, and of the very varied and prac- tised talents which its cultivator ought to possess. It has certainly taught me the defects of my own husbandry. I am conscious that my first experiments want that finish and certainty of result which greater experience may give to them. The implements with which I have laboured are comparatively rude in their structure, and, like a new settler in fertile though wild regions of the earth, I have had, in part, to manipulate my own tools. The defective nature of the critical apparatus at his command, is strongly felt by any one who passes from Hebrew or Greek or Latin literature, to Syriac. There is this satisfaction, however, that every new comer does something to make future progress more easy, and to facilitate the course of after labourers. I am anxious that it should be distinctly understood that my design is a literary^ and not a theological one. I should have acted uncourteously, at least, to the great body of patrons by whose generous assistance I have been XVI PKEFACE. able to execute and publish the work, had I obtruded upon them any strong or party-coloured sentiments from the text-book of my author, or brought into prominence any subjective doctrinal impressions I may myself have received from him. But, apart from a feeling of what is due to others, I am free to confess, that I have felt no temptation to throw upon the troubled arena of Christian life another subject of contention among good men ; and if my readers only feel in perusing the volume, as I have done in the more arduous task of writing it, they will be less, and not more, disposed to seize any advantage which Ephraem may seem to give to their own sentiments. There can be no question that a limited range of know- ledge and thinking is favourable to bigotry and exclusive- ness ; while wider and more frequent incursions into the fair regions of varied intellect around us, have a wonderful tendency to enlarge the heart and lessen the influence of prejudices. The idola specus can neither breathe the at- mosphere nor bear the light of calm and free enquiry. I have found a pleasure in studying these relics of an age fifteen centuries nearer than our own to the times of our Lord and His apostles, unalloyed by any regret at the contrasts presented between the opinions of the Divine of the fourth of these great revolutions, and those main- tained in the nineteenth. The mental phenomena exhi- bited in the works of men who lived so near both the place and the time distinguished by the rising of the Sun of Righteousness, are, to me, too deeply interesting to allow anything to alloy the pleasure of possessing them. Such PREFACE. XVU men had their aberrations from what we may conceive to be a right line, but are the angles of our divergence more acute ? We study and admire a classic author, although his theology and ethics may be thoroughly adverse to our own : much more should a literature, every line of which is dedicated to God and our Redeemer, receive our homage, notwithstanding its occasional departures from the views and practices of our own age. I have discovered, as one result of my labours, that a very strong feeling exists in one department of the Church of England against patristic literature ; so strong indeed, that it has, in some cases, overcome private respect for myself, and prevented its subjects from lending me any assistance in my undertaking. Now, let it be granted that such literature has had its injudicious cultivators, under whose hands it has produced briars and thorns ; yet, I would ask, is that any reason why the land in future should lie idle ? I would further enquire whether such a literature can be neglected with safety ; and whether its rejection by one party will not more fatally lead to its abuse by another. The true problem is this : — Can the phenomena^ presented by the Church in its historical deve- lopment^ he ignored on either Christian or philosophical grounds ? If certain results have followed the setting up of Christ's kingdom on earth, it is difficult to see what good end can be answered by attempting to throw them into forgetfulness, or by frowning upon those who take upon themselves to record them. Any system which endeavours to prop itself up by a one-sided and partial 63 PREFACE. reference to antiquity, must fail to win the love of the thoughtful, however it may be lauded by the fanatical. This was the old trick of the anti-geologists, practised by some parties to this day. Unable to cope with the lucid reasonings of men who deduced their conclusions from facts, they decried the facts as dangerous to religion and morals, and warned all good men to shut their eyes against them. But revelation has been illustrated and not injured by geology ; and so will Christian truth in its objective reality be advanced, and not retarded, by a full recognition of all the phenomena which from age to age have clustered around it. It is in reference to this view of our duty with regard to conflicting opinions, that the motto of the title-page has been chosen : — " The Church listens to all words : but is not drawn away after them" On these principles the selection has been made by me fi'om the works of Ephraem, without any reference to the approval or dislike of a party ; nor have I excluded or introduced a single hymn on theological grounds. I would say that no verse has received a colouring from my own sentiments, did I not know that as the ray passing through a coloured medium, borrows its hue, so the character of our mental impressions imperceptibly fashions the words we utter. My task has been a pleasant one ; so much so - as to leave a strong feeling of regret on its completion. May a portion, at least, of my own pleasurable emotions be experienced by my readers. There are one or two minor features of the work to which this is the proper place to refer. ^ly prospectus PREFACE. XIX contained a hymn printed side by side with the Syriac original, for the purpose of conveying a more definite idea of the metrical compositions, and I have been re- quested, in several cases, to pursue this method through- out the whole work. I could not do this for many rea- sons. The expense of printing so much oriental matter would have been too great, and its introduction would have been useless to the greater part of my readers. As a Chrestomathy, considering the expensiveness of Ephraem's printed works, such a selection of them would be desir- able, but my plan did not allow me to make the transla- tions mere aids to the student of the Syriac language. The notes indeed contain much learned matter, but I hope they will be found, in most cases, instructive to the general reader as well as to the scholar. I have desired, in the whole execution of the volume, even in its external and more mechanical features, to attract English readers, and to shew that a Father of the Church may furnish popular as well as more recondite reading. I have paid particular attention to the Indices, which, I hope, are as full as the most correct scholar could desire. I confess I have gone almost to an extreme in giving a copious guide to the contents of a work of small extent, from the constant annoyance I experience from the want of a full index in works intended to be of practical utility. That this charge lies against English books more than against those which are printed on the Continent, is not creditable to us as a nation, and it is time the reproach were removed. The Index of Syriac words will convince XX PREFACE. any one what ample materials are at hand for improving the lexicography of the language, since so small a portion of its literature has yielded so many words and meanings as yet unedited. I beg to return my sincere thanks to all those gentlemen who by their aid and advice have promoted my under- taking. Nor can I allow myself to forget how much of my own comfort, and the beauty and utility of the volume, are due to the printers. At so great a distance from the press, it would have been very troublesome to have ensured cor- rectness in the Oriental types, had they not shared with me an ambition to make the work, in this respect, faultless. The reception of the present volume will decide whether I shall present to the British public any further stores from this fertile department of the literature of the Church. Henry Burgess. Blackburn, February 26, 1853. INTRODUCTION. From the proximity of Syria to the scenes of the labours of our Lord, and from the similarity of its language and customs to those of Palestine, it might have been expected that Christianity would establish itself there at an early period. Such was the fact, as we learn from the New Testament. In its capital city, equally renowned for its political importance and its devotion to sensuality, con- verts were early made to the new faith, and the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. A name which was destined to make itself known all over the earth, was there given to the followers of the Redeemer, whether as a reproach or an honourable distinction it is difficult to say. The fact itself however is characteristic of the attention which Christianity attracted, and proved to be a fit intro- duction to that entire influence which it soon exerted over the whole of Syria. We will concede to antiquity the truth of the tradition, that the Apostle Thaddeus, or Thomas, founded the Chris- tian Church at Edessa, formerly the residence of the Macedonian kings, afterwards celebrated for its schools of XXll INTRODUCTION. learning, and even now a city of considerable importance. Here the Syriac translation of the New Testament was used towards the close of the second century ; this has historical certainty, but it may have been in existence much earlier ; and, from the learned tendencies of Edessa, it is not improbable that it deserves the honour of having produced a work which is second in value only to its inspired archetype. However this may be, it is certain that in the northern parts of the Syrian Mesopotamia, a peculiar form of the Aramaic dialect early prevailed, which has been properly called the ecclesiastical Syriac^ the same in substance with that before existing, yet possessing some distinctive features derived from the introduction of Chris- tian ideas. It is in this dialect that the literature exists wliich we have now to treat of, the copiousness and variety of which have been always known, but at the same time, from various causes it has been unfortunately neglected. When the student comes in contact with this S^^rian Church literature, either in manuscript or printed books, he is attracted by the singular fact, that much of it is in a metrical form. We lay stress on the word student^ because a superficial investigation will leave the phenomenon un- noticed, as has indeed happened to men of learning." Both a In the tliii-d volume of the Romau edition of the works of Ephraem, two metrical pieces are printed in Syriac in the form of verse. Each is entitled Precatio Ephraem. They are printed as if in dodecasyllabic metre, but it is more probably tetrasyllabic. Now learned men have been so far mistaken as to imagine that these are the only printed Syriac I'emains of the metrical works of this Father. Hahn notices two who fell into this error, the mention of whom will give an opportunity of indicating their learned productions on Christian hymno- INTRODUCTION. XXlll in manuscripts and printed books the metrical verses of this literature are generally ^^Titten as prose, only a point indicating the close of a rh3'thm, and that not always ; so that such works ms,j be consulted occasionally as books of reference, without their artificial construction being per- ceived. But apart from all marks of distinction, as soon as these compositions are read and studied in their indi- vidual completeness, their rhythmical character becomes evident, sometimes from the poetical style of what is thus circumscribed by these prosodical measures, but always from the moulding and fashioning which the language has to undergo before it will yield up its freedom to the fetters of verse. This then is the sphere of our present under- taking, and it will be our duty to trace up this metrical Uterature to its origin, as far as historical light will guide us : — to say something on the laws by which its composi- tion appears to be regulated : — to glance at its existing monuments : — and then, more especially, to treat of the works of Ephraem, the great master of this literature, a few of whose compositions are now brought before the English public. I. On the Origin and Development of Syrian Metrical Literature. It is not unreasonable to suppose, that whatever hymno- logj' : Fr. Munter in bis dissertation Ueber die a.lteste christUche Foesie, prefixed to his metrical version of the Apocalypse; Augusti, de Hymnis Syrorum sacris (which the -n-riter has in vain endeavoured to procure). Mention may also he made here of Famhach, Anthologie christUcher Gesange aus alien Johrhundertm der XXIV INTRODUCTION. logy existed in the Jewish ritual at the time of Christ would pass over into the service of the new Church ; and such we find to be the fact, as far as history and tradition refer to the subject. Our Saviour sung a hymn before His passion at the paschal feast. The believers at Colossi were exhorted by Paul to teach and admonish one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs ; and those at Ephesus received a similar command in reference to their own private edification : speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. As, in the time of this Apostle, there could have been no new literary development, these instructions must refer to the lyrical compositions of the old dispensation. From the earliest periods there are references to the use of the Old Testament psalter in Chris- tian worship, and a curious event connected with it in the Church at Antioch is related by Eusebius. It appears that Paul of Samosata, the bishop of that Church, about the middle of the third century, forbad the use of new songs in divine service, and insisted on the Psalms of David alone being sung. He was devoted to the heresy which afterwards took the name of Arius, and in his own time gave rise to the sect of the Paulians ; and he thus made a pretended love of antiquity an excuse for banishing the more free compositions which had been introduced. But it does not require proof that Christians, in the earliest Kirche.—{?>&Q Hahn, Bardesanes, p. 51 ; and Ueher den Gesang in der Syrischen Kirche, p. 53.) INTRODUCTION. XXV times, adopted whatever related to song which had been consecrated to the temple and synagogue service. As a Jewish element was thus inevitably introduced into the ritual of the Christian Church, so it could not but happen that the culture of the Gentile world should exert an influence ; and hence the well-known and popular rhythms of the Greeks and Latins would gradually mingle themselves with the more stately Hebrew hymnology, and thus give variety, fi'eedom, and life to divine service, and diffuse a pious men-iment in Christian households. That nothing of this kind took place among the Jews is ac- counted for by their isolation from the rest of mankind, and the contempt in which they held the manners and customs of the surrounding and distant nations. But the barriers of national exclusiveness were thrown down by Chi'ist, and it thus became accordant with the spirit of His religion, and not contrary to it, to use whatever was in itseK innocent and good among the heathen nations. The entire freedom of St. Paul from every mere prejudice is a most remarkable feature of his character, and by it he was fitted for his noble mission. We can easily see from what he says respecting the use of meats sacrificed to idols, how tolerant he must have been to any new practice which involved no sacrifice of conscience and tended to edifica- tion.* b This freedom of the new dispensation from the rigid forms which Christ found in existence, is beautifully expressed in the following comment on Matt, xiii. 52 : " Every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder" <&c. As a householder shews his visitors his jewels ; XXVI INTRODUCTION. The lyrical poetry of the Greek and Latin literature, must have been familiar even to the Hellenist Jews, while it was vernacular to many of the heathen converts ; it was thus natural that when these men were formed into Chris- tian societies, what was known to give life to heathen lite- rature and an idolatrous cultus, should be transferred to the House of the Lord. This is at least our own theory, and we think it has as much probability about it as any conjecture can have, and will well account for the fact, that in the early Church metrical compositions were so soon introduced. Jewish poetry consisted in parellelisms, and a certain measured but irregular verse ; while that of the Greeks and Latins was regular in its construction and numbered by feet. The difference between the two was certainly very great, but, in the absence of any command to the contrary, the latter was sure to win its way and become common. Intimately connected with this subject, is that of anti- phonal or responsive singing in religious worship. It is well known that the ecclesiastical historian, Socrates (lib. vi., cap. 8), attributes this custom to the patriarch Igna- exhibits in pleasing alternation the modem and the antique, and leads them from the common to the rare, so must the teacher of divine truth in the new manifes- tation of the kingdom of God bring out of his treasures of knowledge tmths old and new, and gradually lead his hearers from the old and usual to the new and unaccustomed. Utterly unlike the Rabbins, with their obstinate and slavish adherence to the letter, the teachers of the new epoch were to adapt themselves fi'eely to the circumstances of their hearers, and, in consequence, to present the truth under manifold varieties of form. In a word, Christ himself, as a Teacher, was the model for his disciples."— (Neander, The Life of Jesus Christ, book i v., part ii., chap, ii.) INTRODUCTION. tius, who is said to have learned it from the angels, whom, in a \dsion, he saw chanting in two companies. But Theodoret, on the other hand (lib. ii., cap. 24), makes two monks, Flavianus and Diodorus, the authors of it, in the time of Constantino. The tradition respecting Ignatius is pretty good evidence that the anthem was in use in the Church at Antioch at a much earlier period than Theodoret mentions, and the monuments of the Syriac Churches con- firm it. There can be no doubt that Ambrose conveyed the custom from Syria to the West ; nor that Flavianus and Diodorus accomplished for it a similar migration. The uncertainty of the accounts of it proves its high anti- quity ; nor perhaps is it easy to decide whether responsive singing, to some extent, did not exist in the Jewish ser- \ace. It is clear that a similar practice is alluded to in 1 Sam. xviii., 7, where it is said, " the women answered one another as they played, and said,'' Sfc. The Hebrew and Syriac texts both favour this idea, nor is the version of the LXX., Ka\ e^vjpxov at r^vvaiKe^, the ivomen took the lead, at all opposed to it. The structure also of the 136th Psahn, compared with 2 Chron. v. 13, may lead to the same conclusion. Hahn, on the presumption that responsive chanting was an invention of the early Church, thus accounts for its origin. He says that a translation of the Hebrew Psalter was first used, and that, in Sj-ria, " the want of rhythm and metre produced a monotony, and an absence of grace and sweetness, by which the attention, vivacity, and joy of the mind were dissipated ; and that, in consequence of XXVm INTRODUCTION. this, the method of reponsive chanting (Antiplionie) was contrived to throw life into the song."*^ This is an account sufficiently probable, of the preference generally given to variety and life, over monotony and dullness ; and may be the process which led the S}a*ian Christians to leave the plain Psalms, for compositions more congenial with their tastes and habits. But we are inclined to think, that on the whole subject more light may yet be thrown by future researches, and that it will probably be found, that in S}a*ia, as elsewhere. Christians introduced into their prac- tice whatever of national customs, in relation to music, they found ready to their hands. But, in whatever obscurity the origin of Syrian hymno- logy may be involved, we come very early to historical data, and find that harmonious composition, of whose birth we are doubtful, an actual living instrument of thought, powerful both for good and for evil. The name of Bar- DESANES, a Gnostic Christian, stands first in relation to this metrical literature. He flourished in the second cen- tury, but the chronology of his life is uncertain, and, although he exerted great influence in his day, and is men- tioned by the earlier ecclesiastical historians, it is surpris- ing how almost mythic his history is, from the want of definite and fixed starting-points. He was a native of Edessa, from whose river, Daison, he took his name. To this circumstance Ephraem alludes in his second homily against heresies (tom. v., p. 439) : — c Ueber den Gesang in der syrischen Kirche, p. 54. INTRODUCTION. XXIX " Who first by the name of Daison Sumamed Bardesanes ? He has more affinity with a son of Daison (a man) Than with the river Daison ; For that stream never brought forth Thistles and tares !"' Hahn, in his learned monograph, called " Bardesanes Gnosticus," draws an interesting portrait of him from the scattered materials at his command, and makes him less heretical than others, who, like him, were the promulgators of Gnostic sentiments. But Neander attributes the repu- tation of Bardesanes for a kind of orthodoxy, to the cunning manner in which he concealed and modified his opinions in public. He says,^^ " Bardesanes, like other Gnostics, was in the habit of accommodating himself, when he spoke publicly in the Church, to the prevailing opinions ; he let himself down in this way to the level of physical natures^ Yet Neander concedes that he was moderate in his errors, compared with some others. "He did, in many points, really agi'ee, more than other Gnostics, with the orthodox doctrine. He could even write, from honest con- viction, against many other Gnostic sects then spreading themselves in Syria." It is agreed on every hand, that Bardesanes acquired great influence in the second century, in Syria, by the use of metrical compositions, in which he adapted his heresies to the public taste, and gained for them an extensive cir- culation. This we learn especially from Ephraem, who, d General History of the Christian Eeligion and Church, vol, ii., p. 145. Ed. Clark. XXX INTRODUCTION. from living and labouring in the scenes formerly occupied by bis deceased opponent, and among his followers, is con- tinually alluding to him in his writings. In his fifty-third Homily against heretics, (tom. v., p. 553,) he gives the following explicit account of his musical genius, written in pentasyllable metre : — " For these things Bardesanes Uttered in his writings.— He composed odes, And mingled them with music ; He harmonized Psalms, And introduced measures.— By measures and balances. He di^^ded words. He thus concealed for the simple The hitter with the sweet. For the sickly do not prefer Food which is wholesome. He sought to imitate David, To adorn himself with his beauty So that he might be praised by the likeness. He therefore set in order. Psalms one hundred and fifty. But he deserted the ti-uth of David, And only imitated his numbers." Certainly Ephraem appears, in this passage, to give to Bardesanes the credit of inventing the Syriac hymnology. He expressly says that he introduced (^—^1) measures, although it may admit of a doubt whether this means that he invented them in the first instance, or brought into fashion some novel ones of his own, or even that he used existing machinery for the circulation of his opinions. However this may be, his testimony is clear as to the INTRODLXTION. XXXI popularity which the productions of Bardesanes secured, for in the first homily of the same collection (tom. v., p. 439), he pays a compliment to his skill and influence, while he blames his use of them : — " In the resorts of Bardesanes There are songs and melodies. For seeing that young persons Loved sweet music, By the harmony of his songs He comipted their minds." One more passage may be quoted, bearing the same testi- mony to the captivating power of this modulator of the rugged language of the Syrians. In the fifty-fifth homily against heresies (tom. v., p. 557), Ephraem gives some extracts from a work of Bardesanes in hexasyllabic metre, and, after a quotation of a very objectionable character, says : — " Thus in his Odes he testifieth— (This wizard by his blandishments. And this lax one by his melodies), — That he dishonours the fair name Of the Holy Spirit." There can, therefore, be no question that Bardesanes made great use of measured verse to instil his doctrines into the minds of the susceptible people of Edessa. It is equally clear that he gave his name, in after ages, to a particular metre, the pentasyllabic. This is proved by an incidental note affixed to the sixty- fifth homily of Ephraem against the Scrutators^ (tom. vi., p. 128.) At the close of that piece, it is said. Here end the seventeen XXXIV INTRODUCTION. These accounts seem natural and trustworthy until we remember that Ephraem, who could not be mistaken in the matter, attributes to the father, Bardesanes, the inven- tions or adaptations, which the Greek historians ascribe to the son Harmonius. It is also very remarkable that Har- raonius is not mentioned, as far as we can discover, by Ephraem or any other Syriac writer, an anonymous author of a Compendium of Ecclesiastical History excepted ; who only gives a translation of the passage just quoted from Theodoret, as may be seen in Asseman, [Bibliotheca Orientalis^ tom. i., p. 48.) Certainly if this man exerted such an influence on Syriac metrical literature as to eclipse the honours of his father, in the sources whence Sozomen and Theodoret drew their information, it is strange that no more should be said about him by his own countrymen. We do not draw any conclusion however from this omis- sion, but merely state it, in the hope it may lead to some fresh discovery. Hahn admits, without any expressed hesitation, the tes- timony of the Greek histonans, their mistake as to the invention of the metres excepted, and ingeniously traces to Harmonius certain features of the Syriac poetry. He says, "It is not improbable that Harmonius enriched the Syrian metrical art and hymnology with some new Grecian measures and melodies, ( Versmaaszen und Weisen,) and perhaps he first arranged the heptasyllabic metre, so like the anacreontic, and the tetrasyllable or dodecasyllabic, so closely related to the trochaic Greek verse. "^ An in- g Ueher den Gesang in der Syrischen Kirche, p. 61. INTRODUCTION. XXXV cidental allusion to Harmonius by Asseman, [Bihllotheca Orientalis, torn, i., p. 61,) intimates that in the later transcriptions of Syriac literature his name and influence were acknowledged, since both he and his father Barde- sanes are mentioned in manuscripts as the inventors of metres. Asseman says that, "long before these authors," that is, Ephraem and other poets, " the Syrians used songs of this kind, as, for instance, Bardesanes and Harmonius. The tunes or rubrical marks affixed to the hymns (in manuscripts) indicate this, to which the compositions of Ephraem and others are referred, as to something prior and well known." It is true this passage leaves it doubt- ful whether Harmonius is spoken of merely as an illustra- tion of the statement that there were older hymn writers than Ephraem, or whether his name actually occurs in the rubrical notes as we have seen his father's does. It is much to be regretted that these valuable manuscript references are not printed in the Roman edition of the works of Ephraem, with the single exception given in relation to Bardesanes, which is mentioned above. Only one more name has historical or traditionary im- portance in Syriac metrical literature, until we come to Ephraem ; that is Balaeus, or more properly Balai, « » N*^ ; who appears to have been a disciple of Ephraem. He is spoken of by Abulpharag in the following way : " After the Nicene Council had been held, our holy Ephraem began to write sacred hymns and odes |Al i O 1.*5,1do \t m i, O, against the heresies of his day. And c2 XXXYl INTRODUCTION. other doctors also, as Isaac, and a certain Balai, com- posed many songs, after tlie manner of tlie writings we have received from David." Asseman, commenting on this [BihUotheca Oriejitalis, torn, i., p. 167) says, "It hence appears that Balaeus was a contemporary with Isaac, the disciple of Ephraem." He then gives a catalogue of his extant writings, all of them metrical, and, except one, pentasyllabic. It may well excite sm'prise, since this is all that is known of Balaeus, that he should, traditionally, have been considered the inventor of the pentasyllabic metre, espe- cially as that was used so extensively by Ephraem, his senior in years and station. Most probably the authors of the various metres were unknown, and then, through the tendency of the human mind to be unsatisfied without giving a local habitation and a name to that which interests it, they were attributed to those who had most used them, or, which is more likely, to those whose productions in them happened to be popular. From the operation of the same principle, the share belonging to Bardesanes and Harmonius in the construction or improvement of the metres, would be overlooked and ignored, in proportion as their opinions became obnoxious to the orthodox. A just dislike of heresy, and still more often, an indefensible odium tlieologicum^ have, in all ages, done much to cor- rupt the truth of history, nor can it be surprising that these causes should have operated in the case now under consideration. This is recognised by Hahn, who says, (Bardesanes, p. 47,) " Balaeus gave his name to the INTRODUCTION. XXXVll pentasyllable metre, because the orthodox Syrians enter- tained a horror of Bardesanes." We come now to more certain ground, as laid down for us in the extant works of Ephraem ; and, whatever misti- ness may have enveloped our former researches, here we have the full beams of historical truth. We have no longer to complain of the deficiency of materials, but, on the con- trary, their abundance renders it difficult to examine and arrange them, and, by the collation, to deduce whatever may illustrate metrical literature. Ephraem flourished between the times of Constantine and Valens inclusive, and consequently was exerting his influence in the middle of the fourth century. In the life of this celebrated man, by an anonymous Syrian author, a natural and graphic description is given, of the way in which he was first led to cultivate metrical composition, [Opera Ephraenu] torn. vi., p. 1.) He is first introduced, saying, in a hepta- syllabic piece of autobiography : — " I found the book of Bardesanes, And was distressed by it continually ; For it defiled my ears and my whole nature, With its oflfensive blasphemies. For I heard in his homilies profane things. And things execrable in his songs. For if the body rises not It will be equal with things accursed '. If He created the body for corruption, And it shall not rise for ever. Behold he blasphemes the just One, And contemns Divine Providence ; Ascribing hatred to the Loving One, And repressing the hope of immortality. XXXVlll INTRODUCTION. I have therefore read again, my brethren, The writings of the Holy Ghost ; And my ears were quickly closed Against the impurity of that sinner !" The biographer goes on to say, " This champion of Christ put on his arms, and proclaimed war against the forces of the enemies, especially against the wickedness of Bardesanes and his followers. And the blessed Ephraem seeing that all men were led by music, rose up and op- posed the profane games and noisy dances, ((^010 ( n \ • pt^ofams et inhonestis hisibus choreisque, Benedict,) of the young people, and established the daughters of the convent, (|Vqj_0 AjLiD, see Hymn XXIV., note m,) and taught them odes and scales ( ( AXclCD)* and responses ( | A-»-JQ-L) ;* and conveyed in the odes intelligent sentiments in a sen- tentious form, and things of spiritual wisdom concerning the nati\dty, and baptism, and fasting, and concerning the whole Christian dispensation, and the sufferings, and re- surrection, and ascension of Christ ; he wrote also con- cerning the martyrs, and penitence, and departed saints. And every day these daughters of the convent^ were assem- bled in the Churches ; on the solemn days of our Lord, and on Sundays, and on the commemorations of the h " Garminis genus. Nempe a scald et scanscione prosodicd, carmina Syris di- cuntur, ut Hibrceis nibj^^n ■Y''p canticum graduum. Nos pedes' ire carmine dicimua, quos Oriens gradus."— Michaelis in Castell, s.v. i As the root of this word contains the idea of conversing, anstcering, d;c., and as I » IQ V is responsum, the above translation may be defended. k Benedict adds here, as though the explanation were part of the text, " Qum niminim virginitatem Jirmo fcedere Deo ohstrinxerant.''' I INTRODUCTION. XXXIX martyrs. Aucl he, like a father stood in the midst of them, a spiritual harper, and arranged for tliem different kinds of songs, and tanght them the variation^ of chants (|'=^\ K>Q-») ; imtil the whole city was gathered to him, and the party of the adversary'^* was put to shame and defeated." Sozomen gives a somewhat similar account, excepting that instead of the heresy of Bardesanes, he lays more stress on the influence of Harmonius, as stimulating Ephraem in his public labours. He says, " Now Eph- raem, Avhen he saw that the Syrians w^ere charmed with the fine words and the rhythmical melody of Harmonius, and that by means of these they were induced to enter- tain his opinions, although he was destitute of Grsecian culture, he applied himself to master the metres of Har- monius ; and to the tunes used by him in his writings, he adapted other words, consonant with the doctrines of the Church ; such are his compositions in divine hymns, and in praise of holy men. From that time the Syrians sung the words of Ephraem according to the metrical rules of Harmonius."" These historical accounts harmonize with the facts of the case, as exhibited in Ephraem' s own statements, and I This probably alludes to the antiphony or anthem. Hahu renders, "und Uhrte ihnen den Wechsd der Gesdnr/e." »i The Syriac is {JLOCDj yi^^t t7ie left side or part. Michaelis quotes this passage, but says he forgot -n-here it was to be found. He presumes it refers to flight, "de fuffd; illane a Icevo latere dicitur, quod fugitntes ohvertunt.^'—Y. Castell, s. V. n Hist. Eccles., lib. iii., cap. 16. xl INTRODUCTION. in his extant writings. In whatever state lie found me- trical hymnology, and whoever preceded him in the forma- tion of its rules, his genius seized it and applied it for the purpose of influencing the minds of his countrymen, and rescuing holy truth from error and corruption. His pre- decessors might have been popular, and they might have originated what he only adapted to his purposes ; but their productions have long since ceased to exist, except in tra- ditionary fragments, while his survive, an everlasting monument of fine abilities consecrated to God's service. After all, therefore, it is to Ephraem we must look for what is certain in the history and development of the Syrian religious poetry. We have studied with some diligence all that can be produced as evidence on this ob- scure subject, and it amounts to no more than this : me- trical compositions were used by Bardesanes, but the evidence that he was the inventor of that kind of writing is wanting in clearness. Of Harmonius we know nothing but what is mythical ; but in Ephraem we obtain a his- torical stand-point, from which alone a satisfactory sur- vey can be taken of the Syrian hymnology. As tradition assigned the pentasyllabic metre to Balaeus, so it attributed the heptasyllabic to Ephraem, in both cases with an equal want of evidence. All that can be said on the subject is well summed up by Asseman in his account of the life and writings of Ephraem, [Bihliotheca Orientalis, tom. i., p. 60.) " Those are misguided who attribute to Ephraem all the hymns which occur in his name in the Syrian divine offices ; for these are not always Ephraem's, INTRODUCTION. xli but are merely composed according to the model of the Ephraemitic rhythm, which consists of seven syllables. Those also err who ascribe to Ephraem only one kind of verse, namely, the heptasyllabic ; for that his hymns con- sist sometimes of four, sometimes of five, six, and seven syllables, and even of twelve, is plain from the Nitrian MSS. From the same documents it appears that the verses of Ephraem sometimes have similar endings (or rhjTnes), but more often the number of syllables in them is alone attended to. At one time the syllables are equal in number in all the verses, at others they are unequal ; (that is, in the same strophe;) some verses are tetra- syllabic, others pentasyllable, &c., as the laws of the metre require ; since Ephraem neglected to use no kind of rhythm, having borrowed the form of his numbers from Bardesanes and Harmonius. Those also are but dreamers who assert that Ephraem discovered heptasyllabics, Narses^ hexasyllabics, Balaeus pentasyllables, and Jacob of Sarug tetrasyllables three times repeated, or dodecasyllabics ; for long before these authors, the Syrians used songs of these kinds. Heptasyllabic verse is refeiTed to Ephraem be- cause he more frequently used that metre." II. On the Laws of Syrian Metrical Literature. It would be highly gratifying to the writer, could he hope to furnish anything like a correct account of the o Of Navses little is known, except that he was a leper, and founded a school at Nisibis. c 3 xlii INTRODUCTION. Syriac hymnology, to point out its laws, and illustrate tliem by existing monuments. But he cannot deceive his readers by holding out such an expectation, because he is conscious that this peculiar literature must be studied more closely and comprehensively than it has yet been, before a desirable precision and fulness is gained in its exhibition. Those learned men, who, being S3a'ians themselves, might be expected to know all the mysteries of their own language, we mean the Assemani and Bene- dict, speak doubtfully on this subject, and give no indica- tion that they knew more about it than that the metres were regulated by syllables, and sung to various tunes. It may be that this is really the whole of the matter, but we cannot think it is, from the limited attention we have been able to give the subject. We believe that much more is to be known than has yet been discovered, and cannot but hope that the rules of such compositions may be yet further elucidated. In the meantime we shall only describe the results of our own experience, without going into the attractive paths of conjecture. There are two works, both of which probably exist in manuscript, which must be studied before anything can be dogmatically settled on the Syriac metres. One is mentioned in the catalogue of Syrian writers compiled by Ebed-Jesu, which is printed by Asseman in the third volume of the Bihliotheca Orientalis. In this very curi- ous list, written in heptasyllabics in the fourteenth cen- tury, in the eighty-ninth chapter, an account is given of the works of Josue Bar Nun, a patriarch ; and at the INTRODUCTION. xlili close it is said tliat " he wrote concerning the varieties of public ministrations, and on interpretations, and concern- ing the value or power of hymns or anthems^ % \ i kjO I A-»-JQ_L ;" which was most likely a treatise on hymnology. As this wi'iter lived in the ninth century, the work, if discovered, would probably throw light on some matters not now very explicable. The other work is spoken of by Benedict in the preface to the fifth volume of the works of Ephraem, as being an accessible authority, which he had himself consulted, and no doubt it exists at Rome.'* Benedict says of the writer and his design : — " Stephen, a patriarch of the Maronite Syrians, in his work on the tunes of the Syrians, endeavours to reduce them to six classes. He afterwards arranges the whole sacred poetry of the Sp'ians under particular heads, as it were kinds of songs, and then numbers them as they were presented to him in ancient manuscripts." What we have been able to ascertain on the subject may be conveniently classed in the following manner. I. On the Metres. — These are regulated by the num- ber of syllables, not of feet, as in Greek and Latin verse. Thus while a Latin hexameter may consist of a varying number of syllables, according as dactyls or spondees predominate in its composition, the same metre in Syriac must be rigidly confined to twelve. Although neither accent nor quantity are at present recognized, we feel persuaded this must arise from ignorance of the subject, n " Und wie geme wlire eiii Freund der syrisclien Literatiir uud Spraclie einmal in Rom !' Habn. xliv INTRODUCTION. and not from the neglect of them by the Syrians them- selves. It is scarcely conceivable that among any people such important aids to melody should be unknown, or that being known they should not be used. Traces of an arrangement of the syllables on some system are discern- able in Ephraem, as in the frequent use of metathesis, by which words are transposed in a manner which in some cases obscures the sense and violates logical order. An instance of this is given in the note n to Homily VII., and an attentive reader will have no difficulty in finding others. But this subject can now only be glanced at, as one on which more light is desirable, and we pass on to enumerate the principal metres, which will be noticed ac- cording to their relative length. 1. The Tetrasyllahic Metre is much used by Ephraem, and from its brevity is adapted for a quick and spirited style of composition. It is employed on all subjects, in funeral dirges and more didactic homilies, as the examples of it in this volume will shew. One long piece by Ephraem, called " The Pearl ; or concerning Faith," and containing seven homilies, is written in this metre. We give two verses of the ^'Hymn for the Evening," the twenty-fifth of this collection, as a specimen of it. ].klD3 ^Ol\nn Bktilhun ramshe : IZL^jani^Z j^ L6k theshbukth6. " In all evenings Let there be praise to Thee." We may observe here that the vowels are not generally INTRODUCTION. xlv fully written in the manuscripts, and therefore the want- ing ones were inserted by the editors of the works of Ephraem. In his address to the reader in the fifth volume, Benedict says, that his task was a difficult one because of the defects of the consonants of his copies, and " because no vowels at all were to be seen, which being suppressed, about one half of the text is concealed." As the editors had to supply these signs, by which the verses are measured, it cannot be expected that they should, in every case, be exact, and this must be taken into consi- deration when anomalies are met with. We have observed that in some places, especially in the Sermones Exegetici^ in volume the fifth, well-known vowels are omitted, such -ft as always occur for instance in _Ld, and the olaph in em- phatic forms as in the termination \L. Unless this is remembered, the student of the metres will often be misled. 2. The Pentasyllcibic Metre is also found in all styles of composition, the grave as well as the livel}^. The seventeen hymns which begin with the forty-ninth against the Scrutatoj's, are all of this metre. It allows of greater freedom than the tetrasyllabic, without being so heavy as the longer verses. Hence, in the translations of this volume, the hymns and homilies of this metre will be found to be more pleasing in their style than those of any other. The tetrasyllabic verses of Hymns XXVIII. and XXIX., for instance, are rendered meagre by their ne- cessary brevity ; while those of Homily I., the " Descrip- xlvi INTRODUCTION. tion of Paradise," are more flowing. Of this last men- tioned piece tlie following verses are the two first : — ]m >^:<^^ 5*11 Oar'd phardayso ' ' a : |vr>mno ^ v_»01 ( ^ » ^^ Mhlynoy'd biis6m6. " The air of Paradise Is a fountain of sweetness." 3. The HexasT/Uabic, or six- syllabled Metre, is not of common occurrence in Ephraem, and Hahn states that he had never met Avith it in his works. Asseman, as we have seen above, says that he wrote in it, and Hymn XX., now translated, is a clear instance of it. If Hahn looked at this, he probably was deceived by the second verse, which has seven syllables ; but there is evidently a synseresis, which, if granted, will make all the verses uniform. The first two verses are : — \o\ - « » ^ > ^ » ; o w_jL-l-»-JQ-Ki Chxmsifn brachmayk Abo .7 -x -n pi .-n .. 7 Yrachme 'b dinok n'him : .jAi. ^OCTU j^J-ir^ ]iQ^50 hlay. " Pity me, Father ! in Thy tender mercy, And at Thy tribunal let Thy love be with me." It will be seen that the synseresis is in the word ^OCJU, which should be pronounced nehvun, but is contracted to n'hun. 4. We now come to the Heptasyllabic Metre, which has traditionally borne the name of Ephraem. It is more used in stately and mournful subjects, although b}'- no means confined to them. Hymns X., XL, and XXII., INTRODUCTION. xlvii will illustrate this remark. If, as conjectured by Hahn, Harmonius borrowed this metre from Anacreon, it is rather remarkable that in S}Tiac it should be used so much in sombre compositions. We give as an illustration of it two verses of the tenth Hymn : — M6r 16'th kimnay ham bishe Dauditli b6k Mor and6 biy. • O Lord ! appoint me not a place with the wicked ; Do Thou, Lord, confess me who have confessed Thee." As Anacreon has been mentioned, it may be convenient for the scholar to print here two verses from that poet, that an easy mode of comparison may be furnished. It will be at once seen how similar is the rhythm in both cases. 'H 7?^ /iieXaiva ircvet, Ylt'vet 8e ceudpe avrrji'. 5. The Octosyllabic Metre. — Benedict, in the address to the reader, prefixed to the fifth volume of the works of Ephraem, says that " Syriac verse does not exceed seven syllables, nor fall short of four." Hahn makes no men- tion of this metre. In reference to Benedict, it is very remarkable that he should make so positive an assertion, as the whole printed works of Ephraem must have passed through his hands, and under his eye. But in the case of Hahn there is no cause for wonder, as he merely did as we have done ; he looked over the printed hymns with- out professing to give each a close scrutiny. We have INTRODUCTION. seen that he was ignorant of the existence of a hexasyl- labic verse in Ephraem, and yet an instance of a hymn in that metre has just been given. In the face of this both positive and negative evidence against octosyllabics, we hesitated long before we could feel certainty on the subject, but at least two compositions in that metre exist, concern- ing which there can be no doubt. These are printed in this volume as Hymns II. and XIII. ; and are found together as the forty- second and forty- third canons of the Necrosima (tom. vi., p. 298, 299). We will give an illus- tration from the latter of these, the two first verses : — .-^ *>..*'' "^ -^ ^ "f"' ^ Hraayre n^hvtin 16k ya- .;>, 7 -7^.p7 7.-«t7 Valel bashmay6 nestham- " Let the little cliildreu be pledges -NTitli Thee, And above, in heaven, let them be Thy guests." It is true that a synseresis is admissible in the first of these verses, like that pointed out above in the hexasyl- labic metre ; and one might even be allowed in bashmayo, in the second, so as to read, Valel bashmay' nesthamkt'in ; but, unless this procrustean process were carried on throughout the whole hymn, it could not be made hepta- syllabic. There can be no suspicion of its being tetra- syllable, because, as in the second verse above, an equal division is impossible in many cases. This metre is adapted to very solemn compositions, and is found so used in the two cases now alluded to. It is the same as our INTRODUCTION. xlix long metre, and if our readers will scan it along with some Englisli hymn, they will have a better idea of its effect. 6. Dodecasylldbics are spoken of as being a favourite metre of Jacob of Sarug, and very many of his homilies are written in it. We have not been able to examine them, but it is presumed that the metre is the tetrasyl- lable, thrice repeated. This is the case with the few verses which are found in the catalogue of his works by Asseman fBlbUotheca Orientalis^ tom. i., p. 305). One homily is on the chariot seen by Ezekiel, and begins thus : — " High One ! sitting in an inscrutable chariot, Grant me Thy -n-ord that I may publish abroad Thy immensity !" These are all the metres which we have been able to classify, although, in some of the hymns of irregular structure, verses occur which can be ranged under none of them. But enough has been adduced to shew the gi-eat variety of which the language is capable, and, we hope, to lead to a more minute examination of the docu- ments, which alone can reveal the mystery of the whole system of Syriac verse. In connection with the metres, it will be proper to ex- hibit here what prosodical rules can be ascertained to exist, in relation to the structure of individual verses. A closer study of all cases which seem to be anomalous in the syl- labic numeration, will, there can be little doubt, develope something more than we are able at present to bring for- ward. There are only two figures now to be noticed, 1 INTRODUCTION. synceresis and diceresis ; these are referred to occasionally in the notes to the hymns and homilies, but deserve a dis- tinct consideration. It may serve to illustrate the very imperfect manner in which Syriac literature has been studied, to point to the fact, that in no Grammars is the metrical portion of it considered as important, and in most it is quite ignored ; and, consequently, no rules of prosody are to be found by the enquirer. Mr. Phillips, in his perspicuous and useful S^^riac Grammar, in English, just glances at the hymns of Ephraem, and gives one of them in the praxis at the end of the work ; but the magnitude and value of this portion of the existing monuments of the language are not recognized. He also alludes to Marhe- tono and Mehagyono as being useful in syllabic verse, but there the matter drops. Hahn, in the Bardesanes, and still more fully in a preface to his Chrestomatliy^ enters into this part of Syriac prosody, and we shall give a careful digest of his labours, in preference to advancing any new observations of our own. We here gratefully acknowledge our obli- gations to him, and although our conclusions have been drawn from independent investigation, it will be more gi'aceful to give him the honour of being the first who arrived at and published them. His work is probably dif- ficult to procure, and service will therefore be done to the student by an abstract of his observations, while the sub- ject will not be Avithout interest to the general reader. A. Syn^resis is of very frequent occurrence in Ephraem's metrical writings ; it is the contracting of two I INTRODUCTION. syllables into one, so that a dissyllable becomes a mono- syllable. It occurs in the following cases : — 1. It takes away initial vowels : — a. Of the letter olaph, whether they are servile, as ^"j ,^ i \Z, Men enun, pro- nounced thle-niin ; or radical, as in the particle w£i(, which in this fonnula, w^| ,^CJI, lioJcan oph, is abbreviated to kokan 'ph. h. Of other letters, both servile and radical vowels are removed ; as ^-DO;.^, phorul'an, contracted to phrukan ; \b i V;V), marhitho, to mrhitho ; |ii55 "^5, rahod dadlo^ to rahod dlo. 2. It takes away vowels in the middle of words : — a. In verbs of the Conjugation Ethpaal, as 53A.«lJ, nesh- tharar is shortened to neshthrar ; -.t \g^A i neilipludag^ to ndhphlag. h. In nouns, and especially the vowel ze- »-n p .. 7 kopJio, as 1 1 V)V)ro^ sammone is pronounced sammne ; j^ZoCTu^U, Icdohuthok abbreviated to lalhutholc. 3. It removes final vowels : — a. In verbs of the Con- jugation Pael ; as . ^ ^\; daleph^ becomes dcdpli. This occurs most frequently in the active Peed participle, as L\l\ ;*^ro sohar ath, hecomes sobr' ath ; also in the pas- sive participle in the emphatic form, as for ] A TV . glitho, we read glith. — h. In nouns in the stcdus emphaticuSj as for I ft > n hisho^ the pronunciation is hish. B. Diuresis occurs less frequently ; by it syllables having only one vowel, are ftu-nished with two, so that monosyllables become dissyllables, dissyllables trisyllables, &:q. It most frequently happens when there is a sheva or scarcely perceptible vowel, which bv the diaeresis assumes lii INTRODUCTION. a full syllabic character. Thus ^OTI i \s hlayhun be- comes halayhun ; ]y^L^ methchze, methcheze, ^'c. This summary, though brief, is the result of much in- vestigation, and may at least serve as a guide to the student in his researches. In this department of literature all labourers are explorers, and it may lighten the toil of those who come after us, to be made acquainted with the fruits of our experience. Notice must also be taken of the existence of hypermetric verses ; that is, such as are of greater length than the others of the same strophe. These are found generally at the end of the strophe, but not alwaj^s. For instance, the seventh verse of each strophe of Homily 1. in this volume is hypermetric. Besides the Syriac works relating to prosody already refeiTcd to, mention is made of a Monophysite, Thomas the Deacon, who wrote a tract on the Points, and the method of Punctuation. See Asseman's BihUotlieca^ vol. ii., at the close of the unpaged dissertation concerning the Monophy sites. This tract must have been written before the seventh century. Other works more or less related to the subject are occasionally alluded to. II. On the Strophes. — Some of the metrical writings of Ephraem have no divisions except those of verses, but run on continuously till the close, like the books of Virgil or Homer. But these are less common than those which are arranged in uniform portions, of greater or less length. This might be the result of the musical accompaniments of the compositions, which would demand a regular divi- sion ; and most probably the first Syrian hymnologist, IXTRODUCTION. lui whoever he was, availed himself of this natural help to his melodies. Certainly, ancient examples were not want- ing, in the Greek choruses, and the Greek and Latin odes ; and even the Psalms of the Old Testament, such as the hundred and nineteenth, were suggestive of such an an*augement. In the works of Ephraem these artificial divisions would be detected, although the manuscripts and printed books contained no marks of subdivision. The sense is often as completely circumscribed and hemmed in by the individual strophes, as the verses are by the sylla- bles of which they consist. Take the first homily, for instance, in this collection, the " Description of Paradise," and a slight consideration of its structure must have led to its present translated fonn, although diacritical marks had been wanting. There is a rise and fall in the style which, although not perceptible on a slight acquaintance, becomes evident to the diligent student of Ephraem, so that the longest pieces soon fall into the parts which art originally gave them. But, independently of this natural division conferred on his poems by the writer, there is another which is still more evident ; that adopted for the purpose of choral performances, or antiphonal singing. A doxology seems to have been the more common form of the choral accompaniment, such as that in the thirty-fifth Hymn in this volume ; and there can be no doubt that this was the case more often than is expressed in the written or printed text. When the hymns or homilies were in common use, it was so well known where the dox- ology should come, that it was not thought necessary to liv INTRODUCTION. write it, or even to indicate its places. An illustration of this may be seen in the twenty-third Hymn, where the first strophe has the chorus in full, but the others only in an abbreviated form. The length of the strophes varies exceedingly, from four verses to twelve, sixteen, and even twenty. Many of them are uniform in their structure, every verse con- taining the same number of syllables ; but others are studiously varied, exhibiting great art and labour in their construction. Homily III., beginning, " Speak, Harp !" is an illustration of this ; but some exist which are still more intricate, and have hitherto defied our efforts to arrange them, in the portion of time we have been able to devote to them. Indeed, Ephraem seems to have had a nice ear for variety, and, if what has been said above respecting the dislike of his countrymen to the monotony of the Psalms is correct, he must have gratified the most fastidious seeker of novelties. Even in the more simple strophes there is often a cadence or a variation which gives vivacity and character to the whole production. This may be noticed in the first and second Homilies in this volume ; and in the Hymns which contain five verses in a strophe, the fifth being separable from what precedes, and contain- ing a prayer, an invocation, or some lively and unex- pected sentiment. These e^jyvfivia, or supernumerary verses, have a very pleasing effect when the hymns are read, apart from any musical object contemplated by them. III. On the Antiphony or Responsive Chant. — Historical evidence is quite conclusive as to the popularity i INTRODUCTION. Iv of the practice of alternate singing in the early Syrian Church, and as to the important use made of it both by Bardesanes and Ephraem, as an instrument for moulding and fashioning the public mind. And its influence is founded in nature, exciting as it does an interest in a public service, and keeping alive an enthusiasm in more private musical performances; The chanting of the Psalms in the cathedral service would want its great charm if it were not responsive, for although the tune may be the same for both sides of the choir, the very alternation gives freshness and life to the service. This is seen even in parish churches, where there is no musical accompani- ment to the Psalms ; the responses of the people prevent the perception of any monotony in the reader, and the general eftect is pleasing, when the worshippers take their part, and do not allow it to be performed vicariously in the proverbial drawling of the clerk. It is very likely that in the time of Ephraem the art had attained to great perfection, among a people naturally voluptuous and easily led by the senses ; and this will account for the great mass of metrical productions even now existing, and for the skill displayed in so constructing them, as to admit of, and give effect to, responsive singing. There are at least two distinct forms of this practice manifest in the works of Ephraem. The first has the character of the dialogue, or rather of the amoebseic poems of Theocritus or Virgil ; when two persons, or more, carry on a conversation on a topic forming the subject of the composition. A perfect specimen of this is found in Ivi INTRODUCTION. Hymn XXI. of this volume, where the subject is intro- duced by the personation of the deceased, at whose funeral we may presume the recitation took place. In two strophes he asks for the prayers of the survivors, who answer in the third strophe, suggesting a ground for hope and con- solation. The dialogue is continued in alternate strophes until the sixth, when the departed one again takes two strophes, and the survivors conclude with one. There are some pieces of this kind in the Necrosima much longer than this, one indeed extending to two hundred and fifty verses : others are less perfect in their form, only a part being responsive, as in Hymns VI. and VII. of this col- lection. But the second form of the responsive chant is more common ; it consists of a chorus at the end of each strophe, formed either by a repetition of a portion of the poem, by a prayer, or by a doxology. In the translated Hymns everj^thing which appeared to illustrate the practice is commented on in the notes, and nothing need now be added. There can be no doubt that a careful collation of all accessible metrical compositions of the Syrians, with the aid of the rubrical annotations in manuscripts, will clear up what is dark on this whole subject, and put the hymnologj^, in its literature and practice, on a historical basis. The writer has derived sufficient light from only a partial examination of Ephraem to make him feel hopeful of this result, should he be able to continue his researches. IV. On the Tunes to which the Metrical Compo- INTRODUCTION. Ivu siTiONS WERE SUNG. — Here we know nothing but the ge- neral principle, that the effects said to have resulted from the musical adaptations of Bardesanes, Harmonius, and Ephraem, must have had an adequate cause ; and that, among a people of some refinement, and at a period of the world's history when the theory and practice of music were understood, some degree of excellence may reason- ablv be assumed. On the nature of the tunes, the musical instruments employed, and other interesting particulars, we are profoundly ignorant. Even the book of Stephen, the ^laronite patriarch, alluded to by Benedict only to tantalize us, is wanting, and we must be satisfied at pre- sent with the meagre and somewhat obscure account of the matter given by that learned man, in the preface to the fifth volume of the works of Ephraem. We will quote all he says on the subject of the Syriac hymnology, and then add a few remarks of our own. " If anything ought to be said concerning Syriac song, Asseman has done this very learnedly in the first volume of the Bihliotheca Orientalis, under the articles Ephraem and Balaeus ; yet I will call attention here to the subject in a few words. The Syrian poetry differs from the Hebrew but little in its words fvocihus) still less in its metre, both (languages) being most ancient, and always held in honour as the interpreters of sacred things, the safeguards of religion, and the heralds of the Divine Being. But it is probable that the Syriac or Chaldee is older than the Hebrew, since the Hebrews took their origin from the Chaldseans. Neither of these languages defines verse by d Iviii INTRODUCTION. the quantity, but by the number of the syllables ; and the verse does not exceed seven syllables, nor fall short of four. St. Ephraem frequently uses the heptasyllabic, St. Jacob of Sarug, the tetrasyllable thrice repeated, to which metres each has given his name, and Balaeus the penta- syllable. " Before we go further, let us (pace tantl virij dispose of the glaring errors of this paragraph. What is said of Asseman and his learned explication of the Syriac poetry, is a mere compliment, for little is found in the places re- ferred to, or an3^where else, but what is here given by Benedict himself. Then what is meant by the comparison of Hebrew with Syriac poetry? What is there existing of the former except in the Old Testament, (unless indeed various valuable compositions by learned Jews in more modern times are taken into account, which could not be intended by Benedict,) and where can a verse there be found which is measured by the number of its syllables ! This is indeed solving at once the qucestlo vexata of the nature of Hebrew versification, if there ever were such a thing. Further, the reference to Ephraem, and Jacob, and Balaeus, is a sad jumble, containing the veriest tra- ditionary tales, as we have already shewn. It is quite evident that the excellent Maronite here wi'ote on a subject he had not studied, and indeed of which he was profoundly ignorant. The paragraph is even incorrect in minor things, for Hebrew and Syriac poetry are said to be most ancient, and the interpreters of holy things, when the languages are evidently meant. Then, Balaeus is only INTRODUCTION. Hx said to have used the pentasyllable metre, while tradition ascribes its authorship to him, as the heptasj41abic to Ephraem, and the tetrasyllabic thrice repeated to Jacob. Quandoque bonus dormitat Homerus. Benedict proceeds : " Further, while the Greeks re- duced their sacred hymnology to about eight tunes, and to this day confine themselves to those limits, the Syrians expatiate in two hundred and seventy-five, which their ecclesiastical books exhibit here and there, inscribing the proper tunes at the beginning of individual hymns. And indeed our codices prove that the Syrians were ignorant of no method of singing ; for in them Ave read, at the begin- ning of each song, what the Greeks call the Her mi ^ i^pf^o?, series^ consequential J from which the order and sequence of the strophes to be sung in that ode are to be deduced. Stephen, a patriarch of the Maronites, in a little work concerning the Tunes of the Syrians, endeavours to reduce them to six classes. The first, he says, consists of verses of two metres, fversihus himetris ;J the second of verses of three metres, (and so on till we come to the sixth;) hut the sixth class varies, and is formed of both simple and compound members. He afterwards reduces the whole Syriac poetry to certain titles, as it were kinds of songs, which Asseman in the above-named place partly touches upon, and then numbers them as they were presented to him in ancient manuscripts. They are thirteen in number, and all are alike in that they follow a certain metrical law, but they differ in modulation, and some also in their sub- ject matter, fargumento.J" d2 Ix INTRODUCTION. If we knew exactly what Stephen meant by versibus bimetris, trimetris, ^-c, some light might dawn upon us. Literally, it is two-metred and three-metred verses^ that is, verses having respectively two metres, three metres, &c., which in the usage of the Greeks and Latins would be verses of two, three, four, or five feet. But as the Syrians knew nothing oifeet, but measured only by syllables, this cannot be the sense of the passage, and we have trans- lated it as conveying the idea, that one kind of tune con- sisted of verses of two different measures, as pentasyllabic and heptasyllabic alternately ; and so of the rest. Now while it is true that in Ephraem there are some pieces of this composition, they are too few to establish such rules as are here given. We therefore give up the subject, as one which we cannot explicate by means of the data fur- nished to us. This short discussion will shew how little real light can be gained from Asseman and Benedict, on the intricacies of the Syrian metrical literature, and how necessary it is for the student to forsake them as guides, and examine for himself. The only fact brought before us respecting the tunes is, that they were numerous, and that it was customary for some rubrical mark to refer hymns to a well known type according to which they were to be sung, corresponding to our one hundred and twelfth metre^ long metre^ short metre^ ^c. III. On the existing Monuments of Syrian Metrical Literature. If onlv some few remains existed of this ancient Chris- INTRODUCTION. Ixi tian h^TunologY, even then they would deserve attention and repay the time and labour spent in examining them. How often are antique literary relics subjected to an ex- haustive process, learned men contending which shall most explicate their intricacies by the aid of scholarship and acuteness. But the Syriac metrical compositions are very voluminous ; they extend over many centuries, and relate to important and interesting departments of the Church. We may therefore justly be surprised that they should have received so little attention, and be anxious that the stores should be made to contribute to the history and archaeology of Christendom. Before Ephraem we have nothing but fragments, such as the extracts from Bardesanes, contained in the works of that Father. The first Syrian author whose works are extant, mentioned in the catalogue of Ebed-Jesu, is Simeon, Bishop of Seleucia, who suffered martyrdom about the year 296. Asseman says, that two hymns by him are found in the sacred offices of the Chaldaeans. He is the only writer mentioned by Asseman before Ephraem, who composed in metre. We have therefore little reason to expect, whatever may lie hid in libraries, that anything ^vill be disclosed to serve as a connecting link between Bardesanes and Ephraem. With the latter Father our distinctly defined ground may be said to begin, and we shall now attempt, as briefly as possible, to give an outline of his metrical works, as they are printed in the Roman edition. Many others are in existence, especially in the Church service books, but our means of becoming ac- Ixii INTRODUCTION. quainted witli them are not equal to our wishes, and for the present they must be left out of our enumeration. We prefer making the printed works the foundation of our catalogue, to the account given of Ephraem's writings in the Bibliotheca Orientalis ; for as the two sources vary in several particulars, and the first was the latest published, it may be presumed to contain the more certain informa- tion. In the fifth volume of the Roman edition, after the conclusion of Ephraem's Commentary on the Old Testa- ment^ we meet with eleven Sermones Execietici, or metrical discourses on separate texts of Scripture. They fill eighty folio columns, and are of various lengths. They are in heptasyllabic and pentasyllable metre. The longest, and by far the most striking, is on Jonah iii. 2, 3, " And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the secojid time, saying, Arise go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I hid thee.''' This piece is in heptasyllabics, and extends to between five and six hun- dred strophes, of four verses each. It is a complete epic poem, describing with great power and variety of diction, the repentance of the Ninevites, as exhibited in every imaginable form of misery and sorrow. As far as we are able to form an opinion, this is the best sustained of any of Ephraem's metrical productions, and deserves to be intro- duced to English readers. We have never seen it noticed: even Asseman merely catalogues it ; but we are much mistaken if it has not, as a whole, a claim to be ranked among the productions of genuine poetic inspiration. We INTRODUCTION. Ixiii will venture on a translation of a few verses, to give some idea of tlie st^^le and spirit, only premising that our ren- dering is not intended to bear a critical scrutiny. — " The feast of the king ceased, Ami the banquets of the princes. If infants fasted from their milk, "Who would prepare to sup ? The beasts abstained from water, Who then would drink wine ? If the king put on sackcloth, Who would clothe himself in soft raiment ? If the lascivious became pure, "Who would contemplate marriage ? If the luxurious were full of terror, Who would indulge laughter ? If those who were merry wept, To whom could folly be pleasing? If robbers became just. Who would defraud his fellow ? If the city trembled at its dissolution. Who would care for his own home ? Throw away the gold. And no one steals it ; Lay open the treasure. And none will violently enter it. The gay ones closed their eyes. That they might not gaze on women ; Women laid aside their ornaments. That those who looked at them might not sin. For they were conscious of this. That the ruin was a common one. For if through them others fell. They should not escape. The beautiful would not disturb The penitence of the men of the city ; For they knew that on their account The repentant were mouraing." Ixiv INTRODUCTION. Some most affecting descriptions are then given of the scenes which took place in families, where mothers clasp their infants to their bosoms in hopeless agony, and the little ones, by some instinctive sympathy, seek shelter in their parents' arms. At length a ray of hope is derived by the king reminding his subjects of some former instances of divine forgiveness of penitent sinners ; and ultimately by an ingenious poetical fiction, the people are said to hear the conversation between Jonah and the Lord, and their doleful fears are turned to rapture. In the sixth of these discourses, on the third verse of the 140th Psalm (Opera, tom. v., p. 332), Ephraem thus alludes to the Apocalypse : — " John saw in his revelation A book great and wonderful, Which God himself had written, And on it were seven seals. No one was able to read it, Neither in earth nor heaven, But the Son of God alone ; For he wrote it and sealed it." This is interesting, because in the Syriac version of the New Testament, the Revelation is not found. Asseman calls attention to the fact, (Bibliotheca Orientalis, tom. i., p. 141,) that the catalogue of the books contained in the canon, by Ebed-Jesu, does not contain the Apoca- lypse ; but that his authority is thus to some extent coun- teracted by the clear testimony of Ej^hraem, some centu- ries earlier. Some interesting remarks on the references of Ephraem to the Revelation will be found in Davidson's INTRODUCTION. IxV Treatise on Biblical Criticism^ vol. ii., p. 153. Still more fully is the subject treated of by Havernick, in liis Lucu- hrationes Criticce in Apocalypsin. And Heugstenberg, on the Revelation, quotes this very passage from Ephraem, (vol. ii., p. 432, edition Clark.) Thirteen discourses follow, De Nativitate Domini, On the Birth of Christ. These are of various lengths, and extend together to fortj^- columns. They are of various metres, and the structure of the strophes of some of them is peculiar, and deserves examination. The last is in te- trasyllable metre, in strophes often verses, the tenth being a doxolog}^. Christ is said to have lived only thirty years on earth, and to every one of these years is assigned an act of praise from some created beings, beginning with the cherubim in the first year, and ending with " the dead who have lived again, the living who have repented, and the heaven and the earth which by Christ have become reconciled," in the thirtieth. This is a very beautiful pro- duction, tastefully conceived, and carried out in a masterly manner. The remainder of this volume is occupied with fifty- six Sermones Polemici adversus H.ereses, Discourses against Heresies. These fill a hundred and twenty co- lumns, and are written in various metres. Asseman says of these : — " He refutes generally, all heresies, but espe- cially those of Bardesanes, Marcion, and Manichpeus. Sometimes also he stands up against the heathen, and the Chaldaeans or Astrologers." It is impossible to value this series of discourses too highly, for they are replete with Ixvi INTRODUCTION. archaeological riches, the abundance of which may be ima- gined from the stores gleaned only on one topic by Hahn, in his Bardesanes Gnosticus. Perhaps nowhere can a fuller account be found of the heresies which distracted the eastern Church in the first four centuries ; while the style in which they are written, for popular use, gives occasion for many allusions to life and manners. One instance of this may be quoted. It occurs in the forty- sixth Homily, against the Manichseans, who asserted that the body of man pro- ceeded from the principle of evil. It is tetrasyllable, and the body is thus addressed : — ''If thou art too poor To have the medicines Of the physicians ; The visitors of the sick come around thee, And offer up their prayers. One breathes upon thee, Another makes a sign upon thee. If then thou art from the evil one, On the part of the evil one, They pray for and mark thee. And if thou givest up the ghost, They rise up for the wailing, On account of thy departure ; They wash and anoint thee, They shake out the linen clothes, They adorn and carry thee Upon the shoulders to burial. The wailing women Are confident about thee, That thou wast a good man !" The sixth volume begins with eighty- seven Sermones PoLEMici ADVERSUS ScRUTATORES, Discourses agcdnst the INTRODUCTION. IxVU Scriitatoi^s. Some of these are translated in this volume, but they can only convey an idea of Ephraem's style generally, not of the variety of erudite argumentation contained in this monument of pious learning. He does not so much attack any sect of heretics specifically, as the false principle of so many of them, that God could be subjected tohmnan reason, as to his nature, and the modes of his operation. This false principle he puts in every imaginable form, and combats with all imaginable wea- pons. The notes to the Homilies in this volume of trans- lations, will convey some information as to the design and spirit of the whole work. There are many curious and highly artificial aiTangements of metres occurring here and there ; the second and third Homilies, for instance, composed in strophes of four heptasyllabic verses, are a continuous catalogue of beatitudes, each strophe beginning " Blessed is /^e," &c. — After these come seven Homilies, fonning a separate work ; they constitute a perfect Trea- tise, called Margarita, or the Pearly concerning Faith. It is tetrasyllable, in strophes of ten verses ; is highly imaginative, and breathes in everj^ word a devoted love to the Redeemer, his doctrine, and his church. It begins in this manner : — " Once on a time I took up, my brethren, A precious pearl ; I saw in it mysteries Relating to the kingdom ; Images and types Of the high Majesty. Ixviii INTRODUCTION. It became a fountain And I drank from it, The mysterious things of (he Son." He then takes it in his hand, examines it, and carries out his idea of its being typical, in many fanciful resem- blances. At the end of the second Homily he says : — " In thy beauty is depicted The beauty of the Son, Who put on suffering as a garment "When the nails passed through Him. The boring tool passed through thee, o For they perforated thee. As they did His hands. And because of His sufferings He reigned. Even as by thy suffering. Thy beauty is increased." The following, in the fifth Homily, is a pretty idea, and although it may seem far-fetched to us, the principle of allegorizing which it involves was common in the early Church. — " Men who had put off their clothing, Dived and drew thee forth A precious pearl ! It was not kings Who first presented thee To the children of men ; But the mystically naked,^ Even men who were poor. And fishermen in occupation. And natives of Galilee. From this and other passages it appears that the pearl was one fashioned by art for the purposes of personal ornament. There is a paronomasia here incapable of any expression in English. »^» I N • is both one naked, and an Apostle. This gives great vivacity to the original. INTRODUCTION. Ixix " For bodies ivhich are clothed, Have not the power To come near to thee ; But those which are destitute of raiment Like little children. They buried their bodies in the sea, And descended to thy side, And thou didst receive them kindly, And didst entrust thyself to them, Who so much loved thee. " Their tongues first published The glad tidings of thee, Before these poor men Opened their bosoms, And drew forth and displayed Their new riches. Among the merchants ; They placed thee as bracelets Upon the wrists of men As a life-giving amulet !" Three Homilies follow on the same subject as the eighty against the Scrutators, but they are much longer, and are found separate in the manuscripts. They occupy above forty columns, and enter at great length into the folly and evil consequences of presumptuous investigation of divine things. For observations illustrative of the Scrutatores^ see the Notes on Homily III., Ad Clerum. A heptasyllabic homily, in strophes of four verses, and filling eighteen columns, completes Ephraem's published controversial works : it is entitled, Sermo adversus Judceos, and in the Syriac title is said to have been delivered on the first of the iveek of the Hosannahs, that is on Palm Sunday. It is a highly- wrought poetical piece, and would Ixx INTRODUCTION. alone stamp Epliraem as a man of sanctified genius. It commences with an invocation to the Church to praise God for his blessings, and then takes occasion from the day2 to dwell on the rejection of the Jews by their God, on account of their rejection of Christ. The treatment of the cast-off seed of Jacob is very tender, when compared with the way in which Ephraem makes short work with the heretics ; and his heart evidently yearns after the ful- filment of the promises made to the fathers. He makes this pathetic enquiry (p. 215) : — " Where is the beauty of thy youth, The glory of thine espousals ? Where are now thy days, Thy former ones of old time ? "Where is thy praise and thine honour, And thy adornment and thy splendour ? Where is the house which king Solomon Erected for thy glory ? Where is the priest and the ephod Who waited in thy ministry ? W^here the girdle which was bound on him, The chain also and the turban ? Where the fine linen and the scarlet. The golden bells and the pomegranates ? Where are thy solemn assemblies, Thy new moons, and thy stated obsei-vances ? Joy hath ceased -Nyith thee, g Asseman (Bibliotheca Orientalis, tom. i., p. 23) asserts that in the East the feast of Palms was not obsen^ed till about the year a.d. 500 ; and if so, the title of this homily is of later date, and Ephraem must have merely preaphed from the passage of Scripture relating Christ's triumphal entiy into Jenisalem. But certainly the internal evidence of the piece favours the genuineness of the title. INTRODUCTION. Ixxi The voice of the dance and thy singing ; Behold ! thy chants are funeral wailings, In thy mouth and the mouth of thy children !'' The Necrosima, seu funebres Canones, pieces relating to Deaths which next claim our attention, will be most in- teresting to the mass of readers, on account of their hold on human sympathies, and their easy and natural exhibi- tions of the mode of thinking on practical religious matters in the days of Ephraem. On this account a larger number of them than of other Hymns, has been printed in this volume. They are eighty-five in number, and are con- tained in about one hundred and thirty columns. They afford every kind of metre, and also a great variety of modes of chanting, of anthems, &c. Some are very long, but there are very many as brief as those we have trans- lated, and quite as interesting. They contain numerous references to the state of the soul after death, and in many ways touch on points disputed between Papists and Pro- testants. In one respect this is their excellence, since they furnish data for the pursuit of the most interesting study of Christian doctrine, as developed fi'om age to age. We see in these pieces what were the sentiments of Chris- tian men in common life, when controversy was laid aside, and the language of truth and nature proceeded from the bereaved and afflicted, who were contemplating their own mortality, and seriously pondering the coming judgment. In his introductory observations to these funeral pieces, Asseman says that " the service for the dead among the Syrians consists, besides the Lessons and Psalms selected Ixxii INTRODUCTION. from Scripture, of these four things ; of Prayers, jZoX- ; of Chants "PjO ; of Odes, or Hjmms, |-»5r^ ; and of Songs, "jjiclJiD. Prayers are short petitions to God without metre, like the Latin Collects, not written by Ephraem, but by other and unknown authors. Chants are metrical strophes, adapted to one of the well-known tunes of the Syrians, and to which is prefixed an appropriate verse from the Psalter. Odes or Hymns consist of several strophes, like the Chants ; the}^ are sung near the end of the office for the dead, and nothing is prefixed to them when they are sung. In place of these, heptasyllabic songs sometimes occur. Occasion was given to Ephraem of writing these compositions by the death of his friends ; by the remembrance of death and the last judgment which continually aJBfected his holy mind ; but especially by the rise of the heresy of Aetius, who taught that the dead were not to be prayed for." We think that Asseman has here allowed his zeal for the rites of his own Church to blind his judgment, for this whole collection does not contain, as far as we have been able to discover, one allusion to a controverted point like that above indicated. All the pieces seem to refer to doctrines generally believed, respecting which no doubt existed ; and, although the dead are interceded for in a way which must sound strange to the ears of Protestants, the practice has not the prominence, nor the matter-of-fact character, given to it in the Church of Rome. None of Ephraem' s productions convey the idea that the state of the dead can be reversed by the prayers of the living ; and TNTRODUCTIOX. IxxIIi most of the expressions which seem to incline at all to this view, may be explained as passionate and poetical exclamations, or be reduced within the bounds of the beautiful prayer of the whole Church Catholic, that all those who have departed this life in the true faith^ may have their perfect consummation and bliss both in body and soul. But, as we are anxious not to convey any false impression, we must confess that our search has not been so minute as to enable us to make a positive assertion on the subject. On the other hand, let no one think that on these controverted points he has the sense of Ephraem in the Latin translation, for both Asseman and Benedict have a wonderful talent of adorning a few words with their own subjective ideas, and swelling a doubtful hint into a syllogism. Four short pieces on the Freedom of the Will, remark- able for an artificial arrangement of the strophes of part of them, in alphabetical order, like the Hebrew of the hundred and nineteenth Psalm, bring us to the Par^ne- TiCA, or, Exhortations to Penitence ; consisting of seventy- six homilies, in two hundred and eighty-four columns. They are in every description of metre and strophe, and on a much greater variety of subjects than the title would lead us to expect. The Morning and Evening Hymns, and the Hymn for the Lord's Day, for instance, in this volume, are found here. The miscellaneous character of the contents of this series of hymns and homilies renders it highly valuable, and there can be no doubt that labour expended here will be well rewarded. Asseman, in the Ixxiv INTRODUCTION. Bihliotheca^ enumerates only fifteen of the Exhortations to Penitence ; and, in other respects, his catalogues differ very much from the arrangement of the printed works. The Hymns, De Paradiso Eden, follow the Parseneses, respecting which some remarks will be found in the notes to Homilies I. and 11. The Sj^riac printed works conclude with eighteen De diversis Sermones, Discourses on va- rious Subjects^ in pentasyllable and hexasyllabic metre, occupying ninety columns. The third has the marginal note by the editor, De laudihus Dei Genetricis Marice, On the praises of Mary the mother of God ; but the ho- mily itself says little of the Virgin, but is rather occupied with the marvellous nature of the events of which she was the subject. Many are on texts of Scripture ; and the whole have the appearance of being compositions of different dates brought together from various sources ; — the scattered works of the great Syrian father. Our review of his metrical writings now closes from the want of further materials, which doubtless still exist in manu- script. Syrian writers in metre occur at intervals, from the time of Ephraem almost to our own day, some worthy of atten- tion, but many, it must be confessed, of little worth, par- taking of the lifeless character of the Syrian Church and Literature, which early succeeded the glorious state of things under Ephraem. It will not therefore be desirable to enter into any examination of most of these ; enough having already been said to prove the extent and fertility of the whole field. Isaac Magnus may be mentioned, a INTRODUCTION. Ixxv presbyter of Antioch, "\^■ho wrote at the close of the fourth century. One hundred and foiu' heptasyllabic homilies by him are described in the Bihliotheca Orientalls ; the first two verses of one of which are printed in the title-page of this volume. He lived in a time of great trouble both from natm'al and political causes, and one of his homilies (Bibliotheca Orientalis^ p. 230) is called, A Prayer^ or Mournful Song, concerning the Earthquake, and an exhor- tation to repentance on account of sins. He complains of the little benefit men derived from such divine chastise- ments : — " The earth has spoken to wake us up, That T7e may meet the last day ; The earthquake exhorts us in our dwellings, As the thunder in the clouds ; The Hun pierceth us with the sword, Yet sleep does not flee away ; The Arah overtakes us with his lance, Yet we are not aroused from slumber." Asseman gives an account of two hundred and thirty- one metrical homilies of Jacob of Sarug, in dodecasj'Ua- bics, one of which has been already spoken of. From the few verses given of each homily in Asseman, he ap- pears to be a writer of great energy and variety. The hundred and eighty-first homily is on the Downfall of Idols, and mentions some of the gods of Syria. Of such historical notices, of an indirect and therefore highly valuable kind, the metrical literature is full. Of the devil he says, — " He placed Apollo and other gods in Antioch ; In Edessa he set up Nohu, and Bel, ^vith many more ; Ixxvi INTRODUCTION. He led astray Haran by Besin and Beelshemin and Bar Nemre, And by Mari of the dogs, and the goddesses Teratho and Godlath." All the writers hitherto mentioned belong to the ortho- dox Syi-ians, to whom Asseman devotes his first volmiie. The second records the lives and mental productions of the Monophysites, whose works are rich in learned materials of various kinds. We will pass on to Gregory Bar Hebraeus, or Abulpharag, who was primate of the East in the thirteenth century. In a catalogue of his works by a Syrian, is mentioned his " book of songs, in ichich he collected admirable metrical discourses,^ ^ (Bibliotheca Orientalis, torn, ii., p. 272,) and Asseman says that the collection exists in manuscript. His character for good sense and learning furnish a guarantee that his metrical productions are worthy of being studied. In the Preface to this volume allusion is made to his Syriac Grammar in heptasyllabics. Asseman' s third volume contains in full, mth valuable notes, the catalogue of Syrian writers by Ebed- Jesu, written in heptasyllabics. IV. On THE Poetry of Ephraem, and the present Translations. We have used, generally, the expression metrical lite- rature, without referring to it as poetry, from the fact that very much of it cannot lay claim to that character ; it is rhythmical and nothing more, borrowing the outward form of the ode or song, as the vehicle for very matter-of- fact, and prosaic compositions. But while this may justly INTRODUCTION. Ixxvli be said of many Avi'Iters, it cannot apply to Epliraem, whose whole metrical works breathe that high inspiration to which the term poetry properly belongs. We approach this subject with diffidence, from a consciousness of inca- pacity to do it justice ; but having deeply studied our author, and highly admired his genius, we can at least convey our own impressions to our readers. As a poet is one who exerts an original creative power, and thus removes his mental productions from the common- place and prosaic, the enquiry will be, whether this high quality is possessed by Ephraem. Now it must be borne in mind that as to his materials this hol}^ man had no choice, being bound by every solemn conviction and duty to discourse of God, and redemption, and mankind, only as the Holy Scriptures speak of them. Homer could im- agine anything he pleased respecting the inhabitants of Olympus, and even Bardesanes, though professing Chris- tianity, could wander far in the regions of fancy in relation to sacred subjects ; but Ephraem knew no store-house of facts and principles but the Bible, and the very slight ad- dition made to it by ecclesiastical tradition. His God is the Jehovah of the Old Testament, revealed in the person of Christ, in connection with the personal existence of the Holy Ghost ; his world of invisible and spiritual beings is peopled with the cherubim and seraphim, the archangels and angels, both bad and good, made known by the in- spired writers ; his heroes are saints and mart^TS, who triumphed over sin and death through the indwelling power of the Redeemer. Ixxviii INTRODUCTION. And the same restraint which Hol}^ Scripture imposed on Ephraem as to his characters^ to a very great extent influenced the more literary aspects of his mental produc- tions. The reverence for divine truth in its substance, spread itself over the whole sphere of thought in the early fathers of the Church, and made them lay aside, as foreign to their purpose, the heathen literature which in its immense wealth everywhere surrounded them. As they had to defend themselves against heathen misrepre- sentations, and to prove that Christianity was superior to the mythologies, they were obliged frequently to appeal to the writings of their opponents ; but they did this from duty, not from choice. The only intellectual fountain which they voluntarily drank of was Siloa's brook that flow'd Fast by tbe oracle of God." This gives, to modern ears, a sameness and sometimes poverty of expression to writings whose piety cannot be questioned, and the great skill of whose authors was never doubted. This exclusive attention to inspired literature appears conspicuous in the more practical hymns and ho- milies of Ephraem, as may be seen by consulting the spe- cimens in this volume. But when he becomes polemical, his stores of information are opened, and, to us, his writ- ings acquire a new charm. This then is a pi^inciple which must be recognized in any just appreciation of the works of this Father ; — he was eminently a man of one book, and thought that he could be truly wise by a constant meditating on the law of God^ both day and night. INTRODUCTION. Ixxix But the creative faculty is not dependent on its mate- rials. Thej^ may be extensive or very circumscribed, yet the genius is the same, and will shew its originality in the use of a limited field of knowledge, as much as when per- mitted to rove over all its extensive plains ; just as a bee will construct its comb and distil its honey from the flowers of a cottage- garden, as coiTcctly and sweetly as if allowed to rifle the treasures of an earthly Paradise. In the de- scription of a poet by Shakspere, it is the power possessed of using up " airy nothings," and giving them " a local habitation and a name," which distinguishes him. Indeed, there is more opportunity for the undoubted poetic faculty to develope itself in a restricted sphere of materials, than in one which is more exuberantl}^ furnished. The artist who constructed a pencil from the tail of a domestic ani- mal, and with some humble substitute for colours drew his imaginings on a rough board, never perhaps more indu- bitably proved his right to be considered an artist when he cultivated his talents surrounded by every advantage. So in the case of Ephraem. We think his genius is shewn more and not less by the fact, that he had a narrow horizon of the materials of knowledge ; for he uses what he did possess with consimimate art, and developes every- where the creative energy of a master. We feel that we are compelled to make the translation of this small volume bear out any praise we may bestow upon our author, and this constitutes our greatest difliculty. We are fully conscious that we have neither selected his most finished pieces, nor been able to do justice to those IXXX INTRODUCTION. we have chosen. In all languages there is a propriety inseparable from the productions of each, which is quite incapable of transference, and this is especially the case with the tongues of the East, so remote in their construc- tion and in their imagery from our own. This occasion of difficulty is much increased by the terseness of Ephraem, produced by the metrical laws to which his thoughts were subjected. This is most frequently a cause of increased expression and vivacity in the original, but becomes a sad obstacle in the way of a satisfactory version. Thus Hahn well says in reference to the task of translating these hymns into German : — " The Doric sonorousness and grace fVollt'dnigkeit und AnmuthJ of the Syrian language give a charm to the original which a translation cannot ex- press." How much of the pleasure of a reader arises from the vehicle in which fine thoughts or images are conveyed, is seen in the case of translations of the finest works of the classic writers of Greece. Take, for instance, the Iliad^ which in its native hexameters is so marvel- lously captivating, and read a literal translation in Latin or English. While the thoughts are the same, they have lost their true poetic dress, and, in most instances, appear but common prose. Had we felt warranted in giving a free translation of our author, a great portion of the difficulty would have vanished ; but we aimed at making our version as literal as anything like moderately pleasant English would ad- mit of. The learned and laborious Benedict, by whom the far greater part of Ephraem's Syriac works were translated INTRODUCTION. Ixxxi into the Latin language, complains in his preface of the impracticability of transfusing the spirit of his author into his version. But then, he makes up for this by the use of a very lively and florid style on his own part, which, although not the style of Ephraem, conveys to a reader a better idea of poetry than a literal rendering could do. An example of this may be here introduced, as illustrating what we are now asserting respecting the execution of our own task. The eleventh hymn in this volume (p. 26) reads thus : — " Glorious and terrible is the day of Thy appearing AVhen Thou fliest through the vault of the firmament, And the sublime gates are opened Before the splendour of Thy power. The gates of high heaven, and of the depth beneath, And of the firmament, cover their faces ; And the archangel Gabriel Expands the banner of Thy cross," &c., &c. This we believe is a faithful rendering of the Syriac. Now let us see how it appears in the flowing Latin of Benedict : — " quali cum gloria, quam horrendo cum apparatu tui, Domine, adventHs dies apparebit, quando sethere in alto te conspiciendum dabis ! Tuo fulgore suc- cussae Coeli pandentur fores, et supremi infimique orbes et astra contenebrabunt. Gabriel archangelus Crucis tro- paeum magnifice circumquaque ostentans, filiorum sanct^e Ecclesise fidem extollet et laudabit," &c. This put into English, in something like rhythm, would be, — " O with what glory and what fearful display Will the day of Thy advent appear, O Lord I IXXXll INTRODUCTION. When in the high aether Tliou wilt give Thyself to be seen. The gates of heaven will he opened, Being shaken hy Thy splendour ; And the highest and lowest orbs And the stars will become darkened. The archangel Gabriel, The trophy of Thy cross Magnificently displajdng on every side," &c. The reader will perceive that several poetical ideas are introduced in this version, such as the orbs and stars of heaven^ to which there is nothing corresponding in the Syriac. Yet the original, as it came from the pen of Ephraem, requires no such additions to make it more striking and impressive. We could not follow the ex- ample of the Maronite Avith anything like respect for our author and ourselves, and therefore have been as literal as the opposed characters of the two languages would admit. Hence arises the difficulty of testing Ephraem 's poAvers hy our version, which yet is the only source of information to which the English reader can be directed. We feel a hope, however, that on the whole a favourable opinion will be formed of his genius from these imperfect representations of his muse, and that the careful student of the translations will be able to trace, beneath our super- induced covering, the true style and spirit of a bard. In the shorter pieces, especially those on the subject of death, there is a tender spirit displayed which makes us feel that the monastic habits of Ephraem had induced no unnatural sternness, nor choked up one fountain of INTRODUCTION. IxxxHi human feeling and kindliness. This is observable in his allusions to children ; to the sorrow of parents for their loss ; to the great gloom occasioned by the removal of the head of a famih^ ; and to the desolation of one left a widow. Tlie absence of an}" objectionable asceticism is also shewn in his addresses to the body, which is spoken to as a loved companion, which had long participated in all the joys and sorrows of the soid, now about, for a season, to be separated from it. This tenderness no doubt is enhanced b}' the doctrine of the resurrection of the body, which has always produced a respect for the mortal habitation of the soul, altliough poor, diseased, and robbed of its beauty b}' old age. In his funeral compositions all these ideas are grouped together by Epliraem, put in new forms, and made to produce a singularly deep and tender effect. Who does not feel that a pencil true to nature has drawn the scene displayed in the fifteenth Hj^mn, as embodied in these words : — " my body, my temporary home, Remain here in peace ; And in the day of the resurrection I shall see thee rejoicing !" or that in the twelfth : — " Then the body replies,— ' Depart thou in peace, O soul tenderly loved ! The Lord who hath fashioned us, He will procure our deliverance From Geheunah !' " The fourteenth Hymn, On the Funeral of a Prince or e 2 Ixxxiv INTRODUCTION. a Rich Man, is one which the translator feels has far less of finish, as it appears in a version, than in the Syriae ; yet with all the defects which thus accidentally adhere to it, it is remarkable for an artistic arrangement of the varied illustrations which it furnishes of the levelling power of death, and of the fact that in the grave the rich and the poor meet together. A quiet satire appears in such lines as these : — " I desired to examine the remains Of the wealthy and of the poor, To see whether the bones of the rich Are more beautiful than those of poor men." Yet the fact alluded to is so undeniable and so aft'ecting, that the most supercilious self-admirer can scarcely be offended at it. The commencement is graphic, and the abruptness of the close produces a better efiect than any lengthened moral could do. The tale is told and the con- clusion is drawn without any effort. The reflections al- ways entertained at the side of the tomb must have been deepened and made more impressive by the recitation of such a piece as this, which after humbling the pride of all classes tells us — " There lie those who were enemies, And their bones are mingled together !" As Ephraem was not indifferent to the interest attached to infancy and childhood, so his frequent allusions to old age shew the deep sympathy he felt for its wants and helplessness. This is one element in the bitterness of the death of young persons, that by their removal the staff INTRODUCTION. IXXXV of the aged is taken from tliem, broken, and consigned to the corruption of the tomb. This idea will be found in two or three places in this volume, and it often occurs in other compositions of Ephraem. For instance, in the epic poem on Nineveh, already referred to, he says • — " Old men sprinkled themselves with ashes ; Aged women tore and threw upon the ground Their white locks, once their honour, Now turned to their opprobrium. The youth gazed on their aged men, And groaned with a louder wail ; Old men wept for the yovmg, The fair props of their old age." While therefore the shorter poems do not allow so much scope for invention, they yet everywhere display great skill in their arrangement, in the grouping together of appropriate figures, and in the brief yet expressive touches of pathos they contain. And over the whole there is spread, as it were, an atmosphere of reverential piety, which must be perceived by every one coming within their range, and which would make them highly interesting even if their intrinsic merits were less. The venerable Father always reminds us of the seraphim seen by Isaiah in his vision in the temple, who waited the behests of the Lord with veiled faces, and found happiness in a deep and unmixed humility. In this respect he acted up to the ex- hortations he so often gave to others, in his discourses against the presumptuous and prying spirit of many around him. The strings of his harp are touched with a reverential hand, and the notes are subdued, though sweet, Ixxxvi INTRODUCTION. giving more pleasure to a pious mind than the bold flights of arrogant and licentious genius. Perhaps many will think some of liis hymns tame which we Jiave admired for their simple humility, even as the productions of Words- worth were once lightly esteemed for their unostentatious treatment of homely topics. Let the reader study the thirty-second Hymn, for defence against Satan, and we are much mistaken if he does not acknowledge that its simplicity constitutes its power, and that it derives a grace from the entire absence of rhetorical ornament. But it is undoubtedly in the Homilies that the strength of Ephraem lies, and we much regret that the fewness of our specimens prevents full justice being done by us to his exuberant yet chastened fancy. We are aware that, looked at as a whole, the immense body of his Discourses will be found to present gi-eat inequalities ; that some of them, when tried by our own standard, are in bad taste ; and that many contain conceits and wild fancies which modern cri- ticism cannot approve of. But these vices belonged to the age of the writer, and were then considered probably not the least efficient passages of his composition. The Ho- milies on the Advent of Christ furnish illustrations of a mode of interpreting Scripture which we consider entirely erroneous ; many of the figures are far-fetched, and sound to our ears somewhat iiTCverent. But, after making every deduction, we feel that we are reading the writings of a fine mind, truly poetic in its tendencies and capacities. We instinctively concede to him qualities of the highest kind, which, had they been allowed a different culture, INTRODUCTION. Ixxxvil would have produced for him a world-wide reputation. What might not Ephracm have become as a poet, if his muse had not so voluntarily and entirely regulated her flights by the subjective perception of the authority of Scripture and of the Church ! We are greatly deceived in our own judgment if the few Homilies now translated, with all the defects we are conscious they labour under from our mode of transferring them, do not prove that Ephraem possessed genius of a very high kind. The first, on the Paradise of Eden, is veiy musical in all its arrangements ; its images are well sustained, and a large amount of correct thinking is con- veyed in a form more condensed than ^vill allow of hasty and careless reading. The seventh, on the Mystery of the Trinity^ contains thoughts and illustrations which would expand into goodly volumes in the hands of the moderns. The last, entitled Man is ignorant of himself is highly philosophical, as that term is used in relation to meta- physics ; it shews that subtil distinctions and acute rea- sonings were very familiar to the "WTiter, and that he could make his language express abstractions almost as clearly as the more polished and copious Greek. All these are poetic in the mode of treatment as well as in the style ; and are wrought up with an artistic power which is truly wonderful. We admire the man who conceived and exe- cuted such gem-like productions ; — our v/onder is little less that his audiences should have been able to compre- hend and to enjoy them. But the readers of this volume will form their own Ixxxviii INTRODUCTION. judgment ; — we are sorry that they have only translations as their materials for doing so. We must say a few more words respecting the English dress in which we have clothed a Syrian writer of the fourth century, before we bring our introductory remarks to a conclusion. Let it then be remembered that we have written for English readers, and not for Syriac scholars, and that, guided by this principle, we have constantly aimed at making the pieces pleasantly readable. We had no example before us during the greater part of our task, but that of Bene- dict, whose Latin translation is so often mentioned ; and almost the only use we could make of his labours was to avoid the paraphrastic style in which he so often disguises his author. When our prescribed task was nearly com- plete, we met with the translations of Mr. Morris, whose volume however only contains five of the forty-four pieces now published. If in the case of Benedict we had to avoid Scylla, in that of Mr. Morris it was necessary to steer clear of Charybdis ; for his baldness and brevity, while useful to a student of the language, are destructive of the qualities which can alone make a readable book for ordinary minds. There is a German translation of some of the hymns, noticed in the List of Authors, which we endeavoured in vain to procure. We thus were compelled to follow our own judgment, and to combine fidelity to our author with a desire to win the attention of our readers. The learned alone can judge how far we have been faithful in our version ; our ordinary readers will decide whether we have succeeded in pleasing them. INTRODUCTION. Ixxxix It Is a mistake to suppose that when a translator has rendered his text word by word into another language, he has necessarily given a faithful representation of the mind of the author. This would be the case if the two languages possessed exact vocal equivalents ; each pair of words being precisely similar, and conveying the same idea, neither more nor less. But it is generally impos- sible to find such faithful representatives, and, therefore, fidelity in a translation may often consist in the use of two or three words for one ; or one for two ; or, the idiom of one language may be conveyed in a corresponding, though verbally different, idiom of another. It appears to us, that the principle on which a translator should pro- ceed is this : — he should endeavour to convey to the mind of his reader the same impressions as were conveyed by the original to those to ivhom it was vernacular ; and as poetical and metrical compositions have an artistic form, independent of the mere words themselves, a literal and prosaic translation will fall very short of attaining to this desirable end. Forms of expression which are common, and even ele- gant in one language, may, in another, be scarcely intel- legible, or convey an offensive idea. Thus, in these pieces of Ephraem, a wife is called a rib, which is the case in English, but only in vulgar language ; to treat with con- tempt, is represented by the phrase, to spit in the face. These and other similar instances of idioms, which, in our language, would be uncouth or vulgar, have been retained in the notes, but not in the translation. In the case of very XC INTRODUCTION. elliptical expressions, words have been supplied, but in italics^ so that the terseness of the original can be seen by the learned reader. We have done our best to introduce a fine and interesting writer to plain English people, and at the same time to make the volume useful to the scholar. So far from thinking that we have left nothing to an ad- verse criticism, we are even now sensible, in looking over the printed translations, of many things which might be amended. We beg our readers to apply to us what Eph- raem says of man in relation to the gifts of Divine grace : — '' His work is both little and great; It is little in what it accomplishes, But great in willingness ; For he desires without bounds, But is able to effect but little." Opera, torn. v. p. 326. V. Life of Ephraem. The great events of Ephraem' s life are matters of his- tory ; but very many particulars of importance are in- volved in obscurity, and divide the opinions of learned men. It is not agreed, for instance, whether he ever rose above the order of Deacons ; nor is it settled whether he understood any language but his own. There is a long life of Ephraem of great antiquity, in Syriac, prefixed to his works, which seems to be generally trustworthy, ex- cept on the subject of supernatural events and miraculous powers. This has been already quoted. There is also INTRODUCTION. XCl his Will or Testament, which alludes to some remark- able passages of his life. We will merely now give a translation of a short biography of ihis Father, fi-om a MS. of the fom'teenth century, published in Syriac, by Asseman. [Bih. Or. torn. i. p. '2.^.) *' The blessed Mor'" Ephraera was a Syrian by birth, his father was of Nisibis, his mother of the city Amida. His father was an idolatrous priest, and they lived in the time of Constantine Victor. His father expelled him from him because he was not obedient to his wicked will ; he there- fore went and lived with the holy Mor Jacob, the Bishop of Nisibis, and led altogether a life of godliness until the time of Jovian. He then left that place, and came to the city Edessa, w^hen he received the gift of the Holy Ghost, and abundantly supplied the Church with the teachings and doctrine of the Spirit. After a time he went to the desert of Egypt, and from thence to Csesarea of Cappa- docia to Basil ; and received from him the imposition of hands for the Diaconate. He immediately returned to Edessa, and ended his life there in the year 684 (of the Greeks) on the ninth day of Haziron (June) ; that is, in the year 372 after the advent of our Lord. It is said of him that before his being taught Christianity, a hermit was living on a hill of Edessa, and that one night he saw an angel descend from heaven, and in his hand was a great roll of a book, written on both sides. And he said to the monk, ' On whom shall I bestow this book ?' And he r See note c to Hymn XIX. INTRODUCTION. said, ' Let it be given to Origen, or to Julian the monk.' And the Angel said to him, ' There is no man who is worthy of it but Ephraem the Syrian.' — Through his prayers may God pardon our offences. Amen." VI. List of Authors. " Sancti Ephraem Syri Opera Omnia quae extant, Grsect", SjTiace, Latine, in sex tomos distributa." Folio. Rome, 1732—1743. " Bibliotheca Orientalis Clementino-Vaticana ; in qua Manuscriptos Codices Syriacos, recensuit, digessit, etc., Josepli Simonius Assemanus, Syrus Maro- nita." Four volumes folio. Rome, 1719—1728. " Edmundi Castelli Lexicon Syriacum, ex ejus Lexico Heptaglotto seorsim typis describi curavit, atque sua adnotata adjecit, Johannes David Michaelis." 4to. Gottingen, 1788. [This is the best Lexicon extant, and is invaluable ; but its defects are discovered by every student who uses it, even in his first essays in the language. Its arrangement is very defective, and its copia verborum, except for the Scriptures, very slender.] " Lexicon Pentaglotton, Hebraicum, C!haldaicuni, Syriacum, Talmudico-Rab- hinicum, et Arabicum : coUectum et coucinnatum a Valentino Schindlero." Folio. Francfort, 1653. [An admirable work, supplying many explanations not found elsewhere. The Syriac and Arabic are in Hebrew characters.] " Lexicon Syriacum Concordantiale, omnes Novi Testamenti Syriaci voces, et ad harum illustrationem multas alias Syriacas, et Linguarum affinium dictiones coraplectens, etc. Indefesso labore elaboratum a Carolo Schaaf." 4to. Leyden, 1709. [A work too well known to need commendation ; but it is confined to the New Testament.] "Lexicon Syriacum Chrestomathise Kirschianse denuo editfe accommodatum, a Georgio Henrico Bernstein." 8vo. Leipsic, 1836. [This is a valuable work in itself, but still more so as indicating what ought to be done in Syriac Lexi- cography. The arrangement of the meanings is admirable, and the particles are philosophically and fully treated. Bernstein has long been engaged in com- piling a Lexicon to the whole language, and it is earnestly to be hoped he will be able to publish it.] " Nomenclator Syriacus, Jo. Baptistse Ferrarii Senensis, e Societate Jesu." 4to. Rome, 1622. [Not very copious, but clearly and beautifully printed and arranged.] " Lexidion Syriacum." [Prefixed to Hahn's Chrestomathy ; of great use in that interesting little work, and supplying many meanings from Ephraem not found elsewhere.] INTRODUCTION. XClll "Lexicon Manuale Ilebraiciim et Clialdaicum." By Gesenius. Edited by Hoffman. 8vo. Leipsic, 1847. " Lexicon Arabico-Latinum ex opere suo majore exceiiitum. Edidit G. W, Freytag." 4to. Halle, 1837. "C. B. Michaelis Grammatica Syriaca." 8vo. Rome, 1829. '* The Elements of Syriac Grammar. By the Rev. George Phillips, B.D. Second edition." London. Parker, 1845. [A great acquisition from the beauty of the typography, besides its intrinsic merits.] The Old Testament in Syriac, -ivith Syriac Title. London, 1823. [This is the edition edited by Dr. Lee for the Bible Society. We have used it extensively and found it very con-ectly printed. The absence of the Apocryphal books de- ducts greatly from its value.] The New Testament in Syriac. Also edited by Dr. Lee for the Bible Society. 1816. Another edition by the same Society, in smaller type. 1826. The Four Gospels in the Estrangelo character, " as read in the churches at Mosul." Edited by T. Pell Piatt, Esq. for the Bible Society. 1829. [A splendid work so far as paper and typography are concerned.] The New Testament in Syi'iac and Carshun. 4to. Paiis, 1824. [This is de- cidedly the most elegant edition ever printed, and is interesting on many accounts. Yet it is unnoticed in many bibliographical lists. Home takes no notice of it ; neither is it mentioned in Davidson's Treatise on Biblical Criticism, just published. A reprint of the Syriac New Testament of Widmanstadt. Edited by Mr. Greenfield for the Messrs. Bagster. 1828. The Apocrypha in Syi-iac, as found in Walton's Polyglott, Chrestomathia Syiiaca, sive S. Ephraemi Carmina Selecta. Edidenuit notis criticis philologicis historicis, et glossario locupletissimo illustraverunt Augustus Hahn et Friedricus Sieffert." 8vo. Leipsic, 1825. [This work is fully noticed in various parts of this volume.] " G. G. Kirschii Chrestomathia Syriaca : denuo edidit G. H. Bernstein." 8vo. Leipsic, 1832. [A companion to the Lexicon noticed above. The selection of subjects is most judicious.] "Bardesanes Gnosticus Syrorum Primus Hymnologus. Commentatio His- torico-Theologica quam scripsit Augustus Hahn." 8vo. Leipsic, 1819. [Noticed in the body of the work.] " Ueber den Gesang in der Syrischen Kirche. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des heiligen Gesangs, vom Herm D. A. Hahn." [This valuable monograph is not printed by itself, but is found in a small periodical called Kirchenhistorisches Archiv, von R. F. Stiiudlin und J. S. Vater fur 1823. Halle.] " Horse Syriacae, seu Commentationes et Anecdota res vel litteras Syriacas spectantia Auctore Nicolao Wiseman, S.T.D. Tomus Primus. Rom£e, 1828." XCIV INTRODUCTION. [The second volume has never appeared. This is a most learned and useful work.] " Grregorii Bar Hebrseii, qui et Abulpharag, Grammatica Linguae Syriacse in metro Ephraemeo. Textum edidit, vertit, annotatione instruxit, Ernestus Ber- theau, Dr., Professor Gottingensis." 8vo. Gottingen, 1843. [This has been noticed before.] " Select Works of St. Ephraera the Syrian, translated out of the original Sjriac Avith Notes and Indices. By the Rev. J. B. Morris, M.A., Oxford." John Henry Parker, 1847. [This has frequently been referred to and quoted. It is highly valuable to a student of Syriac, on account of its strict literality ; but this quality prevents its being interesting to ordinary readers.] We have heard that some of Ephraem's hymns have lately been translated into German by a Romish priest, but have not been able to procure a copy of the •work. " HistoriaB Ecclesiasticae Scriptores, Henrico Valesio Interprete." Folio. 3 vols. Turin, 1746. The above list is given, both for the purpose of verifica- tion of the statements of this volume, and for the guidance of those who may wish to pursue the study of Syriac Metrical Literature or the language generally. References to other works will be found in the places where they are quoted. "Our faith is not a novelty; Let us not make it new by oub instability." Isaac Magnus. ^((rtitrtf %v;tm EPHRAEM SYRUS. ' And since it is not profitable for us To BE silent and restrained, Let our infirmity render to Thee The song of our thanksgiving. Thou Good ! who dost not exact More than our ability, How WILL Thy servant be condemned Both in principal and interest. Should he not give what he is able. But hold back what he owes ! O Thou sea of glory, Who needest not to be glorified I Receive in Thy goodness The drop of thanksgiving : — Thou, who hast by Thy gift Harmonized my tongue for Thy praise !" S. Ephraem, in natalein Domini METRICxiL HYMNS, (!)n tilt DcEtfi nf a Cfjilii MOTIVES FOE RESTRAINING SORROW. (Canox XXXYI., torn. vi.. jx 293.) Oh my Son^ tenderly beloved ! Whom grace fashioned'^ In his mother's womb, And dmne goodness completely formed.'' He appeared in the world Suffering like a flower ;* And Death put forth a heat More fierce than the sun, And scattered its leaves And withered it, that it ceased to be. METRICAL HYMNS OF I fear to weep for tliee^ Because I am instructed That the Son of the Kingdom'^ hath removed thee To His bright habitation. Nature,, in its fondness^ Disposes me to tears^ Because^ my son^ of thy departure. But when I remember the bright abode To which they have led thee^ I fear lest I should defile The dwelling-place of the King By weeping, w hich is adverse to it ; And lest I should be blamed, For coming to the region of bliss With tears which belong to sadness; I will therefore rejoice, Approaching w ith my pure offering.'^ The sound of thy sw^eet notes Once moved me and caught mine ear/ And caused me much to wonder ; Again my memory listens to it, And is affected by the tones And harmonies of thy tenderness. But when my spirit groans aloud On accoimt of these things^ My judgment recalls me. And listens with admiration To the voices of those wdio live on high ; EPHRAEM SYRUS. To the song of tlie spiritual ones Who cry aloud, Hosannali ! At thy marriage festival. This beautiful h}Tun is tetrasyllabic, in strophes of fourteen lines. The reference to a flower seems to intimate that the title given, " On the Death of a Child," may be correct, although other parts of the hymn will apply to a youth. Benedict has this note, " In Fuiiere PuerorumP No hymn which the writer has consulted gives a finer idea of the mind and heart of Ephraem. Nature speaks in every line, in conjunction with the sentiments taught by divine grace. It is probable that the departed was a singer in the choir, whose sweet voice touched and melted the heart of the monk. The allusion to the echoes awakened by memory in the third strophe is very affecting. a " Fashioned," and " completely formed." — There appears to be a gradation in the Syriac, which is attempted to be preserved in the translation. 5q_. is properly fiyuravit^ depinxit, as in Gal. iii. 1, "before whose eyes Jesus Christ was ;_»-• ^^LD clearly represented, or depicted." But the second word W O, . ■ signi- fies formare^ to form that, the model of which was before con- ceived, as the potter moulds the clay. (Rom. ix. 20, 21.) b " Suffering Uke a flower." — Literally, Ms passions, or suscep- tibilities, I ^ » -> (were) tlwse ofafiower. c " Son of the Kingdom." — A term often used of Jesus Christ by Ephraem. The idea seems to be gathered from such texts as Luke xxii. 29, " And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me." (See Hymn VII.) d " Pure." — I » <==^ ^ i.e., an offering of gladness, unmixed with the baser matter of mere natural sorrow. j ^ " Caught my ear." — ^ » r^^ hiocked at my ears. b2 4 METRICAL HYMNS OF II. (Dn tjit Stntlj nf Cjitlhrra. THEIR BLESSEDNESS. (Canox XLIII., torn, vi., p. 299.) Let the little children be pledges'" with Thee, And above,, in heaven, let them be Thy guests ; Let them be intercessors for all of ns, For pure is the prayer of childhood. Blessed is He who entertains them in His p^ivilion. Our Saviour took children in His arms And blessed them before the multitudes ; And shewed that He loved childhood ; Because it is pure and free from defilement. Blessed is He who makes them dwell in His taber- nacle. The Just One saw that iniquity increased on earth And that sin had dominion over all men ; And sent His messenger and removed A multitude of fair little ones. And called them to the pavilion of happiness. Like lilies taken from the wilderness Children are planted in paradise ; And like pearls in diadems Children are inserted in the Kingdom ; And without ceasing shaU hymn forth praise. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 5 Who will not rejoice at seeing Children taken to the heavenly pavilion ?* Who will weep for childhood That has fled from the snares of sin ? Lord ! make us happy with them in 7%?/ habitation. Glory be to Him who hath taken away The little ones and made them meet for Paradise ; Glory be to Him who hath removed children And placed them in a garden of pleasures. Lo ! they are happy there without danger ! Octosyllabic, the strophes of five verses, the fifth antiphonal, sung either in chorus or by a separate part of the choir. (See Hymn XIII. for a note on this metre.) « ••Pledges." — | . » Vn m i.q., d/xrip^ia. The undoubted meaning is pignius, obse-s. See Numbers xxi. 29, '^ He hath given his sons 1 j » Vn m hostages unto Sihon," &c. Pledges entrusted to God by us and on our behalf; as is evident from the third verse, "Let them be intercessors, &c." Benedict renders it pars tva, thy par- tial, without any apparent reason. * '• Pavilion." — (jQJLi* This word occurs so frequently as to render it difficult to avoid an unpleasant reiteration in the trans- lation. The true meaning is tent^ tabernacle, and the idea con- veyed is one entirely oriental ; the free use of synonyms is, there- fore, allowable. ) METRICAL HYMNS OF III. (Dii tjif Dtntji nf Ctiilkra. THE SORROWS IT PRODUCES. — THE SOURCES OF CONSOLATION. (Canon XXXVII., torn, vi., p. 294.) How bitter is the grief For the death of childhood ; How grievous the separation Of the iiifanf^ from its mother : — Train it up (Lord) in Thy dwelling ! This day afflicts^ The fathers through their sons ; And death now breaks The staflp of their old age : — Lord ! may they lean on Thee ! This day removes The only child'' from its mother. And cuts off the arm Which would have been her stay : — In Thee, Lord, may she trust ! This day separates The httle one from its parent. And leaves her in the wilderness Of suffering and grief: — Do Thou, Lord, comfort her ! EPHRAEM SYRUS. 7 This day divides The sucking-child from the breast ; And (the mother'^) wails and grieves Because her intercourse with it hath perished : — May she see it in the Kingdom ! O happy infancy AYhich hath gained Paradise ! Alas ! for old age, Which still remains in sorrow ! Lord, be Thou its helper ! This beautiful little hymn is pentasyllable, tlie strophes consisting of five verses, the last being antiphonal. a- " The infant." — jjQ^ infantulus^ ladens, infant or sucking- child. The same word occurs in the fifth strophe, and is rendered sucking-cJiild to avoid repetition, on the principle defended in the Introduction. '^ ** This day afilicts." — The literal rendering of 001 pDQ^ . m wkVt)^ is^ TJiis is the day which hath afflicted ; and some hesi- tation was felt as to the propriety of giving that translation. But a further acquaintance with the same formula in other hymns gained the preference for the simpler version. This hymn was not written for a special case, but was intended for general use, when infants and children were committed to the tomb. This is . indicated by the mention not only of a sitcking-child, but also of more advanced childi-en, so that the hymn was adapted for all who had not attained to youth. The case is thus brought under the rule given by Gesenius in his Hehreio Grammar^ — " The prseter is used for our present tense where this denotes a condition already long con- tinued and still existing, or a permanent, habitual course of action ; as Psalm i. 1 , ' Happy is the man who walks not {-pn) in the counsel of the ungodly, &c.' " That the relative J has often an » METRICAL HYMNS OF expletive character, usque ad nauseam, to use the words of Hahn, is well known to every reader of Syriac verse. Benedict uses the past tense in this hymn, but in Canon XXXIV. the present. c " The only child." — In a specimen of this work issued by the translator, |r.A_>v»«^ was rendered tlie beloved one; and, although he has altered it at the suggestion of a learned friend, he is still disposed to think the former version preferable. In Psalm xxii. 21, rrrn^ occurs, and Gesenius renders it, " unicum, inde carissimum." In Genesis xxii. 2, Isaac is said to be the only son of Abraham (th*) which was not true in fact, and the translation of the LXX. probably conveys the exact meaning, top aiyaTrrjrov, thy beloved son. The death of an only child is an occurrence too rare to war- rant a reference to it in a hymn for general use, and on this ground the sense of beloved seems the more correct one. d " And (the mother) wails and grieves." — There Is here no nominative case expressed, and it has been suggested tliat ]<^ y^ the breast, should be supplied. |^ ^ *^ is of common gender, and therefore, grammatically, might be construed with f » \ ( but as that would introduce a very far-fetched figure, and destroy the beauty of the prayer in the last verse of the strophe, the ellipse of the text has been preferred. Benedict makes the mother the nominative. EPHRAEM SYRUS. IV. (Dn tfiE Dnitli nf f nntlj. (Caxon XXXIV., toni. vi., p. 292.) The day of death Is common to all men ; But is bitter and grievous In the season of youth : — Comfort Thou me^ O Lord ! This day are separated Bridegrooms and brides ; And instead of dancing There is fimereal wailing :« — Let them come to Thy marriage-feast ! The world calls thee, " Go forth to labour :" The grave calls thee, ^' Come, rest thou weary one :" — Glory be to Him who gives thee repose ! This day adorns The child for the sepulchre ; It adorns the youth also, Dismissing him to the tomb : — Let them be happy in Thy tabernacle ! 10 METRICAL HYMNS OF Alas ! for tliee^ early youth ! The crown of old age ! Who hath extinguished thy beauty ? And caused thy comeliness to fade ? — Thou shalt rejoice in the Kingdom ! Let old age weep That youth is no more ! Which should have been a support To the ancient in days : — Let it lean upon Thy power ! Pentasyllabic, in strophes of five verses, the last being anti- phonal. « There is a paronomasia in the text, founded on the double use of the word ^JD? to dance. Music and dancing were used at funerals as well as feasts ; as (Matt. ix. 23) the minstrels made a noise on the death of the daughter of the ruler. EPHRAEM SYllUS. 11 i^n flic Htntlj nf n f nirag |^n-gnn, (Caxon XXXV., torn, vi., p. 292.) This day stimulates Our eyes to weepings Our hands to signs of Avoe, And oiu' mouth to lamentation : — Lord ! be Thou my comforter ! This day invites Very many to shed tears_, For whoever enters or departs^ His mouth is full of mourning : — May we be consoled by Thy goodness ! This day makes void The covenant of espousals, And m place of a bridal Prepares a sepulchre : — Let them rejoice at thy marriage-feast ! This day dismisses The body from life, And instead of sweet perfumes It is anointed with clay :" — Let us be gladdened with celestial fragrance. 12 METRICAL HYMNS OF The clay of death Is a bitter day^ It causes all to Aveep And moves every one to sadness : — Lord^ may we see Thy day ! This day cuts off, And takes away a member^ From the united body Of brothers and kindred : — By TheC;, Lord, let it be restored ! This day the fathers die, And are removed from us. And leave their children Orphans and dependent -J' — Do Thou, Lord, train them up ! This day di-\ddes The brother from his brethren. And makes the number less, And diminishes the active members :' — Lord, by Thee let them be completed ! This day separates The husband from the wife. And the widow is desolate,'^ Because her companion hath ceased to be In Eden may she behold him ! EPHRAEM SYRUS. 13 This clay removes The friend from him he loves^ Like two oxen let loose From the yoke which miitecl them : — Let Thy love bind them together ! The day of thy birth Made thy parents happy. The day of thy death Gives sorrow to thy sm^vivors :^ — In Eden may they see thee ! This hymn, like the two former, is pentasyllabic, in strophes of five verses, the last being antiphonal. With Benedict it is entitled, " On the Death of a Young Person ;" but internal evidence would rather claim for it a more general designation. Almost all ages are alluded to in it. Hahn entitles it, " On the Death of the Father of a Family." « •• It is anointed with clay."— OT^ v» ^ V> ] 1 !> CO The only meaning given to p > <^ in the Lexicons is lutum, cmnum ; but this scarcely yields a sense harmonizing with the connection. Is not ] ^ > <^ the same as the Latin sanies f Benedict renders the passage, — " Naturam mors solvit^ unde exanime corpus Arabia magis ante odoratum, nunc graveolente tabo aspersum puteW We are glad to escape this, alas ! too con'fect, description, in the text. b " Dependent." — ] K m » .> The literal meaning is aUactus, weaned, 1 Sam. i. 2-i, " And when she had weaned him." The collateral idea, deprived of the natural sources of suj^port, and therefore de- pendent on others, may justify the translation of the text. c "The active members." — ] A Co . literally the fingers. Xo allusion to this metaphor is found in the Lexicons. d " The widow is desolate." — P*-^ Z^Vi|Z] the rih is barren. Benedict, " Casta manehit vidua." e "Survivors." — |Zo^ heirs. 14 METRICAL HYMNS OF VI. (!Dti tjie Dtiitli nf a ^kinit ^mm. (Caxok XXY., torn, vi., p. 275.) "I AM going away, and fear not, For my Lord calleth to me, ^ Come, and I will crown thee V He placeth a wreath of glory on my head And maketh me happy /^ The angels who removed thee from us Have conducted thee to Eden ; They have given thee as an offering to thy Creator, Depart in peace ! An abundant treasure Full of good things, make ready for thy servant. And let his spirit rest in peace In the midst of the kingdom. The cornet sounds And the voice of the trumpet waxeth loud, And the dead live again, and rise up From their sepulchres. The righteous fly Upon the clouds to meet their Lord, And enter with Him into the habitation Which is faU of joys. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 15 Thy garland is tw-ined In Eden^ O thou blessed one/ From amaranthine flowers. In the midst of the Kingdom. Glory be to the living voice WTiich speaks in thunders in the midst of Hades ;* And the dead hear it and arise again From their bm-ial places. In the day when the trumpet sounds. Make me meet, O Lord, To sing Thy praise worthily — In the day of the resurrection. Depart in peace, O beloved fruit'' which Death hath plucked ! Abraham comes forth to meet thee. And bids thee welcome. The gate of Paradise Opens and expects thee to enter, That thou mayest rest and be happy To all eternity. Let praise ascend, O Lord, To Thee from all Thy creatures. For Thou gatherest from every place The rebellious children of Adam.'^ 16 METRICAL HYMNS OF The metre of this hymn is tetrasyllabic in the first and fourth verses, heptasyllabic in the second and third ; the strophes of four verses each. The title given hy Benedict is, In Funere Cleri- corum. But there appears nothing in the hymn itself to confine it to a particular class. ^ " Thou blessed one." — ( 1 *^0 (^ is frequently applied to de- parted saints ; thus the Syriac translator of the Festal Letters of Athanasius speaks of tJie blessed Moses, the hlessed Esther, dye. (Cureton's text, p. 33.) It corresponds to the Greek o /uaKapc'Tr]05"J5 OlJ^lD the rebellion, or apostacy, of Adam. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 17 VII. (Caxon IX., torn. \i., p. 236.) My brethren and beloved, By God who hath separated me from yon I pray, that when yonr choirs assemble, In holy service, ye will remember me. And let yom' prayer come And lighten the dnst from my eyes, That I may stand np and give thanks To the raiser of the dead. Even in Hades mil arise The Sun of Righteousness, Dispersing the darkness of death And bringing me out of it ; And those who sleep will be aroused From their sepulchres as from repose. And wiU offer praise at the rising day, Which gladdens them with its beams. Alas ! for the slothful. Who like me have been unprofitable ! In that day He who hired them Will pay them their due ; And everA^ one will receive righteously 18 METRICAL HYMNS OF What his labour hath gained. Regard favourably my request As that of the thief uj)on the cross ! I have entered upon the trodden pathway That I may go to the habitation of the livings To the place where the upright^ Receive the reward of their toils ; Where wages are appointed for thee^ Even the just recompense of thy anxieties. There^ beneath the wings Of thy prayer may we find shelter ! In the region of felicity The righteous dwell as thou dost ; Where there is nothing to fear^ No cause for dread or trepidation. Where sorrows are far away. And afflictions and sighs. There, O Son of the Kingdom/ Count me worthy to see Thy face ! The wings of righteous deeds I have not been preparing from my youth ; Those light pinions I have not furnished to myself. And what shall I do, who must pass over* The sea of burning flame ? How shall I be able To soar high above it ? EPHRAEM SYRUS. 19 The wings of supplication AYhicli arc swifter than air, And the pinions of angels Of whom thou hast been a companion — They shall conduct thee To the confines of the firmament. Where there cannot approach A breath of the burning flame ! This hymn is composed of verses of five and seven syllables alter- nately, in strophes of eight verses. More than one speaker is introduced, sometimes the dead, at others the Uving ; but it is difiicult to apportion his part to each. It is left to the reader to arrange the parts of the dialogue. The Latin title is, In funere Preshifterorum. a " Son of the Kingdom." — (See Hymn I.) 6 " Who must pass over." — Observe the difference of the terms here, and in Hymn XIII. 20 METRICAL HYMNS OF VIII. (Dti ttjf Dtatji nf a fMjn^. (Canov II., torn, vi., p. 228.) Who will not rejoice That this blessed one hath triumphed ? Who will not weep That the conqueror hath departed ? Who was the salt of our souls."" Since the hour of death Cannot be avoided, Let your tears cease to flow, But exalt your voices high In praise of the hero.^ Make your psalms abundant ; Give thanks to Him who hath taken him away, And praise Him who hath separated him from us, And placed him in the bosom Of the upright who were his friends. Thou wert the companion of the chaste, And the brother of the perfect ; The image of ffood men of olden time ; The exemplar of such as have finished their course With them mayest thou delight thyself ! Thy Lord hath bestowed upon thee An abiding habitation. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 21 Because thy youtli rejected A transitory home / — In Eden mayest thou be happy ! The day of thy birth'^ Was known only to thy Lord ; The day of thy death Is known to all men : — It hath prepared for thee great felicity.^ No more does there exist The burden of thy mortal part ; Thy portion henceforth Is in the midst of Paradise : — Glory be to Him who hath chosen thee ! Thy Lord was at all times Before thine eyes ; And thou didst haste diligently To the mark set before thee : — To that hath He removed thee. Who will not weep Because of thy departure ? AATio will not rejoice Because the crown is thine ? Glory be to Him who hath chosen thee ! Pextasyllabic, in strophes of five verses, the last being anti- phonal. 22 METRICAL HYMNS OF a " Who was the salt of our souls." — Many conjectural illustra- tions of this expression might be given, but the reference is pro- bably to our Lord's declaration, Ye are the salt of the earth, (Matt. V. 13.) f> " In praise of the hero." — ]_^»»^Zj the Greek A^X?/Tr)s; but as this expresses more the act of wrestling or strivmg, while the departed was a conqueror, hero is preferable. c " A transitory home." — This is all the text conveys. Benedict construes it into a state of celibacy, " Quichii Dominus juberet oh spretam in ipso cetatis flore jugalis tori jucunditatem" Sfc. d " The day of thy birth." — The meaning of this strophe is somewhat obscure. There appears to be a contrast between the entrance of a child into the world, an event known to few ; and the departure of the same from life, after a course of public usefulness, an event known to many. « " Great fehcity." — Sy., |*^ / happinesses; the emphatic plural, of which there are many instances in these hymns. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 23 IX. (Dti tjie Dtntlj nf a Dmnti. (Caxon XIII., torn, vi., p. 247.) Behold ! our member is departed From this troubled worlds To tliat tranquil liglit ; On his departure let us pray : — That his Guide may have mercy on him ! Well disciplined in public duties He was chaste in private life^ In gentleness and peace He abounded towards his brethren : — Make him happy in Thy tabernacle ! His eyes were watchful In standing before Thee ; And they wept in prayer, And made entreaty for his sins : — May they see Thy lo^dng-kindness ! Thou didst count him worthy To minister in Thy sanctuary^ And to distribute^ Thy body And Thy blood to Thy flock :— Nourish him with Thy lambs ! 24 METRICAL HYMNS Or He was cheerful, and Ml Of affection to his brethren ; And his hospitality Was fervent in its tenderness :* — Number him with Thy beloved ones ! He loved to proclaim The words of Thy doctrine, And delighted to listen to The utterances of the Spirit : — Let him hear the sound of the trumpet ! He Avondered at and admired The riches of Thy oracles ; And liis heart exulted In the words of the Holy Ghost : — Unite him with Thy glorified ones ! He despised worldly pleasures And slighted ease ; Let him rest at Thy table — Let him find enjoyment in Thy light — With the upright who have loved Thee ! Pentasyllabic, in strophes of five verses, the last verse of each being antiphonal. « " To distribute." — -■« \<=^ divisit, peculiar iter in duas partes, Castel. Benedict has 2)orrigere, to extend, to hold out to. f> Or, in Ms charity hospitality icas fervent. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 25 51 ]L>m\n in tlje ^rn3|itrt nf fcatj). (Caxox LXI., torn, vi., p. 326.) O Lord ! appoint me not a place with the wicked ; Do Thou^ Lord^ confess me who have confessed Thee; Set me not on T/ty left hand^ Lest I become a companion to Satan ! Let me not lift up my voice in the flame^ AVho bv hymns have praised Thee ; Let me not cry out from the midst of darkness, Who in the night-season have glorified Thee. Number me not -with Thy crucifiers, Thou, whose cross was my refuge ; Let not my head be humbled in judgment, O Thou Judge, greater than all judges ! The above is heptasyllabic, in strophes of four verses. 26 METRICAL HYMNS OF XI. (Dn t\)t Dtatjj nf a ^^Snmit |^Ersnn. (Canon LXXXII., torn, vi., p. 356.) Glorious and terrible is the day of Thy appearing ^Tien Thou fliest through the vault of the firmament^ And the sublime gates are opened Before the splendour of Thy power. The gates of high heaven^ and of the depth beneath^ And of the firmament^ cover their faces ; And the archangel,, Gabriel, Expands the banner of Thy cross, To the glory and exultation Of the children of the faithful Church : But to the shame and sorrow Of Heathendom and Judaism. And Thou shalt shout with Thy mighty voice, And the bosom of the grave shall be emptied, And the dead shall rise incorruptible ; And all nations, peoples, and tongues Shall cry, '' Glory be to Thee V' In the great day of Thy appearing The cornet and the trumpet shall sound. And the angels shall descend from their seats And sing psalms of praise to God. Then quickly shall be awakened Those who slept, and render praise EPHRAEM SYRUS. 27 Witli their exulting voices. And those who have done good, Shall enter with Ilim into the pavilion ; And the door shall be closed In the faces of the wicked. Lord, let not the door of Thy compassion Be shut against me ! Glory be to Thee ! Om' brother is taken from our congregation, Let us all honoiu* his death earnestly ; Let us enter and entreat from the merciful God In whose hands is our death and our life, That He will bring him to the region of light With the upright who are accepted in His presence. And that he may hear Him say to him, ^' Come, enter and inherit the kingdom '\Aliich cannot pass away V'"- Wliich Christ hath prepared for the elect who have loved Him, In a world abounding in blessedness. How lamentable is thy death And grievous thy departure ; And there is sorrow to all men Because of thy removal ; For thou hast migrated from thy abode And gone to the place of strangers. According to the word of the preacher " That every one who does not suffer for me c2 28 METRICAL HYMNS OF Hatli not life in himself/^* Now that thou hast perfected The commandment of thy gracious Lord, He will make thee rest with Him In the unfading habitation of light ! This hymn is heptasyllabic, but very irregular, both in the verses and the strophes. There is some internal evidence that two fragments are united in one piece . The second strophe ends with a doxology, " Glory be to Thee ;" and the third introduces a new subject. a "• Come enter and inherit, &c." — This appears to be a combi- nation of two texts of Scripture : Matt. xxv. 34, and Heb. xii. 28. The word Z;-» inherit, seems to identify the former. * " According to the word of the preacher." — There can be no question that this is intended to be a quotation, although there is no passage of Scripture exactly like it. If the reading >,>Z\,\ (^Sf) on my account, is the correct one, some statement of our Lord would appear to be indicated. The sentiment is contained in an affirma- tive form in 2 Tim. ii. 12, '•'• If we suffer we shall also reign ivith Him;" and Rom. viii. 17, " If so he that ive suffer with Him, that we may he also glorified together." It is remarkable that St. Paul introduces the first text as though it were a quotation : " The say- ing is faithful." Perhaps Ephraem and the Apostle both refer to some traditional sayings of our Lord, many of which must have circulated in the early Church ; like that quoted by Clemens Alexandrinus, TivetrOe hoKiiiot Tpa7re^7Tat, Be ye skilful money- changers. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 29 XII. (Canon LTX., torn, vi., p. 325.) The soTil having left the body,^ Is in great suffering, And feels much grief; And she is distracted Hither and thither. As to her destination ; For the e\dl spirits desire That she should go with them Into the midst of Gehennah ; And the angels also, That she should journey with them. To the region of light. In that moment, The soul lightly esteems Her beloved friends and brethren, Those whom she held dear. And her neighbours. And those with whom she was familiar. In that hour she despises Whatsoever appertains to riches. Or worldly possessions ; But respecting her trespasses She has great anxiety, They being so many. 30 METRICAL HYMNS OF Then the soul standing separate Above the body she hath left. Speaks thus to it^ — " Death hath dismissed me Remain thou here in peace For I am going away." Then the body replies^ — '' Depart thou in peace, O soul tenderly loved ! The Lord who hath fashioned us. He will procure our deliverance From Gehennah I" The metre is tetrasyllabic, in strophes of twelve verses. The con- struction is very regular, the third line of the second strophe excepted, which contains six syllables. a " The soul having left the body."—] n ^ 1 ]V> i O literally, the soul rising. The same form occurs in the first line of the third strophe. The verb isOCLO is often used of the Eesurrection, as Mark xii. 26. The soul rises from the body, now prostrated by death, as the body itself will rise at the last day. Benedict renders, '' Animus corpore solutus.^' EPHRAEM SYRUS. 31 XIII. 3BijinE u \\)t %mmn\mi (Canon XLII., torn, vi., p. 298.) When the air of tlie Resurrection shall breathe softly^ The bones of the righteous shall be gathered together;^ And at the voice of the trumpet they shall arise,, By the power of God which causeth them to stand up. In the day when the righteous shall awake, The heaven and the earth will be made new ; And men will give an account of themselves, And the children of the bridechamber^ shall not be found wanting. The perfect shall exult in the kingdom, And be united wdth the angels ; And hearing the loud sound of the trumpet, Shall overthrow death with songs of triumph. When the rising of the righteous is manifested, Evil men and deceivers shall be condemned ; In fire and darkness they shall be tormented. Who in their arrogancy despised the upright. When they come to the gate of Paradise, Of its own accord it shall open to them ; The guarding cherub" shall salute them worshipfully. Playing on his harp and coming to meet them. 32 METRICAL HYMNS OF They see the bridegroom when he is revealed And Cometh from the East with rejoicings ; He will give them wings^ and without delay. They will fly through the air and worship him. " Come, enter ye children of the light V Jesus will cry to His beloved ones in that hour : " Receive yom* crowns, the reward of your labour. Ye heirs of an everlasting kingdom V^ Both the just and the unjust shall pass through"^ The fire which is to try them, and shall be proved by it ; The righteous pass and the flame is quiet. But it burneth the wicked and snatcheth them away Solitary is Hades — it hath become a desolate land ! The graves are opened and emptied ; And the children of Adam rise from the dust, And the creatures^ ascend to their Lord ! This hymn is octosjdlabic, in strophes of fonr lines each. It is re- gular in its construction, although it has some marked synsereses. Thus, the first line of the last strophe consists of ten syllables in- stead of eight. This octosyllabic metre is of comparatively rare occurrence in Ephraem; but the present is an undoubted example. (See also Hymn II.) a There is here a plain reference to Ezekiel's vision of the dry bones, (chap, xxxvii.) Ephraem, in his comment on that passage, says, " The Spirit of God discovers to Ezekiel the future resur-- EPHRAEM SYRUS. 33 rection of the dead." (torn, v., p. 194.) The use of the word 5| j instead of (-Ki05 in this, and other places, arises partly from an effort of the language to gain copiousness ; 5 1 1 being the Greek word ay'^f} ; partly perhaps from the greater sanctity attached to |.jo05 as the name of the Holy Ghost. * " The children of the bridechamber." — pQ_l-t5 w-»aiQJ..C) the expression used in the Peschito, Matt. ix. 15. c The words are taken from Gen. iii. 24. The word for cherub is plural in the Hebrew text, but here and in the Peschito it is singular. On the passage in Genesis, Ephraem says, " The guard of Paradise was a living being, acting voluntarily," (tom. iv., p. 39.) ;*^^ a different construc- tion from that rendered " passing over," in Hymn VII., and elsewhere. e " The creatures ascend." — This general statement acquires a more definite form by comparing it with Romans viii. 22. There, as here, the plural |A_»;^ is used; the context in both places limiting the expression to mankind. Benedict evades the difficulty by leaving the passage untranslated. 34 METRICAL HYMNS OF XIV (Dn l\)t /iiEBrnl nf a l^i'mn nr a (Canon XXVIII., torn, vi., p. 277.) I ASKED impartial Justice/ " To whom does this tomb belong ? And who was he who lies in it ? For there is here nothing to distinguish him from others." Then an answer was returned to me By Justice^ respecting my enquiry : — '' Here a king is buried, who was renowned ; Draw nigh and contemplate his humiliation. And near him a poor beggar is interred, And behold, one cannot be known from the other." And as 1 departed by the door I first saw the beggar ; Who lay there low upon the ground. And on his head was great sadness.^ For upon it the spider had spun her web. And his body lay in the dust ; His teeth were loosened from the gums,"" And his mouth was filled with ashes. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 35 His bones had put off their fleshly clothing, And were become dust and clay. Now when I saw the beggar. In this great humiliation ; I thought with myself, that a king of nations Could not be so low as he. I reflected, that as when li^-ing here, A king is greater than a beggar, So even in the sepulchre, His corpse would be treated with honour. But instead of his great exaltation, Misery is now his guest ; And in the place of his high throne. His body is prostrate in the dust. Instead of his sweet perfumes. His head hath become corruption ; Instead of all his magnificence. He is turned to clay in the tomb. Then I groaned in myself and said, Alas ! how is haughtiness humbled ! And what a low estate is prepared To bring down pride ! For whether he be a king or a beggar, Each reposes in the tomb and is no better than the other. 36 METRICAL HYMNS OF Let not man confide in his wealth. For riches here forsake him ; Let him not trust in his possessions. For they cannot descend with him to the grave. Let not man confide in his comeHness, For his beauty shall fade away in the tomb. I considered the devouring grave/^ "Which is full, yet not satisfied ; And, however many dead go down to it. Its bosom becomes yet wider. Untold thousands lie there. The rich and the poor together ; For I saw great multitudes. Lying together without confusion. They are all silent. Without a sound or a movement ; No one can raise himself up. To go forth to his neighbour. The mighty ones have no power To possess anything in the grave ; The proud and the arrogant are not able. To exalt themselves about their fellows. Those who delighted in pleasures, Cannot there live luxuriously j EPHRAEM SYRUS. 37 Nor those who loved Mammon^ Occupy themselves with usurious gains. The kiug is buried and his gold with him ; They are both alike useless ; The rich man is bmied with his treasures. And he is unable to employ them. The unjust man is buried with his evil deed, And Gehennah keeps watch over him ; The righteous is buried with his affliction. And Paradise expects him."" The poor is buried with his alms/ And the kin^-dom awaits him. ^&' I desired to examine the remains. Of the wealthy and of the poor. To see whetlier the bones of the rich. Are more beautiful than those of poor men. But as the comeliness of the fair hath ceased. So hath haughtiness and arrogancy ; Those are naked who were clothed in white raiment,^ And are tifrned to blackness.^ Those lie there who improved their complexions,' And artfully disguised their faces ;^ Those lie there who painted their eyelids,' And the worm corrodes their eyes.'" 38 METRICAL HYMNS OF Those lie there who wrought iincleanness_, And have become abominable clay ; Those lie there who loved arrogancy, And are as though they existed not. Those lie there who loved pride^ And are become a loathsome spectacle ; Those lie there who loved to have dominion_, And they are prostrate on their faces. The cultivators of letters lie there. But their wit has failed them ; There lie the lovers of despicable riches, And are without daily bread. There lie those who were enemies, And their bones are mingled together ! The above is perhaps more a metrical homily than a hymn, par- taking however of the character of both kinds of composition. It is heptasyUabic, in strophes of four verses, intermixed, without any apparent rule, with some of only two. The translator has followed the exact arrangement of the printed text, in the absence of manuscript authority. It is however to be suspected that the whole piece is intended to be uniform, and that the order has been disarranged by a transcriber. But it would be UBkwise to speak too positively on this subject, while the whole subject of the Syrian hymnology is so little understood. a " Impartial justice."' — This is a somewhat paraphrastic ex- pression for the Syriac word (ZqjII) although its exact mean- ing would not be conveyed by the English justice. Its precise signification is rectitiido, rectiticde, or iqjrightness, involving the idea EPHRAEM SYRUS. 39 of impartiality. Benedict gives more precision and life to the Prosopopceia, by translating " Justitiam sejndcro assidentem con- teiiijilatus, I'ogabam,^^ — probably using assidentem in a forensic sense. (See Hymn XXXV., stropbe 1.) b " And on bis bead was great sadness."' — 8y., \^h \]a \ a great mourning. As the Latins use luctus in the sense of funeral weeds, — in luctu esse, to he in mourning, so fIo| may have the same meaning. There will then be an allusion to the web which the spider had woven on the skull. c "His teeth were loosened from the gums." — Literally, icere divested of their shin. The words in Job xix. 20, " f/ie sJcin of my te^th,'' literally agree, in the Pescliito, with those in Ephraem. d " Devouring grave." — . \n » ^ sheol, here and in other places in this hymn, is not rendered by Hades, because the con- nexion seems to demand the more limited signification. The physical, not the moral condition of the dead is the topic of dis- course. ^ " Gehennah keeps watch over him — Paradise expects him." — By these two bold personifications Ephraem strongly states the doctrine of Holy Scripture, that no moral change takes place after death ; but that however long the final award may be deferred, it will take its character from the state of the soul on leaving the world. / "The poor is buried with his alms." — |A^5l the word used for alms, is from *D5l justum, ceqimm fuit; and is used by the Pescliito for ^iKaioavvrj in Matt. vi. 1 ; the ideas of justice, and cleinency, or benevolence being used as cognate in many languages. 9 " Qothed in white raiment." — 'J^Q.kj white {garments.) 'Hfe same word is used in John xx. 12. Benedict renders it hyssus, fine linen ; and probably the quality as well as the coloui* is here alluded to. A " Turned to blackness." — Literally, are become the colour of coeds, i " Improved their complexions." — Sy., polished. The word ^D^iD is tersit, expolivit, and in xVphel, lavit. The two ideas toge- ther describe the care taken to improve the skin by cosmetics. k " Artfully disguised their faces" — i.e., by the use of pigments, 40 METRICAL HYMNS OF intended to heighten or lessen the colour, according to the con- ventional standard of beauty. One meaning of . »^»; (Y> is fraii- dulenter egit in aliquem. Benedict translates this and the former verse, — " Qui pigmentis formam mentiri solehant.''^ i " Painted their eyelids." — Sy. ^n m i > V oAcL- ndorned their eyes. Benedict, " Oculos stibio ante renidentes.^' m " And the worm corrodes their eyes." — Literally, sitcJcs, derives nourishment from. Benedict, " Serpente tinea corrosos ac populatos ocidos.'" EPHRAEM SYRUS. 41 XV. Cljrist tljr Cnm|inttinn nf ttit DisctnjjiiMcii Intil. (Canon LXXXI., torn, vi., p. 355.) As my provision for my journey" I have taken Thee^ Oh Tliou Son of God ! And when I am hungry I will eat of Thee, Thou Saviom- of the world ! The fire will keep far off from my members, Perceiving in me the savom' of Thy body and blood. Baptism shall become to me A ship which cannot sink ;* And I shall see Thee there, oh Lord, In the day of the resurrection.^ I was living in my place of sojourn (Thus speaks the soul). But the Master of the house sent to me. And I am not permitted to continue. The messenger thus addressed me : — " Depart from the house and vacate its chambers !" Oh my body, my temporary home. Remain here in peace ! And in the day of the resurrection I shall see thee rejoicing. 42 METRICAL HYMNS OF The lictors came with speedy But I was ignorant of it ; The messenger stood at the door, But I did not perceive him ; Deliver me. Lord, from the judgment of the devil, "V^Tio hateth Thy renowned children ; And with Thy holy ones may I attain To the house of the kingdom ; That I may utter a song of praise. And ^Yiih them glorify Thee, How bitter is this cup Which death hath mingled ! And how terrible is the time, And how grievous the hour. Which caUeth for Thee ! The soul saith to the body,, " Remain thou here in peace, O much loved habitation. In which I once dwelt While the Lord was ^dlling/^ How saddened is the sinner In his heart at that hour. When the king Messiah shall sit Upon His dreadful judgment-seat ; And all tribes shall stand before Him, And all secrets of the heart shall be revealed. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 43 Terrible is the tribunal ! Terrible is the Judge, and that season ! , Blessed is he whom Thy favour Shall protect, oh Lord ! Tins int eresting- hymn is heptasyllabic and tetra syllabic in alter- nate verses. The strophes, as divided in the printed text, contain ten verses each, except the two last, the former of which is defi- cient, and the latter redundant in the number of verses. There is either much confusion in the arrangement of these portions, or the harmony has to be ehcited by rules as yet undiscovered. a " My provision for my journey." — jasj5o|J (501 (^ viaticum, occurs in Gen. xlii. 25 ; in the English version, '' provision for the tcay:' (See Hymn XXIV.) * " A ship which cannot sink." — An evident allusion to 1 Peter iii. 21, " The like figm-e whereunto, even baptism, doth now save us,"' the ark being the type, baptism the antitype. It is true that the Textus Eeceptus by t5 avriTvirov, makes ivater the type, but the reading adopted by Tischendorf, o uvTi-vrrov^ allows the in- terpreter to refer to the arJi as the emblem of baptism. The Pes- chito leaves the matter doubtful. c '' In the day of the resurrection." — This strophe gives a suc- cinct description of the views of Ephraem as to the state of the soul after death, which are alluded to and amplified in many of the hymns. A journey has to be imdertaken, and the course leads to a sea or lake of flame, which must be passed before the resurrec- tion is attained to. By the body and blood of Christ the fiery waves would be innocuous, and by the ship of baptism, the soul would safely pass the ten'ible abyss. (Compare Hymns XIII. and XXI.) 44 METRICAL HYMNS OF XVI. (Canon XVII., torn, vi., p. 262.) His lips have sung The psalms of the Spirit f Pardon his offences^ And let him shout aloud in Thy kingdom : — " Glory be to Him who had mercy on me !" He bore in early youth Thy pleasant yoke : Break off and cast from him The fetters of sin ; — And make him happy in Thy tabernacle ! He voluntarily denied himself The pleasures of a temporal home ;* And desired earnestly the dwelling Prepared for the perfect : — Unite him with the perfect ones ! He laboured to reconcile Brethren who were angry with each other, And brought them together For good^ in Thy habitation f — Let his dwelling-place be in Eden. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 45 He ministered to liis fellow- servants, As Thou didst command him f And made himself to be The last of all men : — Let him sit down at Thy table ! He confessed Thee, oh Lord, Before the children of men ; Confess him also Before Thy Father :— According as Thou hast promised/ Do good to him in Thy loving-kindness, And forgive his trespasses ; Thou who alone art good, And the pardoner of offences : — Forgive his trespasses '/ Infirmities oppressed him In the time of his old age ; Do Thou renew his youth^ In the Eden of pleasures : — Give him life in Thy tabernacle ! And as even in old age And bodily infirmity, He was constantly devoted To the ser\ice of Thy house : — Let him praise Thee with the upright ! 46 METRICAL HYMNS OF This hymn is very exact in its composition. It is pentasyllabic, in strophes of five verses, the last being antiphonal The syn- tactical construction is a little altered in the translation to avoid the use of the pronoun Him at the beginning of each strophe. « " The psalms of the Spirit." — This sentence admits of two interpretations. It may mean the inspired Psalms, referring to those in the Old Testament ; or it may signify spiritual songs generally, productions of a spiritual character, embodying the feel- ings of the heart. The expression ]_kjo55 1 7 ^ > Vn ^ is in the Peschito version of Ephesians v. 19, for the lyccu? irvevixajiKcu'i of the Textus Receptus. Tischendorf omits TrvevjuariKcu's in his edition of 1841, but restores it in that of 1849. ^ " The pleasures of a temj)oral home." — The Syriac is more definite in its allusion to celibacy. Benedict translates : — " Cceli- hem, et quique a nuptiali hujus temj)oris thalamo ahstijiuit.'^ c " For good, in Thy habitation." — The desirableness of inspect- ing and comparing MSS. is illustrated in this verse. As it is divided in the printed copy the passage would read — He laboured to reconcile Brethren who were angry with each other And brought them together For good : In Thy habitation let his dwelling-place be in Eden. Besides the awkwardness of the sentiment of the last verse which this arrangement produces, it gives three syllables to the fourth verse and seven to the fifth, instead of five to each. Probably the j-VOQ^ in the fourth verse means the monastery or convent to which the deceased monk belonged : — he hrought the brethren to a state of peace for good in Thy convent. This makes a good sense, and restores the harmony of the text, interrupted by the printed pointing. That |jiiDQ_L means a monastery is undoubted. See Bernstein's Lexicon in he, and Michaelis's note in Castell. Bene- dict evades the difficulty. d " As Thou didst command him." — The reference is to Luke xxii. 26 : — " Let him that is chief among you he as he that serveih," compared with verse 30 : — " That ye may sit at my table,''^ &c. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 47 ^ " As Thou hast promised." — See Matt. x. 32. As Ephraem distinctly employs the sentiment of this text, it is worth exami- nation whether he quotes the Syriac version accurately or from memory. The principal words of the sentence are found to cor- respond very closely with the Peschito, except that rendered Father. In the Feschito it is \SIi\ the word always used to desig- nate the Father; in Ephraem it is po\ > genitor, tlie begetter; which is only once found in the New Testament, 1 John v. 1 ; and is there applied to the Father only by a logical process : — " every 07W that loveth Him that begat." The way in which Ephraem was constantly occupied with doctrinal controversies, sufficiently ex- plains his use of the rarer formula. / " Forgive his trespasses." — The repetition of this prayer in one strophe, is a strong proof that the last line of this hymn is antiphonal. ff " Do Thou renew his youth." — Literally, maJce his old age young again. 48 METRICAL HYMNS OF XVII. (iDii tilt Dtatji nf e IBnmnn, (Canon XXXII., torn, vi., p. 289.) Tears are in the eyes^ In the ears are sounds of woe, In the mouth is wailing, And sadness in the heart : — Comfort me^ oh Lord ! This day separates A woman from her house, And it bows down and falls prostrate/ Having lost its order : — Let it be arranged by Thy light ! This day hath clothed This house in mourning, And hung upon its walls Affliction and sadness : — Let Thy consolation give it light ! In the day of her birth she became mortal ;* In her life there was trouble ; The day of her death caused mourning To the company of her friends : — Glory to Him who hath taken her away ! EPHRAEM SYRUS. 49 In tlie grave which hath swallowed up The dead of all generations. Her body sees corruption. And becomes but dust : — Let Thy resurrection raise her up ! Death hath entered — hath snatched her away, And put her forth from her dwelling, And in the habitation of the tomb Hath deposited her : — Till the day of her rising. Her soul hath gone away, As Thy command hath decreed ; Behold ! she hath become dust. As Thy command hath decreed :- — Lord, make her live anew ! The metre is pentasyllable, in strophes of five verses, the last being antiphonal. « " And it bows down and falls prostrate." — The translator in vain endeavoiu-ed to lessen the harshness of this figure, or to deduce any other meaning from the original , i >( «^| | <^n^0. The words would apply to a tent, which in the absence of tlie mistress might have its pegs loosened and its lines relaxed, but this idea is scarcely reconcilable with historical truth, or with the rest of the poem. Benedict renders the verse, " Domus idcirco tota jaeetj squalido turpis situy b " In the day of her birth she became mortal." — Literally, iJiere icas death. D 50 METRICAL HYMNS OF c " As Thy command hath decreed." — The reiteration of this verse in the last strophe is an indication of some artistic design, to be developed by the choir. A writer so diffuse as Ephraem would otherwise scarcely have allowed the tautology. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 51 XYIII. (Dn tljt Dcnt|j nf nn ngc^ Mm. (Caxox LXXIY., torn. vi.. p. 345.) The only-begotten Son whom thou hast loved From thy youth to thine old age, Will remember thee in Eden^ Among the upright and righteous. Thou wast perfect in thy faith, And chaste in thine aspect f Behold thy honourable name is diffused Among us as a sweet odour.* Behold thy communion is with the angels, And thy memorial in Paradise ; And with a crown of glory thou art adorned In the heavenly Jerusalem. The voice which called to Lazarus, And to the maid,*^ the daughter of Jairus, Will call thee and raise thee up, And clothe thee with spotless glory.*^ This hymn is heptasyllabic, in strophes of four verses. « '' Chaste in thine aspect." — |Z.V-k> visiis^ conspectus, has here a much wider significance than any single English word can d2 52 METRICAL HYMNS OF convey. It means the appearance of a man presented to others, or the tcliole course of external conduct. Thus Benedict has well paraphrased it : — " Pudicus ac decorus uhique status^ incessus, vul- tus ; ocidi citra omnem petulantue notam^ The English word con- versation in the New Testament sense would nearly convey the idea of the Syriac text. b " Sweet odour." — There is no verbal resemhlance in this pas- sage to the sentiment of Eccles. vii. 1, as it exists in the Peschito. c " And to the maid." — (A . \ ^ TalltJio, appears to be used here as a proper name. In Mark v. 41, where the raising the daughter of Jairus is related, the Syriac word is retained in a manner difficult to account for. May not Talitha have been a proper name among the Jews? If so, both the peculiarity of Mark and the phraseology of our text are explained. d "Spotless glory." — 1-»-05 purus, sincerus ; here it means unmixed, untarnished. Benedict conveys the idea : — " Secretis malis omnibus, cumulatd honorum complexione munerabitiir.'' EPHRAEM SYRUS. 53 XIX. (!)n tljE Smtji nf a |^rt.shjtfr, (Canon XLIX., torn, vi., p. 303.) "Oh my fellow ministers,'' Keep me in remembrance, In the midst of the sanctuary ; For death hath separated me. From your communion, Which was a spiritual one/^ Let it not be grievous to thee. Oh our beloved brother. That death hath removed thee from us ; For with the holy ones, Thy soul shall be a companion,* In the Day of the Resurrection. From thy early youth Thou, lord,^ didst take upon thee. The yoke of thy Master ; And He will make thee happy. In the pa^dlion of light. Which cannot be destroyed. A spiritual talent. The good servant Receives from his Lord ; 54 METRICAL HYMNS OF And in an honourable manner. Returns Him his gains. As each one hath profited/ At the holy altar. At which thou didst minister. In spiritual things ; A day commemorative of thee. Shall be celebrated. Even for evermore. Thy crown is a glorious one. Among the sanctified. In the Kingdom on High ; Because thou didst desire The love of Christ the Son, In the exercise of Faith. In spiritual meditation, Thou didst consume thy days. Living in a pious manner ; Nor didst thou cease from it. Until thou hadst attained To the reward of Victory.^ To the word of Doctrine Which Paul uttered,-^ This prosperous one listened ; EPHRAEM SYRUS. 55 And he also pressed forward To the reward of Victory/ In the Kingdom on High ! The above is tetrasyllable, in strophes of six verses. « " My fellow ministers." — . >/ ^ Vo ^ / . » i «^ children of my ministry. Although this phrase is not found in the Lexicons, the translation given is established by the kindred expressions, children of the city for fellow citizens, children of an inheritance for fellow heirs, &c. It may be seen in Cureton's text of the Festal Letters of Athanasius, page OlD, hnes 7 and 14. * '' A companion." — |;_»,1d Uterally a diceller, an inhabitant, if as pointed in the printed text, this is the participle ^ael, feminine, of 505 hahitavit. But |_»f-»,lD is a coenohite, from |i-» J a monastery, and from the way in which Ephraem's style is tinged with mo- nastic ideas, it is probable |;->r^ is also a coenobite : " Thy sold shall he a coenohite icith the holy f^ i.e., shall have a common dwell- ing with them. c " Lord."— •-i^lO mor.— This word, like the Greek Kvpios, is used by the Svrians as a title of respect. It is given especially to persons in high ecclesiastical stations, whether living or dead, and its use here may probably indicate that the hymn is for a departed Bishop, and not a Presbyter ; but this is not certain. On this word, Michaelis, in CasteU, has this observation, " .-jflD 7nor, non nisi orthodoxorum nominihus prcejponant ; hereticis, quan- tumvis etiam sint clari et illustres, denegentf^ a fate similar to that which our word Reverend sometimes meets with. «^ " As each one hath profited." — All the leading words in this strophe are the same as those employed in the passage referred to Matt. XXV. 14. e " The reward of Victory."— In no Lexicon is this rendering given to IZ-ODl although Schaaf quotes it in 1 Cor. ix. 24, " one ohtaineth the prize:' Equally clear is this meaning in Phil. iii. 14, " that I may receive the prize. ''^ f " Which Paul uttered."— See Phil. iii. 14. 56 METRICAL HYMNS OF XX. Mrrtssiti] for ^rtparntinn for Dnitji, (Canon LX., torn, vi., p. 326.) Pity me^ oh Father ! in Thy tender mercy. And at Thy tribunal let Thy love be with me ; And make me to rise up from the dust. In the day when Thy standard'* shall be revealed. Oh Father ! whose lo^dng-kindness formed me. And who at the first fashioned our image / Let Thy nod raise our bodies again, In the day when the world is destroyed. At the appearing of Jesus our King, The buried of all ages shall stand up ; His li\ing voice shall call loudly. And awaken every sleeper ; What terror shall be to all men, When the thrones are set in order ! How will the wicked be confounded. And all be turned into hell l*" The Day of Judgment is at hand And all faults shall be disclosed ; Who then can be pm^e in Thy sight. In the hour when the books are opened ! EPHRAEM SYRUS. 57 For there are no penitents. Nor offerers of supplications ; For tliat is tlie day of doom In which no word nor speech is uttered ! This very solemn production is hexasyllabic ; a metre rarely used by Ephraem Syrus. Asseman says that he employed it, {Bib. Or., i., p. 61 ;) but Hahn had not met with an instance of it. He says, (Barclesanes, p. 45,) " Hexasyllahoriim versuum exemplum hucusque apud Ephraemum nondum reperi, prceter fragmerdum Hymni Bardesanitid.^' But the present is an undoubted instance of the metre. (See also Hymn XXI.) The strophes consist of eight verses, and the structure of the h}Tiin is very perfect. « " Thy standard." — | ^ » ^ signum, vexillum. It occurs in Matt. xxiv. 30, " Then shcdl he seen the sign of the Son of 3Ian.'' (See Homily lY., note a.) * " Fashioned our image." — An evident allusion to Gen. i. 27. On that passage Ephraem says, " By the poiver and dominion tchich he received over the earth, and all that it contains, man is the image of God, icho rules over all above and all beloio.^'' An enallage of person is used in this verse, " O Father loho fashioned,''^ instead of '' didst fashion.'" This, and a similar change of other persons and numbers is of common occurrence. Michaelis thus states the case : — " Syri alloquentes in secundci persona, post interveniens vet participium vel pronomen relativum, sermonem aliquando ex secundd in tertiam deflectuntur.'^ c " HeU." — v^n » * Sheol. The place of lost souls, more fre- quently designated as Gehennah. d3 58 METRICAL HYMNS OF XXI. (Dn tjif Dratji nf a ^rtshtjtEr. (Canon LVII., torn, vi., p. 324.) " My brethren^ present on my behalf A supplication to the King ; And pray for me with tears^ Who have departed from you for ever ! Offer up for me_, my brethren, A supplication to the King ; That my course may tend to happiness. And that I may attain to the place of light." " Be comforted, oh, our brother. For sin did not rule over thee ; The Blessed One vrill come forth to meet thee. And give thee the reward of thy labours." " But the judgment is decreed, it now hasteneth ; The end of my days is completed ; And before I had prepared for my journey,'* The King sent and took me away !" " He is bountifuP in his mercy ; He can make thy pound ten thousand ; The bridegroom whose truth thou hast preserved, Will place a crown upon thy head." EPHRAEM SYRUS. 59 Behold ! the end of my days is accomplished, And my Angel suddenly removed me -," Pray for me with weeping, And remember me who have departed ! My feeble heart is agitated, Lest I should light upon the fire.'^ Pray for me that I may overcome The flame which is so terrible !'^ The Blessed One will furnish thee With might to conquer the fire ; He will provide thee with wings/ That thou may est fly over it !^^ The metre of this hymn is probably like the former one, hexa- syllabic, although its structure is so irregular as to make it difficult to give a positive decision. Many verses have six syllables, but others have five or seven. By dint of the frequent use of synseresis and diseresis the hexasyllabic type may be established. a- " Before I had prepared for my journey." — Before I had got ready my viaticum^ ]50l as in Hymn XV. h " He is bountiful."— ]\ i \? facilis, generosus. The meaning is fixed by the use of the word in 1 Tim. vi. 18, where for r.v/n€Ta- ^oTO^;§ eiuai, the Feschito has ^Aln\ ^^ i \ i N? ^OOTJO that they he liberal in giving. c "Suddenly removed me." — This may refer to a want of pre- paration only in the deceased, but a comparison of this with the 60 METRICAL HYMNS OF fourth strophe, produces a conviction that the hymn was intended for one who had died without much warning. 'i " Lest I should Hght upon the fire."— See Hymn XV. and the note on the last strophe ; also Hymn XIII. « "He will provide thee with wings." — Literally, icill cause toings to groio on thy sides. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 61 XXII. (Canon LXIX., torn, vi., p. 338.) The Churcli is desolate and sits moiirnfiilly^ For no one enters or departs ; Thy decree hath destroyed them ! And the priests groan in the holy place_, With loud sighs for their companions^ Who have departed from them for ever ! Howl_, old age^ and weep ! For already is snapped in sunder The staff on which thou leanedst ; — AATio shall hold and raise thee up ? For Death hath broken it and caused it to decay^ He hath entered and placed it in the tomb ! AVho would not weep, my brethren,, AVith bitter wailings ? Who does not suffer and groan and sigh, For the sword which is in our streets ? Young men, beloved and comely. Wither suddenly like flowers ! Oh God, the Father, who hath fashioned us For His great glory. Now deliver us and in Thy pity let us live ! 62 METRICAL HYMNS OF Let not Thy fair image perish And become a derision to its enemies, But pardon us and save our lives ! No deaths are so grievous As the evil death of the wicked man ; His iniquity addeth to the burning. And the flame can not be quenched ; Hope and escape are cut off".— ^ Save us from it, and in Thy grace let us live ! Confess us and put us not to shame Before the nations who know Thee not ; Since we have not declined from Thy law, Nor from the precepts of Thy doctrine. Preserve us from the judgment which hasteneth. And from the wrath which threatens us l"" Heptasyllabic, in strophes of six verses. In this hymn, as in many others, the last verse of each strophe is redundant in syllables, in some instances ha^ang an Alexandrine length. « Some fine hymns on seasons of pestilence, of greater length than this occur. (See Canons LXIII. and LXIV.) EPHRAEM SYRUS, XXIII. (Pae^xesis XXXII., torn, vi., p. 484.) Before my offences Are brought against me At the tribunal of justice; And cause me to stand In the presence of the Judge With confusion of face : — Have mercy on me, oh Lord, for Thou art abundant in mercy ! Before Thou shalt close Thy door against me Thou Son of God; And I shall become Food for the fire TMiich dieth not in HeU :- Have mercy on me, &c. Before the wheel of time« Shall run its course Above the weU ; And the pitcher Of aU tribes of men Be broken at the fountain Have mercy on me, &c. 64 METRICAL HYMNS OF Before those who have made A vain profession* Shall cry, " Lord ! Lord V'' And Thou answerest them ^' I know yon not \Mio ye are :" — Have mercy on me, &c. Before the mighty hosts Shall go forth in the presence Of the Son of the King ; And shall gather together^ Our unhappy race Before the judgment-seat : — Have mercy on me, &c. Before the dust Shall return to the earth And we become but clay ; And the forms of men Now so beautiful Are tmmed to corruption : — Have mercy on us, &c. Before the withering blast Of Death shall smite thee^ As if thou wert a tree ; And thy body shall put forth Diseases which presage The season of death : — Have mercy on me, &c. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 65 Before the brilliant sun Shall become darkened In the expanse/ on high ; Let Thy light appear^ And chase away the gloom Which obscures my intellect : — Have mercy on me^ &c. Before the voice of the trumpet Shall shout aloud To announce Thy coming;^ O Lord Jesus_, Have pity on Thy servants Who pray earnestly to Thee : — Have mercy on me, &c. Thls hymu furnishes an illustration of the chorus, which there is reason to believe, formed a part of many of the others although its place is not always indicated. The abbreviations are translated as they appear in the printed text. The metre is tetrasyllable, in strophes of six verses besides the chorus, which is either tetra- syllable repeated three times, or consists of a verse of twelve syllables. a " Before the wheel of time." — Eccles. xii. 6. This is an exact copy of the PescJiito with the addition of the words P-Ol thne, and "jA*^; 1 . \n all tribes or families, which form a beautiful exe- gesis of the passage ; the members of the sentence also appear in reversed order. A proof is here furnished in addition to many others, first, of the existence and common use of the Peschito in the time of Ephraem ; and, secondly, of the identity of its text at that time and the present. 66 METRICAL HYMNS OF * " A vain profession." — This translation is given to the word I lAVo\ '^mj. The only reference to it in the Lexicons is found in Castell, who renders it figurans, plastes^ sculptoi'^ hut, as is too often the case, without furnishing any authority. The sense of pretender or imitator, and hy implication, that of vain professor, is fixed hy this passage in Ephraem, and hy one in the Syriac text of the Letters of Athanasius. In page (TLD, line 15 (Cureton's text) of that work, Athanasius says, " / have sent a copy of a letter that ye may hiow the fraud of these pretenders,'^ ] l AVnnm l This word is borrowed from the Greek frxW^'> adaptations of which are of frequent occurrence in Syriac. c " Shall cry, Lord ! Lord !" — This expression occurs twice in the New Testament, Matt. xxv. 13, and Luke xiii. 25. There is nothing in the text to shew which Ephraem quotes. d " Shall gather together." — See Matt. xxiv. 31 ; Mark xiii. 27 ; in the Peschito. « " Death shall smite thee." — There is here an instance of the change from the first to the second person, to which reference was made in note h. Hymn XX. / " The expanse on high." — The word translated expanse is |Ldo5 the usual meaning of which is altitudo, suhlimitas. But as this would differ hut little from the . \v\ on high, which fol- lows, the rendering expanse is given, which is justified by Isa. viii. 8, " The spreading out or expanse ]lD05 of his wings'' 9 "To announce thy coming." — Literally hefore thy coming; i.e., evidently, to make it known. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 67 XXIV. 51 Blnrniiig iOijtira. (ParjEnesis LXIV., torn, vi., p. 534.) Oh my loved friends, Ye cliildi'en of the Church/ Offer up your praise At the season of the dawn : Every morning let us give thanks, And bow down in adoration, To the good Being who hath arranged in order, All the starry lights on high. He hath rolled away the covering From the regions of the earth ;* And caused his light to beam forth On all created things. The bright ray of the morning Waketh up the sleeper. — Let Thy day-spring'' Shine upon our hearts. Let Thy glory, O Lord, Be the subject of our song f A li\dng treasure In the midst of our souls ; And as Thou hast caused us to come forth 68 METRICAL HYMNS 01' From the shades of darkness. So deliver us From the place of torment.^ Nourish in Thy compassion, From Thine own gifts. The children of the Church, Who are dependent on Thee. Let Thy tender pity become An intercessor on our behalf; Thou Lord of the mornings, And of appointed seasons. Lord, let Thy favour Be a companion to us ; And by it may we arrive At Thy great day. Let the right hand of Thy loving-kindness Deal bountifully with us ; And by it may we pass over The sea of fire. Thou Just One, who doth/ recompense Every one according to equity, Exact not from me A rigid reckoning ; Let Thy mercies which accompany me, Be my deliverer. And by Thee may I attain To the haven^' of life. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 69 When the appointed scrutiny Shall be by fire, Sprinkle me with Thy dew/* Like the young men in the furnace ; When the flames furiously rage Against those who have done wickedly. Let me be united With Thy holy ones, O Lord ! O Thou precious balsam That can heal all wounds ! Give health to our sores* By the medicine of Thy tender mercies ; And in the society Of Abraham and Isaac And of Jacob, who were upright, Ignite Thou me, O Lord ! Let Thy body and Thy blood* Be to me a companion. And by it let me be delivered From the raging flame ; Let Thy cross become The means of passage to all of us,^ That we may pass over the abyss Which is full of terror. Behold this om' convent"' Calleth upon Thee ; Let us hear Thy voice. 70 METRICAL HYMNS OF " Come ye blessed of my Father f Thou lofty One, who art plenteous In pity and loving-kindness. Let Thy mercy raise us up on high In the day of Thy appearing. The high heavens and the earth And all that is therein Shall return thanks with us Because of our conversion." Let praise be to Thee O Father, who art to be adored. And to Thy only Son And to the Holy Ghost ! This hymn is tetrasyllable, in strophes of eight verses. a " Ye children of the Church." — The word here translated children is not > » i *^ which would give to the phrase the mean- ing of fellow-memhers or communicants, but | ^\ > begotten ones, in allusion to the regeneration which is the portion of Christians. b " From the regions of the earth." — "j A . i c^ the ends, sides, termini, 8fC. It is of very frequent occurrence, the numeral four being understood. This is supplied in Hymn XXVIII., strophe 1, and XXV., strophe 15. c " Thy day-spring." — ] »->-Vn . In Hebrew and Chaldee rroi? is to germinate, to bud or spring forth, in reference to vegetation. The application to the rays of the sun, which dart or spring forth from it, is obvious enough. d "The subject of our song." — Sy., •1d|1D a homily, theme; but the word is used for metrical compositions. (See Introduction.) EPHRAEM SYllUS. 71 e " The place of torment." — Sy., Geliennah. f " Who doth recompense," — For the enallage of persons see the note b on Hymn XX. As this usus loquendi is harsh when employed in English, it will not always be retained in the trans- lation. ff "The haven of life."— ^V) N\ haven is the Greek \i/ut)p, partus. It frequently occui's, but without the olaph J^V ; this form, with olaph, is not given in the Lexicons. '- " Sprinkle me with Thy dew." — This expression, which in itself is extraordinary, receives light from the song of the three children, from which it is borrowed. In verse 50 of that addition to Daniel, the S^mac version has, ^'■the angel made the furnace fj|-4? |-kj05 ya^\ nice a loind of deio ;" i.e., a moist dewy air, beautifully contrasting with the dry scorching nature of the flames of the furnace. The Latin version in Walton's Polyglott is, " quasi ventum roscidum ;" that of Junius is, " tanquam si aer fuisset per- spersus rore:'' The whole strophe is illustrated by this passage in the history of the three Jewish confessors. The flames consumed their enemies who were near the furnace. So Ephraem prays, that when the wicked are destroyed he may be united with the holy, who, like the three children, are saved from the flames of heU. ' " Give health to our sores.'^ — A plain allusion to the case of Lazarus, who, although before ftdl of sores, was taken to Abra- ham's bosom. * " Let Thy body and Thy blood." — See the fuller development of this idea in Hymn XV., strophe 1. I " The means of passage." — See Hymn XXV., strophe 14. >« " Our convent." — This sense of (V) i O is not in the Lexi- cons, but may be deduced from the ordinary meanings of the word, fiedus, pactum, a covenant, an agreement ; or from the xVrabic ^'i in fourth Conjugation, commoratus fuit in loco. The idea exists in a passage quoted by Michaelis, in Castell, (s. v., SDn D^ LjlD jVn > o which he renders virgines sacrce, but probably is felloio nuns, the daughters of the convent. It occurs in this sense in the 72 METRICAL HYMNS OF Acta S. JSphraemi, in Assemani Bib. Or., torn, i., p. 47. Benedict translates, " istejidelium coetus.'' n " Conversion." — Although this rendering of |_»_3Q^ is sanc- tioned by New Testament usage, as when the conversion of the Gentiles is spoken of in Acts xv. S ; and although Benedict conveys the idea of a moral reformation, de nostra ad honam frugem reditu; the translator confesses that he is not satisfied with the word, nor convinced that the idea of religious conversion is that intended to be conveyed by Ephraem. It seems natural enough in our day, for Christians to thank God for their conversion ; but it must be acknowledged that the usus loquendi is not common in the works of Ephraem. Cases may be imagined indeed, which would justify another rendering, more adapted to the style and circumstances of this father. jjJQ^ like the Latin reditus may mean an income., amiual 2>rofit , &,'c.; or the brethren of the monas- tery may have had some singular turning event in their history to which allusion is here made ; but perhaps they may have been, like Ephraem himself, heathens in early life. Certainly there is nothing which will harmonize so well with the context, where heaven and earth are called to join them in giving thanks, as the religious conversion of those by whom this Morning Hymn was oflfered up. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 73 XXV. IMjma fnr tjjt (Bntning. (Par.exesis LXY., torn, vi., p. 535.) Ix the time of evening'^ Let praise be given to Thee^ From the united tongues* Of the children of men. Thou hast given the da\i;ime For business and labour, And that we may proWde All useful things. Behold all who are oppressed With heavy toil^ Retm-n Thee their thanks Because Thou dost give them repose. Who is the being That will not worship Thee, Because Thou carest so much For our humanity ? Thou hast set up the lights of heaven, With appointed seasons in the evening, That Thou mayest reprove him Who is never satisfied, E 74 METRICAL HYMNS OF With the bodily strength Of his fellow creatures^ Who labour for him freely Through all the day. To the hungry and thirsty — To those who labour and are fatigued- The evening comes, And sets them at liberty. The season of evening Hath now arrived. And maketh joyful The world and its labourers. But he who is not pitiful Towards his fellows. And he who is avaricious Not being satisfied with his work, — The evening despises him And treats him with contempt,^ And his oppressive covetousness Is not satisfied. Blessed be Thy Majesty Who from the beginning, Hast carefully regarded Our human nature. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 75 Who hast appointed a returning To the chiklrcn of men, And all living creatiu'es In the time of evening. He hath put a seal npon His Church And defendeth her children, From the adversary Satan And from all his hosts. Let Thy cross become A secure passage/ To Thy flock which is redeemed With Thy living blood. Let Thy peace, Lord, be diflPused Through the four regions of the earth ; ■ And let the wicked one flee away From the midst of us. From every tongue Of all animated creatm'es, And from all places. Let praise ascend. And we together with them, Will ascribe glory To Thee, O Lord, and to the Father, And to the Holy Ghost. E 2 76 METRICAL HYMNS OF This hymn is tetrasyllabic, in strophes of four verses. « " In the time of evening." — Sy,, in all evenings. i " From the united tongues." — ^y.^from all the months. c " Treats him with contempt." — t-jOlQ^]^ 01^ *05 spits in his face., a strong orientalism, indicating the unceremonious manner in which the covetous man, who wishes the evening would not arrive, is treated by its steady and inevitable approach. The Latin printed text avoids the prosopopaiia.1 and translates '' rapn- cissimis illis — vix did potest quam ingratus accidat et inolestus.^' d " A secure passage." — See Hymn XXIV., note b. e "The four regions of the earth." — See Hymn XXIV., note I. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 1^ XXVI. (Caxon XLVIII., torn, vi., p. 303.) Blessed be the Messiah Who hath given us a hope, That the dead shall live again ; And hath assured our race,, That when it has suffered dissolution^ It shall be renewed. Listen, O mortal men, To the mystery of the resurrection ; Which w as once concealed ; Behold, it is now proclaimed abroad, In this latter age. In the holy Chui'ch. For Jesus then became A sojourner with death For the space of three days. And set at liberty his captives f And laid waste his encampment. And returned the spoils to our race. For before that time Death by this was made arrogant, And boasted himself of it — 78 METRICAL HYMNS OF " Behold^ priests and kings Lie bonnd by me^ In the midst of my prisons V A mighty war Came without warning Against the tyrant Death ; And_, as a robber. The shouts of the foe overtook him. And humbled his glory. The dead perceived A sweet savour of life/ In the midst of Hades ; And they began to spread the glad tidings Among one another. That their hope was accomplished. From the beginning of the world, Death had dominion Over mortal men ; Until there arose The Mighty One And abolished his pride. His voice then came Like heavy thunder On mortal men ; And he proclaimed the glad tidings. That they were set at liberty From their bondage. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 79 The metre is tetrasyllable, in strophes of six verses. It has no title in the printed text, being one of the general Canons ; it is called a " Hymn for Easter," from internal evidence. « •• Liberated his captives." — Sy., snatched away his captivity. The allusion is to Eph. iv. 8. " He received gifts for men,^^ in that text, is also the foundation of the last verse, "/le returned the sjjoils to our race.'- b " A sweet savour of life." — (See Hymn XIII., strophe 1.) The expression is taken from 2 Cor. ii. 16, " a savour of life.'' Michaelis, in CasteU fs.v., ]-k»w»5) says that odor vitce is put^ro medicamine efficacissimo in the Epistle to the Corinthians. The Syriac writer of the Life of Ephraem., which is printed by Asseman, (Bihliotheca Orientalis, tom. i., p. 54,) uses the phrase in a way which pro- bably that father would not have recognized ; for he says that when the bones of Ephraem were removed from one sepulchre to another, " a sweet savour of life exhcded from them, and imparted life and gladness to all believers.'' 80 METRICAL HYMNS OF XXVII. Mm rttirrag tn tat. (Pab^nesis XXX., torn, vi., p. 480.) Grant^ Lord_, that if I keep my vigils, I may stand in purity before Thee ; And if, oh my Saviour, I slumber. Let my sleep be free from sin. If in my watching I commit iniquity. Oh Lord by Thy grace forgive me ; If I sin when sleeping, Let Thy kindness be my expiation. And through the cross of Thy humiliation. Afford me refreshing slumber; And deliver me from disturbing dreams. And from profane imaginations ; And in sleep full of peace. Let all the night conduct me ; Let not evil beings have dominion over me. Nor thoughts full of iniquity. And from hateful concupiscence deliver me Through Thy living body which I have eaten ; And I will lie down and sleep in peace. And let Thy blood be a protector to me : — EPHRAEM SYRUS. 81 And to the soul which is Thy production Grant the freedom of Thy likeness f And let Thy right hand watch over The body which Thy hands have formed. Let the wall of Thy mercy encompass me Like a buckler of defence ; And when my body is still, and slumbers_, Let Thy kindness be its guard. Let not the Evil One approach my couch. Thro' the supplication of the mother who bare Thee ; And by Thy sacrifice* on behalf of all men, Put Satan to flight that he persecute me not. And, Lord, perform Thy promise to me. And protect my life by Thy cross ; And when I awake I will praise Thee^ Because Thou hast displayed Thy love to my lowHness. From the sleepers, satisfied with rest. And the watchers who have put on their arms, Be glory to Thee, Thou guardian Spirit !*" Who hast made me a watcher for Thy praise ! This hymn is lieptasyllabic, in strophes of eight verses. a " The freedom of Thy likeness."— j^^!^? l50i-K» probably refers to Eom. viii. 21, " the glorious liherty of the sons of God;' in conjunction with Gen. i. 26. h " And by Thy sacrifice."— That no reliance can be placed on the Latin translation of these hymns will appear from the render- E 3 82 METRICAL HYMNS OF ing of this simple and scriptural expression, ^'- Et oh iiicruentum ac salutiferum ilhid sacrificium, quod pro omnibtis ^terno Fatri in arci Crucis sanctissimd ohtulistiP' c" Thou guardian Spirit!" — The Syriac ]j_»_L from ; » ^ exper- gefecit, is much used by ecclesiastical writers for the guardian spirits, supposed to watch over good men. The phrase here is. Thou living loatclier, to distinguish Christ from the speaker, who applies the term (; » ^ to himself in the last verse. EPHRAEM SYRUS. XXVIII. JcHjinn fnr tjjt Cnrii'fl Snij. (PARJiXEsis XLI., torn, vi., p. 499.) Glory be to the Good Who hath honoured and exalted The first day of the week, In the four regions of the world ; In the beginning'^ this day, A¥as before the others_, In which were set in order, The heaA ens and the earth. On this our Lord arose. From the midst of the sepulchre, With power and might. And the strength of a giant ; And on it the holy Church, Adorns herself With illustrious priests Who minister to her. On this day T^^ill appear. The Lord, at the end of all things, Riding on a chariot. Of burning flame ; 84 METRICAL HYMNS OF The King of Majesty, Will quickly come down, From His divine habitation. The King Messiah, Will direct his way, To the hill of Jabes, Which is Jerusalem. He will set up His cross On the tomb of Adam, Where the Jews of old Also set it up. He will shout with His voice, And the rocks will be rent, And the dead will rise up, From their burial places. Again the earth shall be Without form and void,* As was once its state. At the beginning of all things^ And the King shall command His mighty hosts. Concerning penalties. And concerning rewards.'^ And they shall collect together The dust of Adam,^ In the twinkling of an eye. — From all regions. They shall come to judgment. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 85 And to a strict scrutiny ; And to render a reckoning, And to a public trial/ And He will call the righteous Into the Kingdom^ But send the wicked Into the midst of Gehennah ! The wicked in their actions, Will then resemble. An eye which is blind. In which there is no light. They approach, they knock, They intreat, they weep, — " Lord ! Lord ! open^ Thy door to us !" And He shall say to them, " Depart, ye cursed, For I know not Who ye are !" In that hour. When aU tribes of men. Shall stand in need Of the forgiveness of sins ; We earnestly supplicate This of Thee, oh Lord, 86 METRICAL HYMNS OF That Thy mercy may abound Towards our offences. This world quickly Shall pass away_, And its beauty be destroyed With all that is in it. Awake my beloved ! And pray and intreat. While there remains A place for repentance : — ^' Before the Angel of Death Shall overtake us And we are removed From the present world : — Let us be steadfast Every morning. — To thee be glory O Thou great in mercy ! To the Father and to the Son And to the Holy Ghost^ Let us offer up praise At all seasons ! That this hymn was intended to be used on the Lord's day is plain from the first strophe. The metre is tetrasyllabic. It will be seen that the strophes are most unequally divided, without any EPHRAEM SYRUS. 87 principle being apparent as the foundation of the arrangement. The division of the printed copy has been followed in preference to any conjectural emendation. Even if the whole hymn were divided into strophes of eight lines, like the two jBrst, the dif- ficulty would be increased, since the sense would then be more violated than an artificial harmony of the parts now is. « " In the beginning." — The Syriac text of Genesis is here alluded to, for A » m ... *^ the word employed there and here, is not the usual expression for beginning. Thus in strophe 5, ^l5Q_9 the more common term, is used. ^ " Without form and void." — An exact copy of the words of Gen. i. 2, both in the Hebrew and the FescJiito. Unless we imagine that Ephraem could read Hebrew, the Syriac version then in use was the same in this passage as our present copies. c " At the beginning of all things.'^ — From the very different genius of the two languages, it is impossible, without an offensive boldness, to translate from the Syriac into English, unless supple- mental words are occasionally introduced, as in this instance. In the original there is an uniform number of syllables in each verse, and while it is not practicable to imitate this in a trans- lation, it is thought more advisable to come somewhat near it by filling up of ellipses, than by retaining the extreme terseness of the Syriac. d " And concerning rewards." — The word rendered rewards is 1 1 . Vom . the common meanings of which are, actio^ factum^ fadnus, opus, res gesta, not one of which conveys the idea of reivard, nor do the Lexicons hint at such a meaning. The text, however, seems to require such a contrast to j Av«^ / vindicta, penal- ties. So the Latin translator thought, who has, ^'■id parem improhis pcenam, justis aidem lyrcemiwn et coronam reddant immarescibilemy Until the sense of reicard is confirmed by other instances, the Arabic j^^ fourth conjugation, ^jre^iww coTJSfi^wiY, he fixed a price, may be quoted. e " The dust of Adam." — Meaning the whole human race; Adam 88 METRICAL HYMNS OF in Hebrew being not only a proper name, but also an appellative, designating the genus. / " A public trial." — (^LDQ^ an investigation. But something different from mere scrutiny, spoken of before, must be intended. Castell speaks of a '■'• perscrutatio puhlica^ quce ])08t jirivatam illam, de qua 1 Cor. xi. 28, in usu erat apud Sy7'os." 9 " Lord ! Lord ! open." — See note c, Hymn XXIIL ^ " A place for repentance." — An allusion to Heb. xii, 17. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 89 XXIX. 1 IJijinn nf tlit uttjnk Cjnirrji. (Par.exesis LXX., torn, vi., p. 540.) Oh Jesus, our Lord, King worthy of adoration. Who overcame by His passion The tyrant Death ! Oh Thou Son of God, Who hast promised to us A renewed life. And an exalted kingdom f — Tm-n away from us All hurtful things. And cause to dwell in our habitation* Peace and kindness ; That in the day of Thy advent We may go forth to meet Thee ; And may appear in Thy sight According to Thy will. By loud Hosannahs We will give thanks to Thy name. In return for Thy favour Towards our race ; For Thy tender mercies have been abundant On behalf of our mortal state ; 90 METRICAL HYMNS OF And Thy love lias been powerful Towards our souls. And blot out our sins By Thy propitiation^ That we may praise Thy name^ Because of Thy great goodness/ Oh Lord,, through Thy grace Make us all worthy^ To give thanks and to worship Thy Divinity. Let our eyes which have seen Thy glory in this worlds Contemplate Thy favour In that which is to come. Our ears which have listened To the voice of Thy instructions. Let them not hear^ oh Lord, The sounds of torment ! Our mouths which have sung hallelujahs In the midst of the churches. Make them worthy To hjTun forth Thy praise. And our tongues also Which have shouted out, ^' Holy !" Do Thou direct rightly. For Thy glory. Our hands which have carried"^ Thy body and blood. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 91 Let them receive from Thee The forgiveness of our trespasses. Our feet which have trodden Thy holy temple. Cause them to walk In the region of felicity. And our congregation Which adores Thy Divinity, Multiply towards it All saving blessings ; And make to abide among us Thy great tenderness. And tln'ough it may we abound In returning praise to Thee. And open Thy door To our united supplication. And let our service also Come into Thy presence. And let good be turned to us. According to Thy tender mercies ; But cause to pass away from us All things which are hurtfal. And without intermission We will offer praise To Thee, oh Lord, and to Thy Father, And to the Holy Ghost ! The title of this hymn has been given to it on the authority of internal evidence. Like the former one, the arrangement is very 92 METRICAL HYMNS OF arbitrary, and there can be little doubt tbat the divisions of the printed copy are those of a transcriber who neglected to observe the metrical style of the composition. There are altogether seventy-six verses : and if we might presume to give eight to a strophe, harmony would be restored. Thei'e would then be nme strophes, with a doxology of four verses at the close. The metre is tetrasyllabic. a " And an exalted kingdom." — The reference appears to be to Matt. xix. 28, combined with Luke xxii. 29. In the text ] . i .> jZ,-K» ct' neio li/e^ may be the translation of the Greek TraXify- 7ei/e | «^ i . As the radical meaning of »*^ 1 .■ is latus, the side, the word might admit the idea of the eye being directed out of the straight course, i. e., to forbidden things. But a stealthy, conscious hole, characterizes one who allows himself to contemplate things which he knows are evil and pro- liibited. d •' Vile sayings." — ]A-«_Lc) literaMj vilenesses. But the men- tion of the lips as the cause, in the previous verse demands some such version as is here given. ^ •' Hate all the world." — As our phrase, all the ivorld, like the French, tout le monde, means every body, it is necessary to say that Ephraem uses it here as it is employed in the New Testament for the pleasures, fashions, and principilesoi i\ni^ present life, among worldly men. / " The mind, the soul." — (JOGI raens. | * ^^ i anima. 98 METRICAL HYMNS OF XXXII. /nr Mmu ngninst lato. (Par^nesis LIX., torn, vi., p. 526.) Judge my cause, oh Lord, and avenge me/ On Satan who oppresses me ; Let Thy power fight on my behalf. Against his dogs who rouse themselves against me. I have renounced him and his wiles. And the deceitful ways of the corrupter ; For this reason, behold he labours To catch me with his devices. And if Thy might does not help me. And Thy cross does not save me. He will beguile me with one of his snares. For his stratagems are very numerous. Lord ! let him not overcome me in the contest. Who was conquered when he warred with Thee ; For great will be the shame to him. Whom that conquered one conquers ! I have heard often that by the yoke Of lowliness he is subdued ; — Oh Thou that raisest the humble from the dust, And bringest down the haughty to ruin, EPHRAEM SYRUS. 99 Put far from me an e^il heart, O Lord_, And along A^itli it all arrogancy ; And cause humility to abide with me, And meekness and gentleness. Grant, Lord, that I may be Thine own, And please Thee according to Thy Avill ; And enlighten the eyes* of my understanding, That I sleep not the sleep of death ! Cursed be thou, oh Satan, In the name of Jesus, the God ; And let thy profane mouth be closed At the command of Christ, my Lord ! Cursed be thou in earth and heaven By those above and those beneath ! To Thee, O Jesus, I fly. And make Thy cross my refage. For Thou art my deliverer from his yoke, That I might become a labourer in Thy vineyard : And I will thank, worship, and praise Thee, And the Father, and the Holy Ghost ! Heptastllabic, in strophes of four verses. a " Judge my cause, oli Lord, and avenge me.'" — An exact quotation from Psalm xliii. 1. i '• And enlighten the eyes." — A quotation, with some verljal differences, from Psalm xiii. 3. r2 100 METRICAL HYMNS OF XXXIII. (PAR.ENE9I3 LXVI., tOHl. Vi., p. 536.) Receive, oh Lord, Our united supplications, Our ministration also. And our prayers. Give us a heart Full of affection. And also a mind Patient of suffering. A mouth which confesseth In faith, impart to us, And let our voices be A harp of praise ; And as our bodies endure Watching and labour, Let Thy grace be extended Towards our sins. Our mouths which have been Instruments of praise to Thee, Our tongues also Which have sung psalms to Thy glory, - Lord ! let them not cry out From the place of torment. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 101 Which Thou hast made capable Of singing Thy praise ! Our eyes which have borne The heaviness of slumber, And our feet which have laboured And been fatigued for Thee, — Let them not be deprived Of their expectation, Nor their reward be lost In the day of retribution ! Let not the sounds of our mouths And of our stringed instruments. Be turned, oh Lord, To lamentation and weeping ; But in Thy loving-kindness, And with Thy favour. And Thy goodness, Accept our vigils ! And make us all worthy, That with one heart Sincere and pure, We may stand before Thee ; And in a worthy manner jNIay offer up praise To Thee, oh Lord, and to the Father, And to the Spirit. Amen ! 102 METRICAL HYMNS OF This hymn, both in its form and contents, is very similar to the Twenty-ninth, entitled, " A Hymn of the whole Church." As the sentiments of this are somewhat more specific and limited, the title given may probably express its original application. The metre is tetrasyllabic, in strophes of eight verses. The first strophe is a good illustration of the rhyme which Ephraem often aims at, although it is never carried throughout one of his com- positions. The first four verses of the strophe end in AN ; the last four in O. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 103 XXXIV. I gfnrrnl Sntinrntinti. (Par-exesis LIX., torn, vi., p. 519.) O Son, begotten divinely Of the Father spiritually ! The \drgin IMary piu'ely Brought Him forth bodily ; And He dwelt in her bosom secretly And appeared from her publicly ; Behold ! is honoured gloriously, Her memory constantly. Ye martyrs who have suffered bravely, Your afflictions pleasantly, And received your crowns completely. As was your due righteously ; Intreat with us collectively, The Anointed One worshipfully, To exercise His mercy bountifully Upon all of us continually. Call with Thy voice commandingly. That we may rise again quickly ; Who have eaten Thy body willingly, And drank Thy blood purely. And when Thou comest suddenly. 104 METRICAL HYMNS OF AVitli the glory of the angels fearfully. May we enter with Thee collectively To the pavilion of light joyfully. Glory to the Father eternally. Who chose ]Mary purely ; And adoration to the Son perpetually. Who strengthened the martyrs bravely ; Praise to the Spirit perfectly, Who raiseth us from the dead surely ; And on us be mercies abundantly, At all seasons unvaryingly ! The singular structure of this hymn, which has been closely fol- lowed in the translation, catches the eye of a mere casual reader of the Syriac text. The metre is hepta syllabic, in strophes of eight verses. Every verse ends with an adverb, with the termi- nation A-» itii. Some may think that " A Hymn to the Virgin," would be a more proper title than that which has been given to it ; but although she is certainly mentioned twice in it, the piece is not appropriated to her. The Latin translator renders the passage referring to the Virgin in strophe 1 as follows : — " Quern post temporis plenitudhiem inte- merata Marice Virginis viscera^ Divino afflante Spiritu, excepere ;" and that in strophe 4 : — " Gloria jEterno Fatri sit maxima, qui Beatam Virginem ad tantuin honoris culmen evexit, ut in sui pectoris angmtiis templum Divince Majestatis construeret, et in fragili hu- mance carnis naturd totam Divinitatis gloriam contineretr' to which there is little to object, except the diffuseness by wliich thirty- two words are spun out of nine I EPHRAEM SYRUS. 105 XXXV. €^t frames nf Mnali. (Sermo XLIX., torn, vi., p. 89.) Oh how illustrious was Noah, "WTio excelled in comparison All the men of his age : For they were wanting in the scale When weighed by impartial justice f And one soul alone descended in the balance, By the armour of innocence.^ They were drowned in the flood Who were deficient in weight/ And he was lifted up in the ark, The innocent and honourable one ! — Glory to Him who took pleasure in him ! Noah extended his ministration Between two boundaries, And described two types ; He sealed up the time past. And entered upon the present : And between two generations He administered two mysteries. He dismissed"^ the men who were before him. And invited those who should come after ; He buried the old race, f3 106 METUICAL HYMNS OF And educated the rising one : — Praises be to Him who chose him ! Then wandered^ through the flood The ship of him who was lord of all -/ It proceeded from the east. And touched upon the west, — It flew to the south, And reached^ unto the north ; Its flying upon the waters Prophecied to the dry land, And proclaimed that its progeny Would be fruitful on every side. And become great in every clime : — Praises be to its Redeemer ! In its course it described''* The standard of its preserver. The cross of its shipmaster. The helm of its helmsman ; Who should come and appoint A Church in the waters. And by the threefold Name^ Should redeem her inhabitants. And the Spirit in the form of the dove^ Administered her^ anointing. And the mystery"* of her redemption : — Praises be to her Redeemer ! His mysteries in the old covenant,'* EPHRAEM SYRUS. 107 And His types in the ark^ Bear witness one to the other ; For as were emptied out The chambers of the ark^ So were made empty'' The types of the Scriptures. He who terminated by His coming The mysteries of the Law^ Accomplished in the churches The types of the ark : — Glory be to Thy Advent ! Behold^ my mind wanders^ Having embarked^^ upon the flood Of om' Redeemer — which is terrible ! Blessed be Noah, Who although his ship, Even the ark, floated on the flood, Was yet firm in mind. Oh Lord, let my faith be A ship to my infirmity ; For behold the daring^ are sunk In the abyss of Thy investigation : — Praises be to Him who begat Thee ! The structure of tins hymn is very complete, and serves to illus- trate, in some measure, the method of using these productions. The metre is pentasyllahic, in strophes of twelve verses, the last verse of each being a doxology. It should perhaps have been placed among the Homilies, but its evident adaptation to a choral performance, and the little there is in it of a controversial cha- racter, may vindicate its place among the Hymns. 108 METRICAL HYMNS OF a " Impartial justice," *|2.Qj]o.— On this word see note a, Hymn XIV. i " By the armonr of innocence." — " The innocent." The words thus translated are "jZcLSmJ and f^*^l, from K£:in2, to which Castell gives the meanings, eruhuit, verecwulus, modestus^ castus^ sohrius fuit. A comparison of the places in which this word and its derivatives occur, clearly shews that its generic meaning is abstinence from excess of any Jcind, as designated by the English word sohriety. It does not occur in Hebrew or Chaldee ; but in Arabic (_fiXi among other meanings has, recusavit, noluit, decUnavit, destitit. In a religious sense, self-control from a regard to the will of God, seems to be the true idea of the word in Syriac, which well describes the character of Noah among his lawless and licentious neighbours. These observations are made, because in the Select Works of S. Ephraem the Syrian^ by the Eev. J. B. Morris, to which reference is made in the Introduction, the virtue of Noah is said to be chastity in the special sense ; and, in a note to this very passage, his abstinence from marriage until his five hundredth year is alleged as a proof that chastity was the virtue which God so eminently rewarded. This is not the place to point out the very numerous objections which exist against this view ; it is sufficient to shew that it is unsustained on philological grounds, and by a reference to the nsus loquendi as far as that can be dis- covered. Hahn, who has printed the Syriac text of this hymn in his Chrestomathy, gives to |<^*^ ^ the meaning sanctus, among others ; and to (Z.Q_S.QJj castitas, mriocentia, the latter of which has been followed in this translation. See also a valuable note in p. 116 of Hahn, where he gives this general meaning to jZO-SHU, " animi integritas nullis mimeribus venalis, imo omne pretium re- spvsns.'^ c " Deficient in weight." — Literally, ivho ascended in the balance. d " He dismissed." — Sy., ;_^^ j, a word not well defined in the Lexicons, but the meaning of which is clear from Phil. i. 23, where St. Paul says he desired • \\ V)\^ to depart. Hence in Aphel, to cause to dejKcrt, dismiss, bid fareicell to. It is more com- mon in Chaldee. EPIIRAEM SYRUS. 109 e " Wandered." — Sy., flew, like a bird. / " Who was lord of all." — Does this refer to Noah or to the Almighty ? Benedict translates, " Navis Domini;''^ Morris, " The ship of the Lord of alV^ Now there is no way of determining this but a consideration of the context. The words, - \*^ Ir^? ^''^ or master of all, well describe the position of Noah sailing above a drowned world. The ark alone is here spoken of; that which it typified, the Cliurch, is not yet introduced, and there is greater propriety in the application of the expression to the patriarch than to God. 9 " And reached unto the north." — A ■.w ^ Vn measured, and thence, like the Latin metior, passed over to. ^ " In its course it described;" that is, by going from east to west, and then from south to north, it drew as it were upon the waters the figure of a cross. The words, standard, cross, and helm, refer to one object. i " The threefold Name." — Morris renders, " The name of the Trinity," which is not literal. Benedict has, " Ac triplicis rwminis virtute.'^ * "In the form of the dove." — n'^N k> is of constant use in Syriac and has various meanings. Yet the only notice of it in CasteU is, i. q. CJuddee ^Tf pro. Schaaf gives as its meanings, pro, loco, sub, vice, propter, pro, neither of which suits this passage. Hahn has, quasi, instar, quoting as his authorities this place and another in Hymn XV., adv. Scrutatores, torn, vi., p. 30, strophe 11, where Ephraem says, " Zei no man unsheath his tongue like >g^\ ^ > a sword.^^ I " Her." — Although the Ark and the Church are of the same gender m Syriac, the feminine has been used here to distinguish the latter more clearly. ^ " And the mystery." — Both Benedict and Mon-is render |1 j5 by sacrament ; which has been avoided here as involving a p'^iii*^ principii. Morris translates the last verse but one of this strophe, ^'■tlie sacrament of the redemption by her f^' a sense foreign to the text. n " The old Covenant." — |A_»5o| is of common occurrence. 110 METRICAL HYMNS; ETC. signifying, first, Genesis; then, the Pentateuch ; and, as probably here, the ivhole of the Old Testament. Of its etymology the Lexi- cons say nothmg. o " So were made empty." — Having accomplished their object, they were emptied, were no longer the depositories of precious things. P " Having embarked upon the flood." — For the word embarked, the translator is indebted to Mr. Morris. The Syriac is *^ n\ , to which no such meaning is given in the Lexicons. It generally signifies didicit, and in Pael, docuit. But |<^ n\ is a shij), and therefore the idea of emharking or sailing may be presumed to reside in the root ; or a verb may be formed from the noun. a "The daring." — Sy., UnfiD, the foolish. But this cannot be understood literally, as it refers to deep and rash investigations of divine mysteries. Benedict translates, temere ingressos. (^S7 ^li^l^^ I (i^^ ^^^h' snmim ^som e$ EPHRAEM SYRUS. " EPHEAEM, A DEACON OF THE CHURCH AT EDESSA, WROTE MUCH IN THE SYRIAN LANGUAGE, AND ATTAINED TO SUCH RENOWN, THAT IN SOME CHURCHES, AFTER THE READING OF THE SCRIPTURES, HIS WRITINGS ARE PUBLICLY RECITED."— St. Jerome. " ST. EPHRAEjI was THE AROU.SER OF THE SLOTHFUL, THE CONSOLER OF THE AFFLICTED, THE INSTRUCTOR OP THE YOUNG, THE GUIDE OF THE PENITENT ; AN ARROW AND JAVELIN AGAINST HERETICS, A DEPOSITORY OF VIRTUES, AND A HABITATION AND RESTING-PLACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT."— 5'*. ChrySOStom. METRICAL HOMILIES, Dt3rri|ittnn nf |^araMst. S OF GOD A INTELLECT. (De Paeadiso Eden, XI., torn, vi., p. 595.) The air of Paradise Is a fountain of sweetness, From which, in early life, Adam inhaled nutriment f And the inspiration was to his youth Like the ministering breast of a mother. He was young, fair, and joyful : — But having spurned the commandment. He became unhappy, old, and fading. Bearing the weight of years And a load of miseries ! 114 METRICAL HOMILIES OF No blighting frosts^ No withering heats/ Are in that region Of blessedness and joy. It is a haven of gladness^ A home'^ of delights, — Light and merriment reside within it : — There is a congregation of harpers, A society of players on the lute/^ The sound of Hosannahs_, A Church of Hallelujahs !^ The fence which surrounds it, Is the safety which makes all tranquil ; Its wall and its precincts/ Is the peace which unites all together ; The cherub which walks around it Is gentle to those within, But threatening to those without, who are reprobate. Concerning this Paradise, Which is pure and holy, The report which thou hearest Is true and spiritual.^ Let not its nature'' be judged From what is heard of it. For its descriptions^* do not altogether Come within our judgment ; For although, by the names given to it. It may seem to be earthly. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 115 In reality' that pure place is spiritual : — For even the names of spirits^ Are common to both kinds ; Yet that which is impure Is far different from the holy. For in no other manner Is it possible for a speaker, But by the names of things Which are well known, To form descriptions^ Like things which are obscure ; For if He who is the Creator of the Garden Had not shrouded its magnificence. In words which are vernacular to us,"* How could He have represented His garden, in our dark speeches?" For if among the names Which are borrowed by the Di\ine Majesty, A man should wander and be ensnared, — He profanes and injures It, By means of those borrowed terms Which It put on for his benefit ; And spurns the grace which bowed down Its lofty height to his childish stature/ For he having no natural affinity with It, It clothed Itself with things like to him. To cause him to attain to Its likeness.^' 116 METRICAL HOMILIES OF Let not then thy intellect Be disturbed by these accidental names \i For Paradise is represented'' In terms which are vernacular to thee ; It is not indigent, Because it is clothed with things like to thee : — Thy nature rather is very imbecile, Which is not able to attain to its greatness. Insipid would be its beauties, Were it depicted in the colours/ Which are natural to thee ! For eyes which are feeble, Have not sufficient power To contemplate the bright rays Of its celestial beauties. He hath clothed its trees With the names of our trees, And its figs are called by the names of our figs ; And its leaves which are spiritual Are realized' and embodied ; They are transformed, that their vesture May resemble the vesture of earthly things. The flowers of that country Are more numerous and brilliant. Than the starry lights Of this visible heaven ; And a fragrance proceeds from it. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 11 Borne along in its gracious influence, Like a physician sent to the maladies Of a land which is cursed : — By its healing odour" Curing the distemper, Which entered by the serpent. By the gale which blows From the blessed region of Paradise, Sweetness is communicated To the bitterness of this region ; This renders ineffective'- The curse of our earth. The Garden is thus the \dtal breath Of this diseased world ; And dwelling among the sickly, It proclaims that a living balsam Is sent to our mortality. Thus when the blessed Apostles Were assembled together, The place was moved. And there was a sweet savour of Paradise ; Which stirred up its repositories, And caused its perfumes to flow forth : — It diffused its odours on the messengers, By whom men were to be made disciples. And come as guests to the feast. Thus it seemed good to the high Majesty"^ Of Him who loved the children of men. 118 METRICAL HOMILIES OF This piece and the following one are taken from twelve homilies, De Paradiso Eden, which are printed in the sixth volume of the works of Ephraem. In his catalogue of the writings of this father, Asseman mentions fifteen hymns on this subject, hut this appears to be the result of a different arrangement of MSS. They form one continued poem, the character of which may be gathered from the two last, which are here translated. The whole are sub- jected to the same metrical construction. The strophes consist of eleven verses, all pentasyllabic except the seventh, which is of a longer measm-e, but not always the same. A striking effect is thus produced, which is retained, as far as practicable, in the translation. « " Inhaled nutriment."— Sy., "JOOI sH 1 >, sucled, as a child at the breast. i " No Uighting frosts, no withering heats." — Literally, cold of injuries, and heat of blastings or burnings. c " A home of delights." — The Syriac word rendered " home^' is (i^Q-* , a returning, place of returning ; used of the goal, mark, &c., which ends a race. See Hymn XXV., strophe 12. d " Players on the lute." — Literally, a congregation of harps, of lutes, by a bold metonymy. e " A Church of Hallelujahs." — Perhaps these two verses should have been translated, those loho sing Hosannahs, &c. But the figure has been retained, to convey an idea of the abrupt and startling style of the original. / " Its waU and its precincts." — Sy., 015q_» '^O C715q_», its ivall and the son of its icall, the antemurale ; " muros et pomcE- ria,^^ as the Latin translator renders it. 9 " Is true and spiritual." — The four last verses of this strophe must be considered as introducing the principal topic of the hymn ; the use, namely, to be made of figurative representations of divine things ; and in a prose composition would be joined with the next sentence. The Latin translator does so, but this course is pro- hibited by the very artificial character of the strophes of this homily. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 119 A " Its nature." — Ol*^; •, its history, description, its true con- dition, as it would be described by an adequate historian. " Its descriptions ;" /. e., its true representations, are beyond mortal power. The Latin translator has, " qiue mortalis judicis cognitioni nan suhsunt." i " In reality." — 01 N i kk£^, in its power ; potentia, facultas. ^ " For even the names of spirits." — The argument is, that two things essentially different in many respects may have the same terminology on account of some points of resemblance, as the Paradise described in hmnan language, and the Paradise of heaven. Evil and good spirits are designated ahke "^jOJ ^'& to their generic idea, but are vastly unlike in their properties. The Latin translator loses sight of the illustration, and merely gives the fact it teaches . — " Vocahida quidem utrique paradiso communia sunt; at tu sacrum a profano excernito.'^ I " To form descriptions." — jVnVn * hearings, in the passive sense ; descriptions conveyed to others by the ear. m "Words vernacular to us." — Words .5Z1 - » i «^ ^ the chil- dren of our place. n "Our dark speeches." — .ZUs, our enigmas, pxircdiles ; i.e., in our language so ill adapted for a clear representation of what Paradise really is. " His cliildish statm-e." — Sy., OlZ.0; ^ » \, to his state of boyhood. P " To its likeness." — The Syriac is very concise : — It put on things like to him fman), that it might lead him to things like to it (the divine Majesty). 1 " Accidental names." — | » inn ^ cognomina, surnames. r " Paradise is represented." — Literally, Paradise is clothed in names, the children of thy race. s " Were it depicted in the colours." — The word translated " colours" is JJlVqIqcd, from a root not often found in Syriac, at least in the existing Lexicons. In Aphel, I>C1CD(, it signifies, pharmacum, venenum prcehuit ; and 1 1 ^Vnm is generally ren- dered pharmaca. But Hahn, in his Lexicon to his Chrestomathy 120 METRICAL HOMILIES OF has given the meaning, " colores, et scepe rationales colores quihm efficitur descriptio ;" which is the exact meaning of the word in the text. It will be interesting to quote two passages from Ephraera, by which this view is confirmed. They are both from Hymn XXXIII., Adversus Scrutatores (tom. vi., p. 59). The first is in strophe 4 : — ''^5"-^ ^? v. If then for painters \0;-»^5 |X4^ It is difficult to represent . (JL^oldQCQ^ (a^05 V Spirit in colours. The second illustration is near the close : — f 1 V)V)rO j-i-y. "ioi For behold the colours , V. V7 ,_\^5 11 V VVn Of the intellect of every mind 1 , ^\ , ^ vkVo 11 ^^ "^* come near to the Son. t " Are realized." — Sy., Or->^^|, are seized., laid hold of. That which is in itself spiritual is grasped and confined in a bodily form. " " By its healing odour." — Sy., hy the odour of its healings. w " This renders inefiectual." — rnno^Vo^ from OTQ^, infa- titatus, insipidus factus est; to deprive anything of its inherent qualities, render inefiective. See Matt. v. 13, where the word is used of salt having lost its savour. X '' The high Majesty." — |Vo Vv a plural emphatic from - ' \^^ elevatus est. So at least the translator is disposed to con- sider the word, for it is not found in the Lexicons. In the small space of this homily, the lexicographer may glean large materials for his operations. I EPHRAEM SYRUS. 121 II. Cljf liilitilti) nf him. HE IS DEFEATED BY THE REDEEMER. (De Paradiso Edex, XII., torn. \±, p. 597.) Count me worthy in Thy goodness To attain to Thy gift f A depositary of sweet ointments, A treasury of choice perfumes ; Delicately satisfying my hunger With the scent of its spices. In every age its odour hath nourished all men ; And whoever inhales it, Luxuriates in it, unmindful of his food : — This is a royal table, Blessed is He who hath prepared it in Eden ! Something sprung up* within me, And troubled me as I investigated it; And I was desirous of making enquiry, Yet feared to be presumptuous. But as he who knew me Understood my thoughts. He clothed the question most skilfully.^ And from that I confided in him. Respecting all he said to me ; For he took and fashioned for me That which I wished, in his own words. G 122 METRICAL HOMILIES OF In this manner the Serpent Persuaded Adam to transgress, By his web of falsehood.'^ For he attentively listened To the truth of hidden mysteries, And learned it, and appeared to be wise. A voice called to Adam and warned him, From the tree of the knowledge Of good and of evil ; That crafty one heard the voice. And fixed upon^ it an interpretation. For he subtilly deceived the husbandman. To pluck immaturely The fruit which in full season Would have produced its sweetness : But that fruit, being out of season. Was bitter to the gatherer. He interwove the truth with craftiness ;d. For he knew that the result Would be different to the presumptuous ones. For a blessing, by sinful actions, Becomes a curse to the receiver of it. For remember that king Uzziah,/ Who entered the holy place, And hastily took the priest^s office. Lost the kingdom. Adam, intending to enrich himself, Incurred a double loss. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 123 See, as in a type/ the tree in the sanctuary, And the fruit in the censer, The sense of nakedness in the leprosy : — From two diverse sources Ruin proceeded to both of them. Then there came another champion. Who was free from guilt ; And He put on the armour^ In which Adam had been conquered. And when the enemy saw The arms of the defaulter, He was glad and perceived not that He was concealed Within, who was an object of terror to him. That which was external gave him confidence : — The E^il One came to conquer. But was desperately vanquished ! There were two trees Placed by God in Paradise ; The one the tree of life. The other of great knowledge ;^ These were twin fountains. Blessed mth aU benefits. — By these two glorious things Man is able to become The Hkeness of God : — By a life without death. And by knowledge without error ! g2 124 METRICAL HOMILIES OF This piece must be read in connection with the former one, from which it receives some iHiTstration. Both indeed should be studied in their place in the whole production of which they form but a small part, in order that their beauty and meaning may be fully understood. The observations on the metre of the former homily apply to this. « " To attain to Thy gift." — That is, of the Spirit spoken of as proceeding from Paradise, in the former homily. h " Something sprung up within me." — - ^*^ ^^ scaturivit. The same figure, expressive of mental conception, is employed in Hebrew; xdrn ehulUvit, scaturivit, is used in Psalm xlv. 1, "if?/ heart conceives (bubbles up) a good matter.'^ " Most skilfully." — Sy., l AVnn » .^ o ivitJt hioivledges, an emphatic plural. It is plain that this strophe has no connection with the former one, which obviously coheres with the previous homily. Asseman states (Bihliotheca Or., tom. i., p. 84) that in one MS. the whole piece, De Par'adiso Eden, is without divisions, which explains this want of connection ; the arbitrary arrangements of transcribers having been a fruitful source of confusion in all brcinches of lite- rature. The translator confesses that while the general sentiment of this whole composition is easy to be understood, this second strophe has presented difficulties which he has not solved to his own satisfaction. For example: — to whom does the pronoun refer in the sentence, "«s he ivho knew me?' ^ Is it a general propo- sition which is here stated, or is it a special case ? The argument is, that Satan acted in his dealings with Adam and Eve, in the same manner as Ephraem had been treated in a case of doubt and difficulty. But who was it that thoroughly understood him, and gave a distinct form to the obscure subject of his reflections ? The Latin translator has : — " Quod ille mece inspector mentis com- periens, qucestioneni mihi natam scite vestivit et explicuit.'' d " By his web of falsehood." — " He interwove the truth with craftiness." The Syriac root in both these sentences is «.^.uO, the meaning of which is thus stated by Castell :— " J/ewf i^MS est, EPHRAEM SYRUS. 1.25 decepit, fefelUt, dolose egity Now the Hebrew bai, according to Gesenius is, " Texit, ohduxit, unde etiani tecte egit^ fefellit.^^ This idea of iveaving, plaiting, or contorting, is attached to the words in the text, as admirably expressive of the devices of 8atan. e '' And fixed upon it." — Sy., ].Q_»CL21^ OIDSj^O, and fol- lowed it out to an interpretation. f " King Uzziah." — See 2 Cliron. xxvi. 16. g " See as in a type." — Sy., Oj-Ki- This sense of j|jsj is pointed out and illustrated by Wiseman in his Horce Syriacce, p. 49. In his Comment on Exodus, chap, xxxvii. 10, 11, Ephraem says of the ornaments of the table in the sanctuary : — " There were crowns on the table, in ichich we typically behold (^ ,1 tV>o) tJie iqjper and the lower icorld.'" A " And he put on the armour." — The armour in which man had been defeated was the flesh : — Christ took this upon Him, that by His death He might procure salvation and defeat the devil. This is the doctrine stated in Heb. ii. 14. i "Of great knowledge." — Sy., of knoioledges ; — an emphatic plural. 126 METRICAL HOMILIES OF III. li Ckrum. ON THE TREATMENT OF DIVINE MYSTERIES IN PUBLIC TEACHING. (Adversus Scrutatobes, XXIII., torn, vi., p. 40.) Speak, oh harp/ For silence is thine enemy ! Speak therefore whatsoever Is lawful to be uttered ; For every other matter T\Tiich is not proper. If it is spoken,, Is blasphemy to the righteous. He is allied with the infidel Who presumptuously investigates ;* At the threshold'' of death Standeth that daring one. Who hath laid aside His faith with his research. To descend to fathom The sea of hidden mysteries. Wonder not, oh youth^ At the things I have said to you ; But take their dimensions With due discrimination. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 127 For the former denieth The Dhinity itself; And the latter investigates, That he may dishonour God. The Almighty in His nature Is more exalted than all things ; Behold, by His name, Lord of All, He is greater than all ! T\Tio then is so mighty In intellectual power. As to hold and measure^ The ocean of wisdom V Pui'ify the harp Of thy spirit from contention ; Let it not play to thee of thyself. For self-conceit is deadly : Let it not whisper-^ to thee Even of vain glory In its melodies. For that is entii'e ruin.^ Make harmonious the numbers AYhich by research have become discordant ;^' Call' back the notes Which have wandered through investigation. Place thyself, my son. Before the Divinity, 128 METRICAL HOMILIES OE And then utter psalms To the glory of God. Because thou art a harp. Thou art animated and eloquent ; There is freedom in thy numbers And in thy songs. Oh happy lyre !* Which of its own accord, As of its free will. Sings praises to God ! Put then thy soul in tune. And sing harmoniously ; Make thy notes distinct,^ And play to us what is not mysterious ;' Be thou the disciple Of all things which are revealed ; And without trepidation. Let thy utterances be becoming. Weigh therefore thy words. Let thy speech be unblameable ; Weigh them again and sing songs. Which cannot be complained of; Let thy performance Be pleasant, my son. To the servants of thy Lord, And thy Lord w^ill rew^ard thee. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 129 Utter not then in thy songs What is injurions to man, Di\'ide not by disputation Brethren who are united together. Place not a sword (^^Tiich captious enquiry is) Between the upright. Who have sincerely believed." Sing not, therefore, What is derogatory to God, Instead of His praise ; Lest thou err and sing folly. Sing like David did To the Son of Da\dd, And call Him Lord and Son As David did.^ Dishonour not through one another, The Father and the Son ; Sing not then to the Father That which is reproachful to the Son ; Lest thou also, on the other hand, Shouldst sing to the Son What is dishonourable to His Father. By sayingP that He is not truly the Father.? That the Father takes precedence Is without controversy ; g3 130 METRICAL HOMILIES OF That the Son is second Admits not of dispute ; And the name of the Spirit Stands the thii'd. See thou disturbest not The order of the Names. Make disciples,, it is said/ and baptize In the three Names ; In the name of the Father, And of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. For the name of the Son Cannot precede The name of the Father, Lest there be confusion. But in what manner this exists Is bm'ied in silence ; Far away from that silence Do thou utter praise. Let not thy tongue be A bridge of words. For the passage to and fro* Of aU kinds of communications. Offer praise to Him As the tithes of thy songs ; Present to Him as a sacrifice A sheaf of thy mind^s productions ;^ EPHRAEM SYRUS. 131 Make thy praise ripe/' And offer unto Him Of the clusters of grapes-^ Which thy tongue hath gathered. This homily is composed in a metre ■which is common to many of the discourses to which it belongs. Each strophe contains eight verses, of various lengths, as indicated by the following figures : 5656444 5. Of these the first two and last four are uniformly regular, but the third and fourth are not so : it is indeed doubtful from the irregular division of these verses, whether they ought not to be considered as one verse of eleven syllables. a " Speak, oh harp." — The bold prosopopseia which distinguishes this homily, is employed also in the two previous ones in the Roman edition, the three being thus identified in style and sub- ject. Homily XXI. begins, " Play^ Lovely upon my harp:' In the ninth strophe Ephraem exhorts himself and others in this way: — " harp^ deceive not thy hearers^ he not double-faced in thy sonyy At the close he says : — " Let Thy Church he a harp to Thy praise; ttpon it may we sing of peace, truths and concord J^ In Homily XXII. we find this commencement, " Praise the Al- mighty, who tuned for Himself tioo lyres, of prophets and apostles:' It thus appears that the figure having been suggested to Ephraem, he luxuriates in it and applies it in various ways. In this homily its use is more precise and exact, the harp all through signifying one whose duty it is to teach others ; and on this ac- count the title, " Ad Clerum," has been given to it. May not this piece have been used at the ordination of priests ? or was there any other occasion when such an exhortation was addressed to the younger clergy by a superior ? 5 " Who presumptuously investigates." — The prominence given in these writings to men called, in the Latin, Scrutcdores, makes it important to ascertain what class of men they were by whom the peace of the orthodox was so much disturbed in the days of Ephraem. Their principal designations are the 132 METRICAL HOMILIES OF following : — T. ]_»0«-C) is the name given them in the title to the homilies. It is from j ^^, exquisknt, investigavit^ scrutatus est, to search for something lost; as for Laban's images, Gen. xxxi. 35; and for Joseph's cup, Gen. xliv. 12. II. (,_»05), from fc_o55=z: Heh., 'eiwY, rogavit, quce- sivit. "J. captious questioner''^ would perhaps be the correct ren- dering of the word. Ephraem, in the homily just quoted, says of this class of persons, — " Whoever is a captious questioner, Is a companion of the lost." There are other terms employed to designate the Scrutatores, but these are the principal. It might appear at first sight, as though Ephraem were an enemy to that enquiry which both reli- gion and reason approve and command for the establishment of personal convictions ; in other words, as though he inculcated a blind deference to authority. But a very slight acquaintance with his works will shew that nothing of the kind can be charged against him. He merely fights the battle which has been waged in all ages against those who mistake the province of human reason, and refuse to receive anything as true, the modus of which they cannot explain. The Scrutatores, therefore, were all persons EPHRAEM SYRUS. 133 whose heretical opinions originated in this morhid attempt to de- velop what is essentially mysterious. i " Presumptuously investigates." — The adverb here, answer- ing to |^<*f^^ illustrates what was said in the above note. c " The threshold of death." — Sy., the step. d " As to hold and measure." — To handle, and endeavour to ascertain by measuring in a vessel. « " The ocean of wisdom." — The word rendered wisdom is the emphatic plural of hioidedge, of which wisdom is a high degree. / '' Let it not whisper to thee." — 1 S\, here translated ichisper, has, in the Lexicons, this principal meaning, locutus est harhare, like the Heb. ]X7i which only occurs in Psalm cxiv. 1 . Michaelis in his note in Castell, s. v., conjectures that it may have the mean- ing cecinit^ insusurravit tanquam in aurern^ and this supposition is rendered certain by the text. ff " For that is entire ruin." — Perhaps rather too strong a term for |j;.CDQ_Ki m\r)*^ Benedict has, " damnum id omne est.'' ^ '- Have become discordant." — . » \*^\o 71^ tchich arethroicn into confusion. i " Call back." — Sy,, collect together ; i. e., brmg the wild capri- cious notes into harmony. k " Oh happy Ip-e !" — The Syi'iac has only |;-113 0|, oh lyre! but it is evidently an exclamation of praise or congratulation. Benedict : — " felix es !" I " Make thy notes distinct." — %^il^ is properly to cleanse, make bright, polish ; to brighten up the wires of a harp would have the effect of giving each one its due prominence. Hence, figuratively, to make the notes distinct. m " What is not mysterious."— "jA-vIXlD U things not hidden. n "A\Tio have sincerely believed."— Who have 'believedL.i\-k..2l^ without admixture ; the faith unmixed with specuktion of simple, earnest minds. Benedict translates : — " Cave ne gladium, idest disceptandi studium, inducas in conventus simpUcis plehis, assuetce fidem, quam didicit, candide profiteri.''^ " As David did."— The allusion is to Matt. xxii. 42. But it 134 METRICAL HOMILIES OF appears to be a quotation carelessly made, as David nowhere calls Him Son, though, in Psalm ex., he addresses Him as Lord. !> " By saying." — This rendering is given to the particle i>Q^, which in Syriac so tersely introduces a quotation. It occurs again in the first verse of the fourteenth strophe. q " Not truly the Father." — This is given as an euphemism for i?0 N i, the begetter. »• " It is said." — See Matt, xxviii. 19. The quotation is in the exact words of the Pescliito. * " For the passage to and fro" — i. e., probably, — let not the tongue be a pretended medium of communication from that abyss of silence, where deep mysteries are shrouded from human gaze. (See Homily IV., strophe 6.) i " Thy mind's productions." — Sy., thy thoughts or imaginations. « " Make thy praise ripe." — iH^. No instance of this tran- sitive sense of this verb is given in the Lexicons. In tom. v., p. 488, speaking of Marcion, Ephraem calls him ^JiiliJ PV-»1, a weed which came quichly to perfection. Perhaps the verb should be taken in the same sense as the Heb., -isi, which, in Ezek. xlvii. 12, is rendered by Schindler, pnmos /ri^ctos tulit aut prcehuit. The translation would then be, " Offer the first-fruits of thy praise." « " Of the clusters of grapes." — A beautiful paronomasia, since |i nV> ^Vn signifies both psalms and clusters of grapes. This latter signification is given by Schindler to a closely allied word from the same root, and seems to be authorized by this passage. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 135 IV. (!)e tjit Bhjflttrij nf tjir CTitiitij. DECLARED IN THE SCRIPTURES, IMPUGNED BY THE SCRUTATORS. (Adversus Scrutatores, LXVII., torn, vi., p. 129.) The standarcF of tlie Truth, Is set up in the Scriptures ; But the blinded^ have forsaken it, "Who haA'e begun to shoot their arrows, At the Lord of angels. Now this is the standard : — That the Father is One, Not capable of division ; And that the Son is One, Who cannot be comprehended.^ The standard is revealed. Exhibited in the light ; But he who lacketh understanding, Shooteth his darts by night. In the midst of the darkness. Let there be stillness Among the orators ; Let there be silence Among the investigators. Respecting hidden mysteries ! 136 METRICAL HOMILIES OF Let the mouth learn In what manner it should speak ; And then let it discourse. That it may not repent After it hath spoken. Firstj let it receive instruction, And then teach others ; Lest it should become A kind of passage boat*^ For things which are unprofitable. The Scriptm-es are exhibited to us As though they were a mirror ; That he whose eye is single^ May perceive in them The image of the Truth. There is displayed The likeness of the Father ; There also is portrayed The image of the Son, And of the Holy Ghost. There are appointed The names of these Three, One after the other. In the confession of Faith At the rite of baptism/ EPHRAEM SYRUS. But an occasion hath arisen, To throw this into confusion ; " For it is proper/^ they say, '' That we should scrutinize these Names, In order that we may comprehend^ them/^ Captious enquiry hath now begun : Disputation hath entered : War is commenced : And the truth hath fled away !^ Yv JjC 5|C 5fC 5|C It is therefore preferable. That \vithout research, We should possess the Truth ; Than that by such research We should want it altogether.* Again, it is better That in simplicity We should inherit life ; Than that by much knowledge* We should inherit death. It is also preferable In the time of thirst. To drink of the waters ; Than, instead of drinking. To measure the fountain. 13: 138 METRICAL HOMILIES OF It is far better, For a young child_, To recognize Ms father, By actual vision ; Tban by investigation.^ It is likewise better, By the constant" guidance Of a true faith, To learn the Truth, Without curious enquiry. Then let the favoured congregation" Take pleasure in these things : — Lay aside contention, Be clothed with charity, And preach the Truth. God in old time opened" The treasure of His lonng-kindness ; And fashioned Adam, Who then had no existence. From the dust of the ground. He next quickly unbarred The gate of Hades ; And caused to arise from it The body of Adam, Which was but ashes. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 139 He then hasted to open The door of Paradise, By means of His promises ; And caused him to dwell By the tree of life. Glory be to Him Who devised^ this key ; AYhich, although it is but one, Could yet unlock All these treasure-houses. Glory be to the Father, Who is concealed in His own being ; — Glory be to the Son, Who is concealed in His generation ; — By the seal of silence.^ Give thanks to the Father, Who cannot be circumscribed ; Give thanks to the Son, Who is unsearchable ; With the Holy Ghost ! Increase in me, oh Lord ! Both silence and the gift of speech ; That by them I may be saved ; AMiile I put away enquiry respecting Thee, And utter Thy praise ! 140 METRICAL HOMILIES OF This piece partakes more of the character of a hymn than a homily. It is evidently lyrical, and, but for its length, would have been placed among the hymns. It is distinguished by great con- ciseness, rapidity of thought, and a neglect of those connecting particles which give coherence and intelligibility to written com- positions. This may be owing to the measure, which is tetra- syllable, in strophes of five verses. a " The Standard of the Truth." — This | ^ » ^ as used here, does not appear to signify so much divine truth generally, as that portion of it concerning God, which is comprehended in the term, the Trinity. It is variously employed by Ephraem, to express important doctrines which formed a rallying-point for the ortho- dox, and a mark for the arrows of the heretics. In Homily XXXIII., Adversus Scrutatores, (tom. vi., p. 59,) the Son is said to be the ( * » ^ the mark: — " And even as colours Cannot represent sound, So men's imaginations Cannot comprehend the Son, Who is a mark for the arrows Of crafty minds." * " But the blinded." — ]v^Vr) Destitution of vision is not conveyed by this word, and on that account it has been rendered blinded, i.e., having the eyes closed or useless from some accidental cause. The word is alluded to by Castell only as a noun with the meaning lema, sordes in oculo, albugo. Hahn, on the authority of this passage in Ephraem, gives the explanation, alhugine ocidorum laborans, coscus. Morris, blear-eyed. c " Cannot be comprehended." — Sy., |*^r)(ll> ]]^ investigabilis. <^ " A kind of passage boat." — See note s on Homily III. e " He whose eye is single." — See Matt. vi. 22. Although the word here is not |^ i ■> ^^ as in the Peschito, but |j_2L», it expresses equally well the Greek a7r\ov^. f " At the rite of Baptism." — Literally, at Baptism. Benedict has, ad Bapthmum usurpiamus. 9 " Comprehend them." — |JLQJ5, that lae may possess them, appropriate them, make them our mental acquisitions. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 141 ^i " The triith hath fled away." — A verse is wanting liere, al- though the sense is complete without it. Hahn suggests that the fourth verse may have been repeated. This is not improbable, as the next strophe introduces a new part of the subject. All these apparent irregularities must be collated, before their object can be ascertained, if they have any. t " We should want it altogether." — Benedict well expresses the meaning of this strophe, " Atqui non istuc profectoreriim nostra- rum ratio postulabat, qidhus multo magis expediehat, quantulam- cumqiie veritatis particulam tenere^ simpliciter credendo, qudm dis- ceptando, eandem ex toto destitui.'' * " Much knowledge." — Sy., knoidedf/es, a plural emphatic. Hahn, sapientice fastu. I "Than by investigation." — jZ^mO, by a narrow scrutiny, such as a child would give the features of a person he was told to consider his parent, but whom he did not remember. Actual vision, in the former verse may mean at a glance. m " The constant guidance." — Sy., |j.£:i05, the guidings or lead- ings. An emphatic plural. Hengstenberg is praised by a writer in the Journal of Sacred Literature.^ (No. vi., New Series, p. 437,) for having in his work on the Psalms, elucidated the uses of the emphatic plural m Hebrew. Its use in Syriac is much more fre- quent and expressive than the existing grammars intimate. " " The favoured congregation." — Sy., blessed. The whole body of the clergy seems here to be addressed. Or may not the terms of the strophe apply to all Christians ? " God in old time opened." — Another subject is here intro- duced, separable, yet connected with what has preceded. The whole piece is thus divided into three parts. p " Who devised this key." — « \ a k>, rendered, devised, is a word appropriated to the casting of metals. It also signifies to devise, to cogitate. The idea conveyed in the text is that of great skill in the production of a master-key, which should unlock so many receptacles. g. " By the seal of silence." — In the translation this verse is made to bear both on the Father and the Son, although at first sight it would seem to be confined to the latter. 142 METRICAL HOMILIES OF V. CliEt IMln w cnt €ltml AGAINST MARCION, BARDESANES^ AND MANES. (Adversus H^reses, XIV., torn, v., p. 467.) When things of an unyielding nature Are to be wrought upon. Tools of hard temperament Are brought to the work. By the means of hardened iron, And a fierce flame, And a strong blast of wind, And by wisdom and power. They are subdued, and brought Into the furnace to be fashioned. That they may become useful. Rebellious natures which proceed not Into the path of duty by gentleness ; By the bridle and the yoke Have their stubbornness subdued," So that it yields to the trainer. If they revolt, they are tortured ; But if they obey, it is for their happiness ; If they harden themselves. The rod urges them on ; But if they are tractable. Love is their leader. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 143 Thus the yoke is to make them submissive ; The rod is for their stubbornness ; Pain is to correct their obduracy ; Strength is to reduce them to order ; Counsel is intended to persuade them ; Wisdom to be their leader ; Love brings them to the society of others ; Success* is for their probation ; Peace for their concord ; Wealth gives occasion for victory f And reputation for prudent counsel/ Again, there are rebellious natures \ATiich are similar to Pharaoh. WTien he suffered punishment_, He tiu^ned and became penitent ; But Tvhen he was lifted up^ again, He forgot the past and was obstinate : He was a type of the unstable. Who, being exalted to honour, Delight to inflict injury. These, abusing kind treatment. Must be restrained by wrath.-^ If thou shouldst demean thyself humbly, They will think you despicable ; If thou actest boldly. They will consider you as without understanding ; Be of an easy temperament,^ They will swallow up and drown you ;'' 144 METRICAL HOMILIES OF If thou art of strict manners, They will avoid and curse you ; But if thou art sociable, They will think you guileful, Double-faced, and insidious.* If they are sick they require your aid ; And if they are slighted they condemn you ; If they are visited they act ungratefully ; If they become convalescent they forsake you If they get abroad they injure you ; Ask for your due and they will curse you ; Forgive them and they will trample on you : So that neither favour shewn. Nor the exercise of strict justice. Are ever pleasing to those Who seek occasion to be more wicked.^ Now consider that all of these Are the children of one error ; Who from among the Greeks Have received a hateful name. That of the profane Hyle.^ For of this there is no account By Moses in the Law : The Prophets described it not. Nor have the Apostles written of it ; But all the children of the truth Have proclaimed but one essence."* EPHRAEM SYRUS. 145 Behold how the children of deceit Have combined together, "VNTio have represented Hyle as eternal ! Marcion hath written of it That it is opposed to the Creator. Bardesanes also wrote of it In his history of the Maker" of the world. The Babylonian Manes, having no understanding, Described it as about to be fettered." But it was the part of IMoses to ^vrite the holy mystery. Neither did the Just One hesitate To relate, by the mouth of His preachers,?' The truth to those who would listen to it.? The elect Moses was silent on this subject, That he might shame these reprobates, Who call aloud on the name of Hyle, In the same manner as the crucifiers United to shout together The name of Barabbas ; For they saw he was a great robber. And would make him their chief. That they might be able by that strong one To slay that mighty Hero Who had subjected His power to them.' Marcion collected together his wolves. And his ally collected his foxes. And Manes his herds of swine ; H 146 METRICAL HOMILIES OF That they might war against Him "VVTiOj by the hand of David^ Had stopped the roaring of the lion and the bear. And bound together the foxes By the hand of Samson. A type this of their brethren/ Whom, by their own declarations. The truth casts into chains ! And their error is as a cornet To those who wander from the way. By their trumpets the circumcised ones^ Are all aroused and proclaim Disputation and strife. The bramble calls to the thorns. And the thorn to the tares. And the rush calls to the chaff : They excite themselves as with strong drink," And come together to contend With the fire of the Almighty. And now conspire together Vipers which have no pity. And the asp without ears. And the serpent destitute of feet ; And presumptuously attempt to bite The stone which broke in pieces The image which the king dreamed^ of, In the midst of Babylon ; Whose head was that of a dragon, EPHRAEM SYRUS. ' 147 Its feet those of a basilisk, And its belly that of a serpent. There are gathered and joined together Earth-worms and locusts_, And the destroying moth, That they may trample into dust The heel of the mighty Hero ; Even the heel of Him who is of the stock Of the kings of the house of David, ^Aliich once descended into the sea, And walked upon it, And brake in pieces Leviathan,^' And ascended triumphantly. The vulture expands his wings, And rising up joineth himself To the crows — the children of darkness ; The eagle calls to the kite, And the ravens respond to him ; That they may fight against The great Eagle of heaven ; The thundering sound of whose wings Put Satan to flight : And He opened the door of Paradise And admitted the penitent robber. The title of this homily is that given to it by Asseman in his catalogue of the works of Ephraem. (BiUiotheca Onentalis, torn. i., p. 127.) The metre is pentasyllabic, in strophes of eleven verses. H 2 148 METRICAL HOMILIES OF The translator has laboured diligently to give a correct trans- lation of this singular and interesting production ; but he hopes his readers may be more successful than himself in catching up, and retaining, the uniting thread of thought which doubtless runs through it, and which would give a unity and coherence to the whole. The question to be decided is, whether the whole homily is intended to refute the Gnostics ? or whether the introduction of those heretics in the seventh strophe is merely illustrative of what had been said of the rebellious and wicked before ? Perhaps the striking descriptions of the power of mind over matter, in the first strophe, and of superior natures over inferior ones in the strophes which follow, are intended to refute, in some way, the idea of the stuhbornness of matter which so characterized the Gnostic system. It is felt that these and many other questions would be set at rest by a diligent study of the whole series of homilies against heresies, of which this is one. See the remarks on this portion of Ephraem's writings in the Introduction. o " Have their stubbornness subdued." — Sy., are convinced or persuaded of their ]/o\ \\ V • a word which does not occur in the Lexicons, though its cognates are of frequent occurrence. - \ ^^ is, difficilis, hebes, imjJeditus, insipiens. i " Success is for their probation." — i^0l5, rendered success, is a word worthy of the attention of lexicographers. Benedict renders it j>ro/ecfi facultates, bona, opes. Therefore, although the meaning given here to |-^0l5 is not recorded, it cannot be doubtful. c "Wealth gives occasion for victory:" — i. e., for the restraint and conquest of those evils to which it leads. d " And reputation for prudent counsel." — The Syriac for repu- tation here is |_KKi!DQL_», glory, renoicn; but when applied to common life, reputation among others. This gives occasion for prudent watchfulness against detractors, &c. « " When he was lifted up again." — OTiDJ is not found in this EPHRAEM SYRUS. 149 sense in Castell, or any other Lexicon. The meaning however may be gathered from the Arabic Uj editus, elatus fuit. f " Must be restrained by wrath." — Having noticed various characters, who by correction and disciphne are improved, Ephraem proceeds to describe those who, like Pharaoh, are only hardened by them. The thought cannot here fail to be suggested, that in the days of Ephraem the evil tempers with which he came in contact, were precisely those which Christ's servants too often now meet with in their public life. i' " An easy temperament."' — i>Q-i_aiID, bland, gentle, good- natured. A " They will swallow up and drown you." — Literally, they tcill sicalloiv thee iip, and thou shalt he covered vp, or buried. i " Double-faced and insidious." — \<=^\ kj is properly incon- stans, variabilis. ]j3QJ_k» is made to yield the meaning of m- sidious with difficulty, as far as the Lexicons are concerned. The rendering generally given is, suffocator : Anglice, hangman ; but although the idea of ropes, nets, snares, seems to peep out occa- sionally in Castell, the milder interpretation is not supported. The Arabic is equally untractable, and only renders aid in an obscure passage m Schindler. He says, that in Mark vi. 19, the Arabic for the Greek 6Ve?Y6i/ has ;-As- insidiahatur. ^ " Who seek occasion to be more wicked. — Benedict. •' Qui ubiqiie et undique arripiunt, nude pejores fiant.'" ^ " That of the profane Hyle." — This verse lands us at once into the midst of the great controversy with the Gnostics, which agitated the early Church. For the bearing of the works of Ephraem on this fruitful source of error and of religious conten- tion, the reader is referred to the Introduction. Only so much will here be said on the subject as is necessary to illustrate the text. It has been well said by Gieseler, that the basis of the Gnostic speculation was the old question TtoOev to KaKov, or the origin of evil. Amidst various shades of difference, the Gnostic Christians referred evil to a source independent both of God and man, and this was generally the Hyle, mentioned with such ab- 150 METRICAL HOMILIES OF horrence by Ephraem in this passage. It is the Greek "YXv, originally a simple noun signifying materia quoicunque, unde ali- quid Jit; but by the perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, it Avas exalted to a position of influence little inferior to that of the great and only God. Even Bardesanes, whose heresy assumed a far milder form than that of Marcion or Manes, entertained this idea of the Hyle, ^'■Dissidet a Deo invisihili longo intervallo materia (eterna, massa foetida et deformis, iners et tenebricosa, unde mala omnia scatiiriunt, ipsius diaholi mater et sedes^ — (See Bardesanes Gnosticus, HaJm, p. 59.) The word rendered profane, is also obscene; in this place it appears to be opposed to sacred ; no sacred writer had mentioned it. »J "One essence." — (-kA-i( ,_k». Benedict, ^'•unam quippe essentiam sempiternain omnes filii veritatis prcedicarunty This is properly the adjective ceternus, the substantive being |Z.oA_i | ; but it is often used as a noun, ens, to ov. » " In his history of the Maker of the world." — Only small frag- ments survive of the Avorks of Bardesanes in the writings of others. From Ephraem a pretty full account of his sentiments may be collected. "About to be fettered." — ]; i rD| Z.0015. Benedict, " m carcerem compegit.''* Of course it is not alleged as a fault in Manes, that in his creed he declared that the principle of evil should one day be overcome by that of light : — the object of Ephraem is to shew the inconsistency of these philosophizing heretics in relation to each other. i? " By the mouth of His preachers." — It is taken for granted that the reference here is to our Lord. The uniform testimony of the Apostles is against the principles of Gnosticism. q " To those who would listen to it." — The Marcionites, Mani- chseans, and others, to support their own views, received or rejected portions of the New Testament. To this eclecticism there may be a reference in the text. This strophe is redundant in verses from no perceptible cause. r " Who had subjected His power to them." — The manifest and imiform manner in which the Gnostic doctrines derogated from the EPHRAEM SYllUS. 151 dignity of the Redeemer, will account for the strong expressions which occur in the remaining part of the homily. * " A type this of their brethren." — As the foxes were tied by their tails, — a conspicuous member of the body being the instru- ment of degradation and torture : — so the doctrines of the heretics were made to redound to their own refutation and disgrace. t " By their trumpets the circumcised ones:" — i. e., the Jews, wlio gained a vantage ground against Christianity, by means of the divisions caused by tlie heterodox. « " They excite themselves as with strong drink. " — Sy., ^OOT-«_£iJ O'fj^tSD. As j_kk£D has only the meaning of to go round about to heg, in the Lexicons, which will not agree with this passage, a rendering is given suggested by the Arabic J,^ ehruisfuit. Let the learned decide. »-■ "The image which the king dreamed of." — See Dan. ii. 31. >*^*^\ here rendered dreamed of, has the meaning excogitavit given it in Fuel, by Bernstein, and the historical relation seems to warrant the variation of the idea given in the text. V " And brake in pieces Leviathan." — The figures of this strophe seem to be taken from Gen. iii. 15: and Ps. Ixxiv. 13. 152 METRICAL HOMILIES OF VI. f rrnr rmmteftfe Criitji, (Adversus H^reses, XXVII^ torn, v., p. 500.) How much the heretics'* resemble Those who steal the signet of a king^ And impress false coin* with it secretly, This, falling into the hands of the skilful, They see there the seal and the royal image, But detect also the counterfeit, and the fraud of the artist. Thus the thief is not able. To imitate" the signet entirely. So false teachers,*^ who counterfeit the way. Cannot imitate the waymarks^ of the kingdom. And while the waymarks are standing. The road itself is not unknown ; So that whoever is sound of memory. When he looks on the waymarks, can understand Both whose they are and whence and whither they lead. Thus he who moves the waymarks to a by-road/ Deserves a twofold reprehension ; For he injures the road and steals the waymarks. — Blessed, oh Lord, is the power of Thy truth. For no one is able to eclipse its beams 1^ Come, let us further consider this way \ EPHRAEM SYRUS. 153 Which the heretics tread in a by- course, Having stolen and arranged in order The waymarks of our true King. Behold ! the names of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, The standard of the chrism also and of baptism. The breaking of bread and the cup of salvation. The stolen Scriptures also which they have corrupted.^ Blessed be the King of kings. Whose way is like mountains which cannot be con- cealed ! Come ! contemplate these imbecile men. Who with their broken fragments of truth' Woidd bury these high mountains. Which cannot be stolen nor concealed ! And perceiving the waymarks cannot be covered. They call them by the name of another king who has no existence.'^ Some men indeed err and believe them. But others reject and reprove them. — Blessed is He who hath fixed waymarks on earth. As He hath fixed the starry lights on high ! And as no man is able To conceal the rays of the dawn,' So no one hath power To hide the truth of the Scriptures. Some stumble in the many lights of heaven. And some err in the abundance of the Scriptures ; H 3 154 METRICAL HOMILIES OF In the lights above they find stumbling-blocks. And in the pure Scriptures blemishes. Blessed is He who hath illumined us with light. And saved us by tmth which cannot be refuted.'" This homily is said by Asseman to be addressed to all heretics. In reference to the structure it is peculiar. Each strophe has ten verses, but they are of various metres, and it has been found im- possible to establish such a harmony among them as to express their relations in the translation. Further Hght may probably be thrown on the subject. « " The heretics." — J5Q.^1D, literally, the deniers or unbelievers. Ephraem means all those whose creed consisted in part of a denial or rejection of some orthodox article. * " False coin." — 1-2)|1 is properly /raws, /aZ?acia, dolus. Bene- dict renders, " nummos cudunt adulter mos.'^ c " To imitate." — \i^ does not occur in any such sense in any Lexicon the translator has consulted. The context however de- mands such a version, and Benedict has " imitari." In Arabic there is a word which may assist to throw light upon this : — ^ in conj. ii, is, rejpetivit rem; to repeat a thing=mahe a duplicate^ imitate. ^ " False teachers." — The general sense of ] i c^\n . is doc- trina. But the meaning here given is estabhshed in Ephraem. Thus in the Twenty-fifth Homily, Adversus Hcereses (tom. v., p. 496), in strophe 8, we read of p^5o"| q1D.QJL5 | i \n . ^ teachers or guides tvJio pervert the way. It appears to be appro- priated to false teachers. e " The waymarks." — 1 1 » \r> is properly miles., as in Matt. v. 41. So millarium in Latin. In this sense of milestone, ivaymai-Jc, it is not found in the Lexicons. / " To a by-road." — \j^oL, aherratio, errm\ Castell. In this EPHRAEM SYRUS. 155 sense Eplimem uses it elsewhere. Benedict, " ad ohViquos flexusy It occurs again in the second verse of the next strophe. 9 " To eclipse its beams." — All the strophes end with a doxology similar to this except the first ; but it cannot be doubted that even in that the two last verses were taken up by the choms. h " The stolen Scriptures also which they have coiTupted." — The Scriptures are said to be stolen^ because they were taken as it were from the orthodox by the heretics, to subserve their own private purposes ; the way in which the Gnostics rejected some Scriptures and mutilated others according to their convenience, has been alluded to in the notes to the former homily. When criticism becomes a pruning-knife to lop the branches of the tree of life according to the taste of him who handles the weapon, it is a sure proof that self-will and not a desire for truth is the moving principle. i " \Yho with their broken fragments of truth."— Literally, lolio until the stones of truth lohich have been broken into fragments. The heretics retaining the ordinances of Christianity, and using a Christian nomenclature, endeavoured by the guileful employment of them to injure Cliristian truth. k " Another king who has no existence."— As for instance the Hyle, mentioned in the last homily ; or the other imagined beings which distinguished the systems of the Gnostics and the Mani- chaeans. I " To conceal the rays of the dawn." — Literally, to cover the rmng of the beams. m "Truth which cannot be refuted."— "jA^Q-DO p; ■ *^. According to the etymology this would be, " with that which is sure, certain, and that which is true, morally." But both words are used indiscriminately for truth, and, in the translation, the latter word has been used as qualifying the first by a common Semitic idiom. 156 METRICAL HOMILIES OF VII. ITS ANALOGIES IN NATURE, AN1> THEIR INEXPLICABLENESS. (Adversus Sceutatores, XLII., torn, vi., p. 75.) Who is able to circumscribe Within a narrow aqueduct. Or to bring through his own intellect The rough sea** of hidden mysteries ? Disputation to us in our weakness Is like a bitter thing, Much more so an argument of great difficulty/' Who is there of weak perceptions That is competent for the assault'' Of that Mighty One, Whose generation is unsearchable ! The vision of that which is spiritual Is not congenial to our pupils ; Its appearance is strange to our eyes If we would gaze upon it. And who can become familiar With the hidden One by his research ? Who is distant in all respects from all men I Who hath ever accustomed His mouth to the burning flame ? Or his palate to fiery heat Which never hath been tasted ? EPHRAEM SYRUS. 157 Now be instructed by this fire. Whose fierceness was never tasted ; Yet its power is recognized In the fiaAOur of what is dressed by it ; And thus it is a useful thing. And in every way profitable. So also is the hidden Eternal Essence l^ Mix and receive its influence In various kinds of good things ; For its investigation, in itself. Is difficult and arduous.'^ The sun passeth through a transparent-^ vase Into the midst of the water in it. And generates in the cold element The warmth of fire ; A progeny like unto itself. In a wonderful manner it begets ; — The offspring rises from it without separation ! For the ray is not drowned, Neither is the water divided ; It is a pure progeny, Which beameth forth with splendour '/ Gold is a single substance, A flower is threefold ; Stone is a single substance. But fire is threefold ; For flame, and heat, and light Are mingled in it. 158 METRICAL HOMILIES OF For not by one example only ascendeth The language of created things ! — Therefore without disputation Receive as they have been preached to us^ These threefold arrangements.^ For they are not disposed in this order According to our pleasure ; But Natm'e as it is Exists in a threefold manner. Nor is it to be enquired for what reason It is found to be thus ; — That it exists in this order is indisputable. For who complains of our statement, That fire is threefold ? No man questions it_, But every one admits it.' It continues to be a mystery to thee How the heat passes through the vase ; How it was conceived in the sun, And lay hidden in it ; And, again, how it was enveloped In the bosom of its beams. Unsearchable is the travail that brought it forth ! That birth is a miracle. The admiration of which should keep thee silent ; And restrain thy imagination. Because it surpasses thy understanding \^ EPHRAEM SYRUS. 159 If tliou liaclst never tasted a fruit,^ To discover its peculiar nature ; Though thou hadst touched it with thy hand, And smelt it_, and examined it : — Yet because thou hadst not yet Tasted it, and proved its quality, Thou wouldst rely on him who had tried it. Since, then, that hidden Essence Is too mighty for thee. Believe that Fruit'" By which its force has been tasted. Take a grain of wheat, and split it open^ And search into it and shew to us AYhere it hides the stalk, The ear of corn, and the root ;'» Each of which is complete within it In a threefold manner : Shew also which is recent, older, and oldest ; — And, although there was a beginning,^ How fruitless to search it ont ! For their origin is concealed Within them and to themselves,/' But since even this illustration^ May fail as not being perfect ; Let it be reaped and winnowed That it may come into ^use. Grant, then, that through captiousness The similitude has failed — 160 METRICAL HOMILIES OF Do thoTi with sound mind thus contemplate it : — The blade'' is typically the body. The full corn is typically the mind. And the ear is typically the soul ; — This is a celebrated parable !* For consider that every similitude Which is written and constructed. If it fully depicted The whole object perfectly, Would be found not a resemblance. But an exact copy. For it is necessary that shadows should pass through The network of time.^ Thus our Sa\iour compares A grain of corn'^ to the kingdom. For our improvement. Examples and parables Are weak and insufficient ; Comparisons and similitudes Are feeble and reach not to the object : They subsist in humble form. That he may be reproved Who is haughty and arrogant. For if he is not competent To attain to the similitudes. How can he madly perplex himself With the height of Divine Majesty ? EPHRAEM SYRUS. 161 The clouds are more exalted Than the vapours beneath them^ The heavens than both of them, And the heaven of heavens is still higher. The low mountains'^ Of this creation are high To the dwellers in the dust beneath them. Thus also similitudes. However great they may be to us, Are only thought to approach the thing signified. Being, in reality, far away from it. The metre of the above is pentasyllabic, except the seventh verse which is heptasyllabic. Each strophe has uniformly eleven verses, Asseman thus describes the contents of the homily: " The holy doctor in this piece concludes that the divine nature is inaccessible and impenetrable on account of the weakness of the human mind, which is ignorant of the nature of things which are brought under its observation.'" — (Bihliotheca OrientaUs, tom. i., p. 109.) It con- veys a favourable idea of the skill of Ephraem in reasoning, and also of the richness of his imagination. These qualities are dis- cerned by the readers of a translation. But it requires that the production should be studied in its native language, before the various mental qualities it exhibits can be fully appreciated. a " The rough sea." — Sy., Jj2iL|, tJie leaves. b " An argument of great difficulty." — Sy., when the scope or mark is of celebrated strength; i. e., when the divine nature is the subject of discussion. The translation of Mr. Mon-is is very dif- ferent, and scarcely conveys an intelligible sentiment : '-As searching is to lis in our weakness^ as it were hitter, hoiv much more then is the standard of glorious might hitter?'^ The meaning of Ephraem is this, — Disputation is even in ordinary cases and on 162 METRICAL HOMILIES OF common subjects unpleasant to a weak mind ; how much more uncongenial is the discussion of an argument concerning the mysterious nature of God ! c " That is competent for the assault." — llQ-L is impetus^ vis; power in action, ready to grapple with an opponent. <^ " So also is the hidden eternal essence." — To know God by His favours and by the beneficent results of His inscrutible power in creation and providence, rather than by curious investigation of His nature, is appropriate to man ; since he is constantly obliged in the common course of life to be contented with effects^ while ignorant of the cause. e " Is difficult and arduous." — Sy., difficult is its investigation and ardiMus, by a metathesis of the adjectives which occurs sometimes in Ephraem's metrical productions ; no doubt for the sake of the metre. See note n. / " A transparent vase." — ]A » jK m is the rendering of the Greek aXd^acrrpov^ in the New Testament, and signifies a vase or other vessel, made of a pellucid transparent material. Benedict translates, " Sol xyositam in specidari vase aqiiam verherans.'^ In a note, Mr. Morris seem to think a burning glass, or a material capable of acting as such may be intended. But the way in which the sun's rays will warm the water in any transparent vessel, is the only allusion which the argument requires. ff " Which beameth forth with splendour." — There appears to be an unjustifiable efibrt made here, on the part of Benedict, to enhst Ephraem on the side of the notion of impurity of ordinary parturition^ which is correlative to the idea of the holiness of celibacy. He renders this and the former verse, " Partus purus est et sine lahe editus,^' which is an exaggeration of the terms of the text. Mr. Morris improves on the hint, and translates, " TJie offspring is one of chastity^ and glisteneth forth in spotlessness^ Now the word rendered spotlessness is jZ.Q»»011, illustration splendor ^ from JOII, which like the Arabic (jjj- has two contrasted mean- ings, to shine, and to esteem vile, or to smell badly ; but in neither of them does the idea of purity appear. * "These threefold arrangements." — Literally, these threes ; i. e., EPHRAEM SYRUS. 163 the threefold natural organizations mentioned before, as the con- nection and tlic argument require the words to be understood. The doctrine preached by " created things" was to be received ; namely, that they exist in a threefold manner. Benedict states the conclusion which Ephraem leaves to be inferred: " ^ware, seposltis co7itentiombus, qualem ohservavimus in pleHsque rebus achtmhrahtm, hunc Deum disce trinvm.^' Mr. Morris renders : " these threefold ones.'" But the whole of the next strophe is in accordance with the translation here given. Ephraem obviates an objection that these natural analogies are overstrained and far- fetched, by saying that they are not devised by him, but exist in the observation of every man, and cannot be denied. i " But every one admits it." — Since therefore fire is admitted to be threefold, and yet the modus of its existence cannot be under- stood, the incomprehensibility of the Trinity is no argument against the fact. This is the conclusion of the reasoning of the former strophes. A.- " Because it surpasses thy understanding." — The doctrine of the generation of the Son is treated in this strophe in as delicate and tasteful a manner as can well be conceived. If such a topic comes within man's legitimate range, a better example of reveren- tial illustration could not be given. I " A fruit." — There is no indefinite article in the text, but the connection seems to require that some speciality should be given to the word. Benedict, '■'- Si pomum nunquam gustasti." m " Believe that Fruit." — The argument of the strophe appears to be this : God in His essence is not known (tasted) although cer- tain qualities of His nature are revealed (touched, seen, &c.). But there is one who is intimately acquainted with God, who has revealed to us as much as can be known of His nature. Believe Him, &c. This is Jesus Christ of whom it is said (John i. 18), " Xo man hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the father, he hath declared him.^^ But a great deal of obscurity exists in the strophe from the double use of the figure fruit, which in the first case refers to God in His essence, and in the second to the Son, The translator has vamly endea- voured to discover the means of removing this obscurity, and is 164 METRICAL HOMILIES OF obliged to leave Ephraem under the charge of darkening a fine stanza by an ambiguous use of terms. That Fruit here refers to Jesus Christ is plain from the tenor of the argument ; but another passage from Ephraem will confirm the fact. In Homily XXII. of this series (torn, vi., p. 39) we read — " The Son knoweth the Father As the fruit its tree ; And He also knoweth The fruit as the stock does." " " The stalk, the ear of corn, and the root." — The metathesis of the nouns here is so marked, and so out of the natural order, that it is evident some metrical exigency dictated the position of the words. So correct and practised a writer as Ephraem must have written the root, the stalk, and the ear, unless some weighty reason dictated another arrangement. An attentive examination of passages of this kind, (see note e,) will doubtless throw light on the subject of Syrian metres. Let us compare the natural arrangement in this case with that which exists, and see wliether any prosodical principle can be elicited from the juxtaposition. As the verse now stands it is a perfect example of pentasyllable metre :— ■ I ; n v n 1 1 1 ^ Shnono 'vekoro. But if the natural order had been observed, the verse must have been tetrasyllable, thus — .p_L-»0 ( ' 1 ^ Kanyo 'vshnono. Let it be observed that the long and short quantities are only marked conjecturally to give the illustration greater clearness. Benedict gives the natural order, ^^ radix, seges, et sjnca." o " Although there was a beginning." — As it was abhorrent from the principles of Ephraem to admit that either of the divine persons ever had a beginnmg, this only illustrates the correctness of his perception of the use of such figures ; he employed them generally, as to the main idea, without carrying out the resemblance in minor particulars. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 165 i' " Witliiu them and to themselves." — The note of Mr. Morris on this passage is here quoted, as well explaining the meaning. His translation is, " Their hidden beginning is from themselves unto themselves:'' — on which he remarks, "Even in this created thing there are operations which rise in itself, and have no issue save what is internal to itself. St. E. means to imply that the relations of the persons of the ever-blessed Trinity to each other, result from operations internal to the Godhead, and not from any opera- tions issuing in us." q " But since even this illustration may fail." — Ephraem alludes apparently to the sHpperiness of his opponents, who would evade the force of an argument by captious criticism of the illustration. It appears then that this observation partakes of an ironical air, as he anticipates the objection of his adversaries. The reaping and loinnoiving have no reference to the illustration from the wheat in the previous strophe, except as that might be suggestive of the figure, but to the rough way in which he knew his argument would be handled by his opponents. r " The blade is typically the body." — Here is an evident allu- sion to Mark iv. 28: "-For the earth bringing forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear,"" but not to the translation of the Peschito, all the terms of which, except the word rendered the ear, are different. It will be ob- served that the natural order is here inverted, as above, though not for the same reason, for the metathesis is of complete penta- syllable verses, which neither gain nor lose by a change of position s " This is a celebrated parable !"— It would appear as though he here triumphed over the objectors to the former illustration, by the divine authority of this ; but it must be remembered that the application belongs to Ephraem, for our Lord nowhere says that body, soul, and spirit are represented by the blade, the ear, and the full corn. t " The network of time."— lZj_»^ a net. Benedict renders, " Lucem permeantem retia, umbrce aliquce sequantur oportet.^^ Mr. Morris's translation is almost verbally the same as that given in the text. The meaning appears to be this : — taking the network 166 METRICAL HOMILIES OF to signify lattice-toorh, or some such meclianical contrivance to admit light to a dwelling : — The figures and emblems of heavenly things come to us through a medium, of the properties of which they partake ; they pass through the lattice-work of this sublu- nary world, which divides the eternal from the temporary, and are tinged and coloured by the transit. — Benedict's version, which is very beautiful, amounts to the same thing as the exposition now given : — Shadows must accompany the light which, coming from heaven, passes through the windows of our terrestrial dwell- ing. Perhaps this is most correct. Mr. Morris's valuable note must be added : — " Aristocles {Ap. Euseb. Frcep. Evang.J in the words, ' The senses are like meshes and nets and such like hunt- ing implements,' imiMes what St. E. here states explicitly, viz., that they reach truth not without the intervention of a medium which partially obscures it." Some one has well said, that God is only to be seen by man through the lattice-ivorh of ordinances. « " A grain of com."— |.^u»_D5 IZ?;^ is a grain of the summer, nor do the Lexicons give any other meaning but castas to jA-»_D, except Schindler, who says that it signifies "^er metonymiam, fructus cestatis qui siccantury X " The low mountains." — That is, loiK in relation to creation at large, not in relation to man. The thought is, that all created things, however great and high, are excelled by others ; and in the same manner figures and similitudes are far surpassed by what they represent. The philosophical doctrine that all objects are great or little, relatively to the percipient mind, and not ^er se, is here employed by Ephraem to shew the insufficiency of types and parables to give more than a 'proximate idea of the divine objects they shadow forth. The whole theory here propounded of the nature and use of figurative language, is a fine specimen of biblical hermeneutics. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 167 VIII. (Dn tljt €mn llntiirca nf ^tBim Clirist. HIS HUMAN ATTRIBUTES THE PROOF OF HIS LOVE. (Adversus Scrutatores, XXIX., torn, vi., p. 52.) GoD^ in His lo\dng-kindness. Calls mortal men gods/ According to His good pleasure ; But they in their enquiiy Limit Him who is really God, As though He were man. Cherubim bear aloft Him who put on your body ; Seraphim are abashed* before Him^ Angels are silent in His presence ; But ye^ oh impure men ! The generation of that Glorious One Have vilely dishonoured 1'' , To the feeble body, With which descending He clothed Himself, His names and actions are accommodated ; And as it was necessary That He should suffer hunger, So it was necessary that He should pray ; And as the aflPection of hunger Appertains altogether to the body ; 168 METRICAL HOMILIES OF So his lacking anything"^ Belonged entirely to the flesh. Perish not through the names With which that Living One clothed Himself, That He might give life to all men ! For that Mighty One put on names Which fall short of Him through his bodily form/ Because of His mercy towards you. Concerning which of them Do ye decide that it is true. And honourable^ and glorious ? The name of the Father is true ; The name of the Son is faithful ; That of the Pardoner is worthy of love ; That of Judge is terrible. As the Son of man He is circumscribed, But being unbounded in His nature, He is truly God V A weak measuring plummet^ Hath presumptuously descended^, That it may fathom the sea To find how deep it is ! It would investigate the springs of water That it may ascertain whence they flow, And whither they are tending. But to search for himself Lo ! the foolish one is not able, As to the place from which EPHRAEM SYRUS. 169 The hand which made him took him, And imposed on him restrictions, Which he despises ! Who hath seen the dust of the threshing-floor^' Presume to examine The force of the wind, by questioning it ? But daring mortals do so In their investigation of Him, Whose breath gives life to the dead. The cedars are rooted up. And forests are twisted together ; But the chaff comes to examine The natm-e of the holy wind t And by the blast which bloweth it To the mouth of the furnace, Behold it is driven away !* The Lord and Father, who to man. Is not \dsible, although He is his Judge, Reprehends these cavillers ; " Why do ye thus pry into The generation of Him by whose hand Ye exist and were fashioned ? The clay is not capable Of investigating the potter ; Vessels which are inanimate. The artificer makes for his use ; But your Maker, who hath formed you Rational, and possessed of knowledge, Ye have scornfully rejected \"^ 170 METRICAL HOMILIES OF The title given to this homily is suggested by the contents. It coincides with the account of the piece by Asseman. — (Bibliotheca Orientalis, torn, i., p. 105.) He says, "That there are two natures in Christ, he gathers from the different character of His operations and attributes, against the Paulianists, who taught that He was a mere man." The metre is for the most part penta- syllabic, although there are irregularities which prevent it from being assigned positively to that class. The last verse of each strophe is of nine syllables, and it was either used as one, or divided as it is in the translation. At present this is only con- jecture. a " Calls mortal men gods." — This refers to Psalm Ixxxii. 6, "/ have said ye are gods,^^ as the passage is employed by Christ in John X. 34. The Jews raised the same objection to Christ's divinity as the heretics did in the time of Ephraem, and he for- cibly uses our Lord's argument for their confutation. b " Seraphim are abashed." — No such meaning is given to \(JX\ in the Syriac Lexicons ; but in Arabic {jt, . has among many other meanings ruheseere ccepit. This, compared with the sense of vileni Jiabuit, alluded to in note g of Homily VII. may warrant the trans- lation. Benedict has, " ejus conspectum verentur.^^ c " Have vilely dishonoured." — As stated above, Asseman thinks this homily was specially directed against the Paidianists, a sect, which as he says, flourished much in Syria in the time of Ephraem. It originated in Paul of Samosata, bishop of Antioch, in the middle of the third century. His views regarding the divinity of CTirist, as described by Neander, (Church History^ vol. ii., p. 362 ; ed. Clark,) were as follows : — " The theory of Paul gave prominence to Christ's human person alone, and the divine appears only as something which supervenes from without. We discern in it the deistic tendency which fixes an impassable gulf between God and the creation — which admits of no community of essence and of life between God and humanity." For the part which Paul took in relation to the hymns of the Church at Antioch, see the Intro- duction. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 171 d *' So his lacking anything." — That is, having wants and necessities which rendered prayer a duty and a comfort to Him. That God in our nature should pray, was a sad stumbling-block to the Scrutatores. ^ " Through His bodily form." — There is an obscurity in this and the former verse, partly arising from the ambiguity of the Syriac text, and partly from the difficulty the translator has found in expressing, without a paraphrase, his version of it. The Syriac is, on account of the hody. Ephraem means to say that Christ assumed inferior names, in relation to His bodily form, on account of His love to us. There is a strong metathesis in the original. / " He is truly God." — Asseman quotes this passage as referring to the Monophysites and Monothelites, but there is nothing here which does not apply to the Paulian heresy. 9 '•'' A. weak measuring plummet." — Sy., P-k-K^JiD |\\0 O, rendered by Benedict, vile lutum, vile clay. Mr. Morris has iceak clay. Now the general meaning of (sNoiD is funda, a sling. The verb is found in Hebrew ^i^ fimdd projecit lapides, and fyp funditor, a slinger, one who throws stones. A plummet being a hea-vT" body suspended by a string, the relation of this to a sling is obvious. Such an etymology might be thought mere fancy, did it not so exactly answer the demands of the text. The word rendered fathom is «-^0V>, to feel after, examine, search. h " The dust of the threshing-floor."— This rendering is given to "JjOlI^, which is pulvis palece, gluma. In Isa. v. 24, it is said their blossom shall rise up as dust (5Q-L. It plainly means dust arising from decayed or bruised vegetable matter; and such a special sense quite agrees with the text where icind is mentioned, by which such pulvis palece was blown away from the more valuable matter. i " The nature of the holy wind." — A fine use of the double meaning of (.kj05 icind and spirit. k " Behold it is di-iven away."— It would be difficult in the whole compass of literature to find a keener satire than is con- tained in this strophe. Nobler natures, the cedars and the oaks, reverentially bend before a power which they feel, but cannot comprehend ; but chaff turns and begins to question and examine I 2 172 METRICAL HOMILIES OF it ! but only to be blown more furiously and certainly to the fiery furnace ! I " Ye have scornfully rejected." — The fine contrast of the five last verses is worthy of special notice. Base clay yields itself up to the service of the potter, but man, rational and endowed with powers of intellect, turns against his Creator ! In the printed text, the last strophe but one is divided into two parts. There are frequent indications that transcribers did not always detect the systematic arrangement of what they copied. EPHRAEM SYRUS. 173 IX. Binn is ignnnuit nf MmBtii HE THEREFORE CANNOT DISCOVER THE MODE OF THE DIVINE EXISTENCE. (Advebsus Sckutatoees, I., torn, vi., p. 1.) In place of the standard^ which saveth all men^ Which the universal teacher hath exhibited to us ; This^ our presumptuous generation^ Hath brought in a new faith.* He who is omniscient knoweth \\Tiat is the cause of these agitations. If their motive is arrogancy^, May the Lord curb their pride ; If their motive is contention, May the Lord increase concord ; And if their motive is love, May He reveal His own to them that are His !'' Oh thou who aimest at the great mountain, Think not that thy arrows can reach it ! They may go a little way from thee But cannot touch the standard ! For high is the generation of the Son Above human investigation. 174 METRICAL HOMILIES OF Take an illustration'^ from thine own nature^ Comparing this subject with what is near f That by the testimony of what is near thee, That which is remote may be believed. Let thy mind/ be that illustration. Respecting which speculators have erred. For one confesses that it exists. Another that it has no being ; One subjects it to mortality, Another makes it superior to death ; One derives it from something. And another from nothing. He who contemplates its greatness. Makes it a particle of greatness ; He who observes its evanescence Makes it a puff of air. One considers it to be breath. And another calls it blood. One man contemplates its warmth. And says it is produced from fire ; Another, seeing its spirituality, Afiirms that it proceeds from spirit ; One makes it a part of God, And another but His breath. There is one who derives it from one essence. Another from many essences ; EPHRAEM SYRUS. 17^ One deduces it from one thing only, Another fr'om seven^ things mingled ; One magnifies and exalts its nature, Another debases and dishonours its origin. If then the unstable mind, Whieh even dreams lead astray, Thus have erred in investigating These reasoners who have missed the mark — Who is competent to search into That generation which is inscrutable ! Come ! let us wonder at him who says That the mind does not exist ; When even in himself this mind resides. And disputes against himself! It even denies itself, saying Of its being, that it exists not ! The mind which perceiveth not its own self. Whether it exists or has no being — That which is not able to agree with itself,'^ As to what its mouth utters concerning it^ — How can it be able to investigate Him by whose hand it was created ! Kot being visible to itself. That it may see that it exists it has a mirror ; In this, the faculty of speech,^ the mind Is able to Yiew itself 176 METRICAL HOMILIES OF For in speech consists its great honour Above dumb creatures. The mind therefore exists, Which yet in its own perception exists not. For how can it not exist ? Behold it is detected by its actions ! For having its existence from the Creator It perished by its own free will.^ If therefore in all this The mind denies the truth'" — And not perceiving its own dignity, The mind repudiates itself — What is there it can confess. As it in reality exists ? And if by its own investigation. The mind errs as to its being. What can it discover by its research ? What can it attain to by enquiry ? If so far distant from itself, How can it approach" the hidden One ! Since then our intellectual faculty Knoweth not how to know itself. How shall it dare to meditate On the generation of Him who knoweth all things ? The thing made which knoweth not itself. How shall it know its Maker ? EPHRAEM SYRUS. 177 There is a mighty nature, Ineffable by all lips l" The mouth that will speak, Of Him who is unutterable, Brings Him to degradation. Being inadequate to His greatness. Whoever therefore is desirous Greatly to magnify God, (He being great in His nature Will make him great who magnifies Him !) Let him restrain disputation, which is unequal to Him, And possess silence, which is worthy^ of Him ! Grant, Lord, that I may use Both these prudently ; That I may not search presumptuously? Nor be silent slothfully.'" Teach me the speech which is profitable, And impart to me the silence which is prudent ! Thls homily is a correct specimen of the heptasyllabic metre in strophes of six verses. Hahri entitles it " De Filii Dei naturam et generationem perscrutantium temeritate.^^ The following is a translation of the remarks of Asseman upon it (Bibliotheca Orien- talis, tom. i., p. 98) : " Ephraem brings against the Arians the charge of novelty^ which the fathers object to all the sectarians ; on the very threshold of his argument caUing them to the constant tradition of the Catholic Chm*ch." He then quotes the first strophe, which blames indeed the introduction of a novelty, but calls rather to the Scriptures, than to tradition, in the popish sense. He then says that S. Hilary, a contemporary of Ephraem, I 3 178 METRICAL HOMILIES OF uses the same weapon against the Arians in this ironical quota- tion : — " Tarde mihi hos piissimos Doctor es cetas nunc hujus sceculi protulit : serb hos habuit fides mea, quam tu erudisti, Magistros. Inauditis ego his omnibus in Te credidiJ' He then returns to Ephraem : — " The holy doctor proceeds and attacks the Aetians, the sect of whom principally flourished in Sp-ia as in its native soil. For Aetius was a Syrian, who advanced to such a pitch of madness that he dared to discourse and make definitions concern- ing God and the divine substance by the means of geometry, using a certain dialectic series of syllogisms ; as though the infi- nite majesty of God could be circumscribed within the narrow boundaries of the human mind ; and as though that alone was to be believed of God which could be discovered by the light of nature. That he might therefore repress the arrogance of the Aetians, he lays down in the first place that the nature of God is incomprehensible. This he demonstrates from the fact that no man has ever yet attained a perfect knowledge of things created of God. And Ephraem embraces this opportunity of calKng Aetius to the knowledge of himself, and introduces the contro- versy respecting the substance of the mind, in which by the op- posing opinions of various writers on this question, he also convicts those of foUy who denied that man is endowed with mind and soul." a "In place of the standard." — See remarks on | ^ » i in note a, Homily IV., where it is said to be set up in the Scriptures. By saying that it giveth life to all men, Hahn supposes that Ephraem alludes to the brazen serpent set up by Moses. * "Hath brought in a new faith." — Sy., hath made the faith neiv, Z.,-K». c " May He reveal His own to them that are His." — An aUusion plainly to Phil. iii. 15, " Let us therefore, as many as he perfect, be thus minded; and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.^' The Syriac reads OxX^r^^ r'it'^ (TL^k-»5 %— 11., which Benedict renders, " JSin autem caritas (con- tentionum causa fuit) in suis ipse sua prodatf^ which Hahn says EPHRAEM SYRUS. 179 he cannot understand, and proposes to translate, — " Domimis suiim amorem revelet super illo ; h. e., siium infundat isti hominum per- verso amort, ut vere divinus divina spiret.'^ But Hahn appears rather to have missed the sense, which seems to be this : — Some may have preached heresy from no bad motive, but from love, however mistaken, of the truth ; such are to be treated kindly, and he prays, " Jlay the Lord reveal His oicn truth to them that are His." Mr. Morris has, '' 2Iay He reveal to them that be His, what is His." d " Take an illustration." — ]_a_j_3, which is exemplar, argu- mentum, as well as vexillum, scopus. ^ " Comparing this subject with what is near." — Hahn renders, " Projyonatur tihi signum cognatum, simile iUi remoto (naturae Filii Dei)," and to establish the version he changes |^1_»;_D, that ichich w near, for |0 i k>5, that ichich is far off, by a conjectural emen- dation. But the alteration only derives probability from his ren- dering of PiD5, which he considers an adjective, similis; whereas if it is treated as an active participle, the sense is plain, and re- quires f*^ >;,0 ; " comparing (the subject under discussion) ivith that ichich is near thee (thy own nature)." It is true that the pael form « i V)3, is that used for the active comparavit, but unless it is proved that the other is never used actively, it is better to presume that it is, than to alter the text. / " Let thy mind be that illustration." — |_«_aJ, rendered mind, has a signification as wide as the Heb. re; and the Greek yfrvx^)- Here it evidently means the thinJcing rational principle, sedes intelligentice, respecting which philosophers have speculated in all ages. ff '' Another from seven things mingled." — As Bardesanes in- troduced seven aeons into his system, it is probable he is here referred to. In a hymn attributed to Ephraem, in his Life (Acta S. Ephraemi, Opera, torn, vi., p. liii.), he thus speaks on this subject : — " Our confidence is not placed in seven Whom Bardesanes confesseth. 180 METRICAL HOMILIES OF Cm'sed be he whose hope And reliance are placed in seven." A " That which is aiot able to agree with itself." — Benedict : " Ipsaque semet sentire nequit.^^ Mr. Morris : " Sufficeth not to feel itself.'^ The word - * tP is sensit, but construed with %^, as it is here, it means to feel or perceive with another, to he consentient, to agree. Thus in Acts v. 2, it occurs in this sense, his wife agree- ing thereto 01£^ | ^ * iQ ^^^ Michaelis in Cast., s. v. i "As to what its mouth utters concerning it." — t-S^i here rendered utters, does not occur in this sense in the Syriac Lexi- cons, but it is very common m Hebrew and Chaldee, in the sig- nification of ejecit, excussit, expulit. A very clear meaning is thus given to this passage : — " The mind cannot agree with itself as to what its organ, the mouth, puts forth respecting its nature." The obviousness of this sense makes it more strange that the passage should be so darkened by versions in which this use of «.^^i is neglected. Benedict has, " (Anima) agitur ohvolvi- turque se circum, trnsatilis adinstar molce;^' is moved and rolled around itself liJce a hand-mill ! Hahn quotes this without com- ment, but gives as his own literal rendering, " Cujus os circum earn volvitur." Mr. Morris translates, ^'' which grinds its mouth on itself^' The only foundation for these extraordinary mystifica- tions seems to be the absence, in the Syriac Lexicons, of the Hebrew and Chaldee meaning of w^^^i. Castell has |A^Ot-i|, a hand-mill, and that is the only link by which the present trans- lator is able to account for the versions of the learned men which he has been constrained to correct. In despair of making any- thing of the passage, he consulted Schindler, and, to himself at least, the difficulty vanished. * " The faculty of speech." — Sy., jA\V), verhum, senno. But as ]\ » \Vn is logicus, rationcdis, why should not this be the ra- tional faculty ? ^ " It perished by its own free-will." — It is presumed there is a reference to the fall of man. Mr. Morris translates to the same purport, but Hahn gives a different turn to the passage : — " Ve- EPHRAEM SYRUS. 181 rumtamen sic a Creatore hahet quo sit, ut haheat a sua voluntate, quo pereat.''' »» " The mind denies the truth." — i. e., of its own nature. Bene- dict has, '■'•Jam si sua sic animam latent ornamenta,^' — on what ground it is difficult to imagine. 'i '' How can it approach the hidden One ?" — Sy., how can it come ] > f^*^ I " f close to the hidden One? as it must do to war- rant the familiarity it professes to have with his nature. o " Ineffable by all lips." — Literally, ^vhich has never been spoken of hy all mouths. Mr. Morris renders it, " The mighty nature that never u-as not, is sjwJcen of by all mouths,^' making iOoALolD |J a predicate of God, and not an adverb qualifpng . \ W?Z.(. But according to the usus loquendi ^oZ\V)V) ]j would be twt eteriud if used as an adjective. Benedict, inenarrahilis : Hahn, omnia ora nunquam enarrare possunt. P " Which is worthy of Him." — Hahn makes the mouth, and not God, the subject of the two last verses. " Let the mouth re- strain," &c. q '• That I may not search presumptuously." — That it is only the abuse of enquiry which Ephraem reprehends, is plain from this passage. See note b, Homily III. r " Nor be silent slothfuUy." — The only meaning given in the Lexicons to A^l^xx-* is temere, which is not appropriate. Castell gives (^ » * as occlusio oculorum; and the idea of shut- ting the eyes resides in the Heb. rtruj in Hiphel. In the absence of further authority Benedict is followed, who has otiose. .loT^]] "Uk^Q^ I ^rEi|tr nf f pfirattn. O Lord, we intreat of Thy goodness That Thou wilt forgive our sins, And pass by our follies. Open to us, Lord, The door of Thy tender mercies. That there may come unto us Seasons of refreshing. And if indeed, O Lord, Thou dost open the door to the penitent. In Thy mercy receive our petition ! INDEX I. or SYRIAC WORDS ILLUSTRATED. K^ a rib, a wife, 13. l4-»-^^l athletes, a liero, 22. |J£D| mourning weeds, 39. r-k-» t fallen prostrate, 49. P-^V) I '^roj vain professors, 66. JV> N\ haven, with olapJi, 71. iZ] a habitation, 92. IZuJo") the Old Covenant, 109. **=^ N\ to embark in a ship, 110. ,-K»l to seize, realize, 120. 0| an expression of gratulation, 133. 5| I air, tvJii/ med, 33. |5Z| t I 1 O vernacular M^or*^*, 119. (V) 1 O AjlO daughters of the convent, xxxviii., 71. jZ;-»^ creatures, nsedfor mankind, 33. \L ■ V) itZ 1 B 1 n fellow ministers, 55. ]l i S? lAciO the pupil of the eye, 97. ]Z\ • I *^ vile sayings, 97. (5q_» 'r^ sonofawaU, i.e., precincts, 118. I_i0*^ Scrutators, 132. \^ Scrutators, 132. .N'^N'^ to make discordant, 133. •,n^ to make ripe, 134. 1>0 I mn bland, gentle, easy, 149. 184 INDEX OF SYRIAC WORDS ILLUSTRATED. (JV)ro? f^^V ^^^ adverse party, an enemy, xxxix. po-l-i pavilion, extensive use of, 5 . ^]^1 ^stealthily, 97. «.^^i to utter, put forth, 180. JJ^t waves, rough sea, 161. ]\j_\5 bountiftd, liberal, 59. A^ •5 to weave falsehoods, 124. ^55 to pursue to an end, 125. ].A-k99 Scrutators, 132. (iD5 used as an active participle, 179. I; I V)(n hostages, pledges, 5. POCTI the mind, as distinguished from the soul, 97. \^0\ noisy dances, xxxviii, lAii?! alms, 39. Ij^jo]] IjO] a viaticum, 43, 59. (ZqjDI reward of victory, prize, 55. oo^^l to carry in the hands, 92. t^ll false coin, 154. loil to be abashed, 170. IZojOII splendor, not purity, 162. (\ I m Kj dependent, 13. I-A-Kj passions, susceptibilities, 3. pQ_Kj fine linen, 39. jZ^Kt external conduct, 51. IZj-Kj |JLk» a new life, 92, (1 1 K» Grace, a title of God, 94. »^\k» in the form of, like, 109. |V-K» to see or consider typically, 125. « N • Kj to devise, construct, 141. INDEX OF SYRIAC WORDS ILLUSTRATED. 185 ]<^\ Kt double-faced, 149. (j2)QJ_k» insidious, deceitful, 149. |Z\ I \i^ Talitho, a proper name, 52. 1 1 *^0 Ij the blessed, a title of departed saints, 16. r-L_KK^ beloved, 8. |>o\ I father, iu a theological sense, 47, 134. (j-l-* children, in a religious sense, 70. (1 ^\o I false teachers, 154. >0 1 > to inhale, suck ujd, 118. t-i_3ai3 surnames, accidental names, 119. (jloaD pontiff, priest, 94. (5q_2lD an infidel, a heretic, 154. I^D to imitate, 154. "JZqjId impartial justice, 38, 108. l^iTOD ]J things not mysterious, 138. VL^ to whisper, 133. |-»5,1d an Ode, xxxv. (jjId rebellion, apostasy, 16. ^'^ to polish the skin, 39, applied to a harp, 133. (j-a,iO a coenobite, 55. .-ijlD INlor, a title of respect, 55, xci. |jlD|iD a homil}^, theme, 70, a song, Ixxii. w2:^ \^ lord of all, applied to Noah, 109. xj^ aV) to reach to, 109. ]nn\V) Scnitators, 132. "JAoilD clusters of grapes, 134. (s\V> destitute of vision, 140. |N I V> waymarks. "|Z,_»JiD lattice- work, 165. 186 INDEX OF SYRIAC WORDS ILLUSTRATED. ^QlD to fathom, 171. UJ^^ faculty of speecli, 180. to strike the ear, 3. a standard, va?'ious se?ises of , 57, 140, 178, 179. I • '^^ 1 the soul, extent of its meaning, 179. ]^m innocent, holy, ]08. « ^'^ 1 to bubble up, applied to the mind, 124. 0XCL3 to be lifted up, 148. i-KK^D to excite, intoxicate, 151. ]\nm daring, 110. ]jlJL5Q.CD rewards, 87. |A_ik£l£D scales, in music, xxxviii. f 1 i ro i.q., Latin sanies ? 13. s^^'r£D to disguise, 39. ]lV)V>rn colours, 119, 120. jAjJIQJ^ responses, xxxviii., book on xliii. JjQJL sucking child, and infant, 7. ];»kJ^ guardian spirit, 82. ]nnov public trial, 88. (NNv High Majesty, emphatic plural, 120, ■jZoX^ stubbornness, 148. (5qJL dust, as of a threshing ~floo7', 171. I^SOQ-L a convent, monastery, 46. pj^ fruit, applied to mature age, 16. IZ]]^ dark speeches, 119. w^i \^ to distribute, as hread in the Lord's Slipper, 24. JjJOS) conversion? 72. 1AjL2) regions, put for the whole earth, 70. OIH^ to be ineffectual, 120. INDEX OF SYRIAC WORDS ILLUSTRATED. 187 i-^^ to dismiss, 108. lAv*^ ^ fingers, put for active members of the hody, 13. {-kkLQ-* day-spring, 70. ]^Q_- place of retui-ning, liome, 118. lAi-i-D bymns, xxxv. 1^^ ' ^ applied to the disembodied soul, 30. l4-»-C) corn, 166 IvVn o a measuring plummet, 171. P_D to comprehend, 140. r^5 paronomasia on, 10. (Ido? expanse, 66. ^jd3 to spit, to treat with contempt, 76. |-Z(n5 success, 148. ♦mo? to dream, 151. (-K»o5 paronomasia on, 171. - • ..> to be consentient, agree, 180. f ' "^ • profane games, xxxviii. ]g^\ ^>r) m variation of chants, xxxix. AQ_i_» Sheol, what, 16, 39, 57. \^\-» nature, true state of a thing, 119. ]vnVn m descriptions, 119. A_»|-»_2L» sincerely, 133. ]-K»JDQ-» reputation, 148. '\^(^ . (\ m a transparent vessel, 163. ^]Si • slothfully, 181. — -^ ' \ * paranomasia on, Ixviii. l^oZ a by-road, 154. \l^L penalties, 87. For instances of the emphatic jjlural see pp. 22, 92, 120, 124, 125, 141. INDEX II. OF TEXTS OF SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATED. < 2hap. Ver. Page. Chap. Ver. Page. Gen. 2 87. Matt. xxii. 42 133. i. 26 81. xxiv. 30 57. i. 27 57. XXV. 13 66. iii. 15 151. XXV. 14 55. iii. 24 33. XXV. 34 28. xxii. 2 8. xxvi. 7 162. xxxi. 35 132. xxviii. 19 134. xlii. 25 43. Mark iv. 28 165. xliv. 12 132. vi. 19 149. Exod. xxxYiii n'} 125. ix. xii. 16 26 132. 30. Numb. xxi. 29 5. Luke xiii. 25 66. 1 Sam. i. 24 13. xxii. 29 92. xviii. 7 xxvii. 26, }-• 2 Chron . V. 13 xxvii. xxii. 30 xxvi. 15 125. John i. 18 163. Job xix. 20 39. X. 34 170. Ps. i. 1 7. XX. 12 39. xiii. 3 99. Acts V. 2 180. xvii. 8 97. vi. 9 132. xxii. 21 8. viii. 21 81. xliii. 1 99. viii. 22 33. xlv. 1 124. 20, }3. Ixxiv. 13 151. Rom. ix. 21 Ixxxii. 6 170. 1 Cor. ix. 24 55. cxiv. 1 133. xi. 28 88. cxxxvi xxvii. 2 Cor. ii. 16 79. Eccles. xii. 6 65. Gal. iii. 1 3. Is. viii. 8 66. Ephe. iv. 8 79. Ezek. xxxvii . 1 32. V. 19 xxiv. 46 Jonah iii. 2, 3 Ixii. Phil. 23 108. Song of three ChUdren }. 71. iii. iii. 14 15 55. 178. Matt. V. 13 22. Col. iii. 16 xxiv. V. 41 52, 154. 1 Tim. vi. 18 59. vi. 1 39. Heb. ii. 14 125. vi. 22 140. xii. 17 88. ix. 15 33. xii. 28 28. ix. 23 10. 1 Pet. iii. 21 43. X. 32 47. 1 John V. 1 47. xiii. 52 XXV, Eev. V. 1 Ixiv. xix. 28 92. INDEX III. OF SUBJECTS. Abulpliarag, author of a Syriac Gravi- mar in metre, xii.; extract from, ib.; Metrical Hymus of, Ixxvi. Adam, how tempted, 122 ; raised from Hades, 138; tomb of, &4. ^ons, referred to by Ephraem, 179. Aetius, supposed to be refen'ed to, Ixxii. ; opinious of, 178. Ambrose, responsive singing intro- duced to the West by, xxvii. Anacreon, metre of, probably imitated by Hannonius, xlvii. Analogies in Nature and Revelation, 157. Angel of Death, the, 86. Antioch, early evangelization of, xxi. ; Hymns forbidden there by Paul of Samosata, xxiv. Antiphonal singing, origin of, xxvii.; probably in use among the Jews, xxvii. ; its use among the Syi'ian Christians, liv. ; two kinds of it in Ephraem, Iv ; specimen of it, 58. Apocalypse, quoted by Ephraem, Ixiv. Arians charged with love of novelty, 177. Ark, the emblem of the Church, 106 ; described the form of the Cross, 106. Asseman, his Bibliotheca Orientalis ; edition of the works of Ephraem, xcii. ; et passim. AtJianasius, the Festal Letters of, no- ticed, xi.; translation of into English, xi. August! on the Hymns of the Syrians, xxiii. Balaeus, pentasyllable metre attributed to, XXXV. Bardesanes,a Gnostic Christian,xxviii.; said to have invented Syrian metres, XXX. ; alleged improper use of his skill, xxxi.; his works only found in quotations, xxxii. ; spoken of by Eph- raem, 145 ; his doctrine of seven aeons referred to, 179. Bardesanes Gnosticus, a treatise by Hahn, xiii. ; xxix. Baptism compared to a ship, 41 ; called the mystery of redemption ? 106 ; in the name of the Trinity, 130, 136; practised by heretics, 153. Benedict, the translator of Ephraem's Syriac works, criticized, Iviii. ; me- thod of translation, Ixxx. ; not to be relied on, 81, 92. Bernstein, his labours in Syriac lexi- cography, xcii. Bertheau, " Dr., his edition of the Me- trical Grammar of Abulpharag, xii. Bishop, on the Death of a, 20; called the salt of souls, 22; title of lord, perhaps applied to, 55. Blessed One, a title of departed saints. 16. Bi-itish Musemu, Syriac treasures in. Celibacy, 22, 46. Child, on the Death of a, 1 ; compared to a flower, 1. Childhood, love of Christ to, 4. Children, on the Death of, 4, 6 ; their happiness in heaven, 5. Children, the three Hebrew, referred to, 69. Children of the Church, a term of Christians, 70. Christ, the companion of the disem- bodied soul, 41 ; the body and blood of a defence, 41, 69, 80 ; a viaticum, 41 ; called a hero, 145, 147 ; a ship- master and helmsman, 106 ; two na- tures in, 170, Christianity, introduced early into Syria, xxi. Church, the early, mental phenomena of, to be studied, xvi,; the Ark, typi- cal of, 106 ; Hymn of the whole, 89 : Prayer for the whole, 93, Chrism, refen-ed to, 106, 153. ChiTsostom, his opinion of Ephraem. 112. Coenobite, 55. Commemoration of the Dead, 54. Convent, refen-ed to, 71 ; daughters of the, what, xxxviii, ; prayer for the whole, 100. 190 INDEX OF SUBJECTS. Conversion, obsen-atious on, 72. Cross, the, described as a bridge, 69, 75 ; protection in sleep, 80 ; against Satan, 98; described by the Ark, 106. Daughters of the Convent, what, xxs\*iii, Dead, state of the, Ixxii. ; commemora- tion of, 54. Deacon, on the Death of a, 23. Death, prayer in prospect of, 25 ; level- ing jDower of, 34 ; necessity of pre- paration for, 56 ; angel of, 86. Diaeresis, how employed in Syriac verse, li. Disembodied soul, Christ the com- panion of the, 41. Dove sent from the ark, emblematical of the Spirit, 106. Easter, Hymn for, 77. Ebed Jesu, catalogue of Syrian authors by him, xlii. Ecclesiastical Sjiiac, what, xxii. Edessa, former greatness of, xxi ; evangelization of, xxii.; learned tendencies of, xxii. ; labours of Eph- raem there, xxxvlii. Emphatic plural, on the, 141 ; examples of, 22, 92, 120, 124, 125, 141. Ephraem Syms, life of, xc. ; cultivated metres, xxxviii. ; his influence at Edessa, xxxix. ; heptasyllabic me- tres attributed to him,xl.; sketch of his Sji-iac printed works, Ixii.; ou the poetry of Ixxvi. Error counterfeits Truth, 152. Eusebius, the Theophany of, xi. Evening Hymn, 73. Ezekiel's vision of the dry bones, 32 ; the chariot seen by him, xlix. Faith compared to a ship, 107. Festal Letters of Athanasius, ix. Fire, to be passed through, or over, by the disembodied soul, 18, 32, 59 ; re- pelled by the body and blood of Christ, 41, 69 ; use of the term by Ephraem, 43. Flavianus and Diodorus, responsive chanting attributed to them, xxvii. Foxes, heretics compared to, 151. Fruit, a term applied to Christ, 163 ; to one of mature age, 16. Gehennah, refen-ed to, 30, 37, 71, 85. Generation of the Son, finely treated by Ephraem, 158. Gentile culture, Its influence on the early Church, xxv. Gnostics, Ephraem's controversy with, 149. Gnosticism, originated in questions re- specting the origin of evil, 149 ; of Bardesanes, treated of, by Hahn, xxix. ; poetical character of, xxxii. Guardian Spirit, Christ so called, 81. Hades, 17, 32, 78. Hahn's selection from the Hymns of Ephraem, xii.; Bardesanes, xii.; re- searches in Syriac prosody, 1. Harmonius, the son of Bardesanes, ac- count of him, xxxii. ; improved the Syrian metres, xxxiv. Harp, Christian teachers compared to, 128; figurative applications of, by Ephraem, 131. Hilary on tradition, quoted by Asse- man, 177. Hyle, of the Gnostic heresy, repre- hended by Ephraem, 144; observa- tions on, 149. Hymnologj" of the Jews passed over to the Christian Church, xxiv. ; uncer- tain knowledge of its early history, xxvi.; origin of the Syrian, xxviii. ; its full development by Ephraem, xxxvii. ; room for improvement in, in the Church of England, xxxii. Ignatius, Syriac version of his Epis- tles, ix. ; Mr. Cureton's labours on, ix.; the traditionary author of re- sponsive singing, xxvi. Invocation, a general, 103. Isaac Magnus, quoted in title ; quota- tion applied, xviii. ; extract from his homilies, Ixxv. Jacob of Sarug, said to be the author of tetrasyllable verse thrice repeated, xii. ; extract from his homilies, Ixxv. Jerome, his opinion of Ephraem, 112. Jesus Christ, the two natures of, 167 ; human attributes of, 167. Jews, tenderly treated by Ephraem, Ixx. ; extract from his Sermon against, Ixx.; they join with the heretics, 151. Joshua Bar Nun, on Syriac hymno- logy, xliii. Judgment, prayer in prospect of, 63 ; descriptions of, 42, 56, 64, 85. Language, human, incapable of fully representing heavenly things, 115 ; used by God in condescension to us, 115. Lord, applied to men as a term of re- spect, 53, 106. Lord's Day, hymn for, 83 ; thanks to God for, 83. Man, on the Death of an aged, 51; ignorant of his own nature, 173. Manes or Manichagus, described, 145 ; refutation of him by Ephraem, Ixv. Marcion, opposed by Ephraem, Ixv. ; described, 145. Matter, not eternal, 142 ; Bardesanes' description of, 150; power of mind over, 148. Mature age, compared to fruit, 16. INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 191 Metathesis, probable use of the figure in metres, 164. Metrical literature of the Syrians, its existence, xxii. ; its origin and de- velopment, xxiii.; its Laws, xli; the tunes to which it was adapted, Ivi. ; on its existing monuments ; import- ance of further study of, Ix. ; scarcely recognized in existing Grammars, 1. Metres, Syriac, by whom discovered unknown, xxviii. ; consist of a cer- tain number of syllables, xliii.; tetra- syllable, xliv. ; pentasyllable, xlv. ; hexasyllabic, xlvi. ; heptasyllabic, xlvi.; octosyllabic, xl%'ii.; dodeca- syllabic, xlix. ; little knoAra of their peculiarities of construction, 1. Mind, diverse opinions on the nature of, 174. Mode of divine existence, incompre- hensible, 173. Monk, on the Death of a, 44. Mor, a title of respect given to the clergy, 55, xci. ; withheld from those considered heterodox, 55. Morning Hjiun, 67. Morris, the Rev. Mr., his translation of select metres of Ephraem, Ixxxviii. Music, opinion of Hooker on, xxxii. Mysteries, how to be treated in public teaching, 126. Noah, the praises of, 105 ; in what his excellence consisted, 108 ; called loi-d of all, 106. Natures, on the two, of Jesus Christ, 167. Neander, on the freedom of St. Paul and early Christianity from old pre- judices, XXV. ; on the heterodoxy of Bardesanes, xxix.; on Paul of Sa- mosata, 170. Necrosima, or funeral pieces by Eph- raem, Ixxi. Net-work of time, -what, 1 65. New Testament in Syriac, the Pes- chito, great antiquity of, xxii.; trans- lation probably made at Edessa, xxii. ; value of, ix. ; does not contain the A-pocalypse, Ixiv. ; some editions of noticed, xciii. Nineveh, epic poem by Ephraem on, Ixii. ; extracts from, Ixiii. Office for the Dead among the Syrians, Ixxi. Origin of evil, discussions on, led to Gnosticism, 149. Palm Sunday, not observed in the time of Ephraem, Ixx. Paradise, description of, 113 ; odours of, emblematical of the Spirit, 117. Parsenetica, homilies by Ephraem, Ixxiii. Paronomasia, instances of the figm-e, Ixviu., 10, 171. Parting of Body and Soul, 29. Patristic literature, objections against it refuted, xvii. Paul, St., freedom of from prejudices, XXV. Paul of Samosata, forbids the use of hymns at Antioch, xxiv; heterodox opinions of, 170. Paulians, the followers of Paul of Samosata, xxiv., 170. Peschito the, see New Testament. Pearl, the. Homilies by Ephraem quoted, Ixvii. Pestilence, for a time of, 61. Pharaoh, obstinate men compared to, 143. Prayer, in prospect of judgment, 63 ; of the living for the dead, 17, 58; in prospect of death, 25; of the Virgin Mary, 81. Pontiffs, 93. Preparation for Death, necessity of, 56. Presbyter, on the death of a, 17, 53, 58. Prince, on the funeral of a, 34. Private person, on the death of, 14, 26. Prosody Syriac, remarks on, 1. Purity, physical, morbid notions of Benedict and Mr. Morris on, 162. Purgatory the, of the Romish Church, not sanctioned by Ephraem, Ixxii. Rambach on Christian songs, xxiii. Rest, Hymn before retiring to, 80. Resurrection, Hymn on the, 31 ; noticed or described, 56, 77, 84. Revelations of God adapted to man's intellect, 113. Rich man, on the fiuieral of, 34. Satan, prayer for defence against, 98 ; subtilty of, 121 ; defeated by Christ in our nature, 123. Satire, specimen of, in Ephraem, 171. Savour of life, meaning of, 79. Sci'iptures, the, the standard of truth, 135 ; mutilated by the heretics, 150, 153, 155. Scrutators, what, 132 ; different Syriac teiTus for, 131 ; opposed by Ephraem, Ivi. ; ijresumptiou of, 168. Sheol signifies the grave, 39; Hades, 16 ; place of lost souls, 57. Sieflfert, joined with Hahn in his Chrestomathy, xiii. Simeon of Seleucia, works of, Ixi. Similitudes, necessarily inferior to the things compared, 160. Socrates, ascribes responsive singing to Ignatius, xxvi. Son of the kingdom, a title of Christ, 3,18. Sorrow for children, motives for re- straining, 1. Soul, immediate happiness after death, 14, 32. Sozomen, his account of Ilarmonius, xxxii. 192 INDEX OF SUBJECTS. Spirit cannot be represented in colours, 120. Stephen the Patriarch on Syriac tunes, xliii. Strophes, on the various kinds in Syriac verse, lii. Synaeresis, use of, in Syriac verse, 1. Syriac language, critical apparatus of deficient, xv.; modified by Christi- anity, xxii. Syriac version of the Old Testament used by Ephraem, 65 ; of the Ne-w Testament, see New Testament. Talitha, a proper name, 52. Tattam, Kev. Dr., his expedition to the East, x. Tense, the past, used for the expression of present time, 7. Thaddeus, or Thomas, founded the Church at Edessa, xxi. Theodoret, his account of Hannonius and of Ephraem, xxxiii. Thomas the Deacon, on the SjTian points, lii. Tradition of the Church, 177. Traditional sayings of Christ, 28. Translations of Ephraem, on the, Ixxx. Trinity, prayer to the, 95 ; referred to. 129, 136 ; on the mystery of the, 135, 156. Times of the Syrians, Ivi.; of the Greeks, lix. Uzziah, king, sin of, 122 ; compared with Adam's, 123. Viaticum, Christ the soul's, 43. Virgin Maiy, how spoken of by Ephraem, Ixxiv. ; her supplication to Christ on behalf of man, 81 ; re- ferred to, 103, 104. Woman, on the death of a, 48. Waymarks of the kingdom, 152. Wiseman's Hm-tz Syriaca referred to, 125. Youth, on the death of, 9. Young person, on the death of, 11. INSTITUTE FOR ME NO COMMEMORATION, MY BRETHREN AND BELOVED CHILDREN, AND PLACE ME NOT AMONG THE CONFESSORS, FOR I AM A SINNER AND OF NO WORTH. From the last testament of Ephraem. LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. His Royal Highness Prince Albert Adams, Ker. R., D.D., Rempstone Rec- tory Addison, T. B., esq., Preston Ainslie, irontagiie, esq., Grizedale Ames, Capt. Lionel, The Hyde, Liitou Angus, Rev. J., D.D., Stepney college Allport, Rev. Josiah, Ashted, Birming- ham Anson, Rev. G. H. G., M.A., Birch, Manchester Ashton. Rev. E., B.D., Huyton, Pres- cott Armstrong, Rev. J. E., D.D., LL.D., London Arnold, Rev. T. 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E., D.D., St. Alban Hall, Oxford Chalmers, Patrick, esq., F.S.A, Aldbar, Brechin Chippendall, John, esq., Lancaster Chevallier, Rev. Professor Temple, B.D., Durham Churton, the Venerable, M.A., Arch- deacon of Cleveland Clarke, Rev. J. B. B., M.A., Bag- borough Clarke, Thos., esq., F.S.A., Highgate- hill Clarke, Rev. H., M.A., Northfield Claughton, Rev. T. Legh, M.A., Kid- deiTuinster Clay, Rev. John, B.D., Preston Collinson, Mr. E., Blackburn Coleridge, Rev. E., M.A., Eton College Colenso, Rev. J. W., M.A., Forncett St. Maiy Collis. Rev. J. D., M.A., Bromsgrove Conder, Rev. E. R., A.M., Poole Cope, Rev. Sir W. H., Bart., M.A., Bramshill, Cornwall, Rev. A. G., M.A., Beverstone Cotton, the Veiy Rev., LL.B., Dean of Bangor Cotton, Rev. C, M.A., Chertsey Crewe, Rev. Offley, Astbury Crofton, Lieut.-Col., Sussex-gardens, Hyde-park Crowfoot, Rev. J. R., M.A., St. Maiy, Cambridge Gumming, Rev. J., D.D., London Cunliffe, John, esq., Myerscough House, Garstang Cunliffe, Roger, Esq., Lombard-street Cunningham, J., esq., Blackburn Cureton, Rev. W., M.A., "Westminster Dartmouth, the Earl of De Tabley, Lord Dale, Rev. T., M.A., St. Pancras (2 cop.) Dalton, E., esq., LL.D., F.S.A., Nails- worth Darbishere, H. A., esq., Keppel-street Davidson, Rev. S., D.D., Manchester Davis, John, esq., Heytesbury Dawson, G., esq., M.A., Binningham Dawson, Pudsey, esq., Hornby Castle Dearde'n, James, esq., F.S.A., Rochdale Denham, Rev. J. F., M.A., St. Mary- le-Strand De Burgh, Rev. W., B.D., Dublin Dixon, Rev. R., D.D., Isle of Man Dobson, Rev. R., Great Harwood, Blackburn Dodd, Rev. E., B.D., St. Peters, Cam- bridge Dugdale, T., esq., Blackburn Duncombe, Rev. "W., M.A., Crowle Dundas, Sir David, Kt., M.A., Inner Temple Dupuis, Rev. Harry, B.D., Richmond Exeter, the Lord Bishop of Ellesmere, the Earl of Eadie, Rev. J., D.D., Glasgow Eccles, "W., esq., Blackburn Edinburgh University Library Egerton, Rev. W. H., M.A., Whit- church Ellison, R., esq., Sudbrooke Holme, Lincoln (2 copies) Etheridge, Rev. J. W., Ph.D., Leeds Euing, W., esq., Glasgow (2 copies) Ewart, W., esq., M.P., London. Faber, Rev. G. S., B.D., Durham Faii-baim, Rev. Patrick Farley, Rev. T., D.D., Ducklington Farrer, Rev. M. T., Addington Faniworth, Mr. F., Blackburn Feilden, Joseph, esq., W^itton House, Blackburn (3 copies) Fellows, Sir Charles, Montagu-place, London Ferguson, Rev. R. W., Tintern Field, Rev. T., M.A., St. John's Col- lege, Cambi-idge Fisk, Rev. G., LL.B., Christ Church, Maida Hill Fletcher, Rev. J. P., M.A., Haver- stock-hill Foord-Bowes, Rev. T. F., D.D., Barton (2 copies) Franklyn, Rev. T. W., M.A., Tun- bridge Wells Fraser, Professor A. C, New College, Edinburgh Fraser, Rev. A., A.M., Blackburn Fraser, Rev. Duncan, M.A., Halstead Freer, the Venerable R. L., B.D. Archdeacon of Hereford Frost, Rev. G., Kensington Garnet, Jeremiah, esq., Clitheroe LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. 195 Galton, Rev. J. L., M.A., Exotor Gifford, Kev. E. H., M.A., King Ed- ward's School, Uirmingham Gilly, Rev. W. F., D.D., Norham Gillibrand, W., esq., Blackbiuni Gladdish, W., esq., Gravesend Glazebrook, Rev. J. K., M.A., Lower Darwen Glaisher, James, esq., F.R.S., Lewis- ham Goulbuni, Rev. E. M., D.C.L., Rugby Goodchild, Rev. T. O.. M.A., Hacknev Goulty, Rev. J. N., Brighton Grant, Rev. Brewin, Birmingham Grantham, Rev. T., B.D., Bramber Gregnan, John E., esq., Manchester Greenway, Rev.C, M.A., Over Darwen Greenway, James, esq.. Over Darwen Green, Rev. B.., M.A., Newcastle-ou- Tyne Green, Rev. T. S., M.A., Ashby-de-la- Zouch Greene, Rev T. H., M.A., Gray's Inn Greenwood, Rev. J., D.D., Gaiuscolne Gunning, Rev. H. J., M.A., Wigan GwilljTn, Rev. R., M.A., Ulverstone Harrowby, the Earl of Hardwicke, the Countess of (2 copies) Hervey, Rev. Lord C. A., M.A., Ches- terford Hervey, Rev. Lord Arthur, M.A., Ick- worth Hall, Miss Mary, Market Harborough (2 copies) Hamilton, Terrick, esq.. Park-street, Grosvenor-square Hamilton, Rev. James, M.A., Bedding- ton Hannah, Rev. J., D.D., Wesleyan Theological Institution, Didsbury Hand, R. W., esq., Stafford Hanrott, P. A., esq., F.S.A., Queeu's-sq. Hargreaves, John, esq., Blackburn (4 copies) Hargreaves, Henry, esq., Blackburn Hardwick, Rev. C, M.A., St. Catherine Hall, Cambridge Harness, Rev. W., M.A., Knights- bridge (4 copies) Harris, Rev. J., D.D., New College, London Harris, Rev. J., D.D., Torquay Harrison, the Venerable Archdeacon, Maidstone (2 copies) Harrison, W.,jun., esq., Blackbuni Hart, W., esq., Blackburn Hart, T., esq., Blackburn Hartley, James, esq., Blackburn Haskoil, Captain, R.N., Radley Haworth, Heniy, esq., Blackburn Hawkins, W., esq., F.S.A., Kensing- ton Henslow, Rev. J. J., M.A., Hitcham Hewett Rev. J. W., M.A., AU Saints' Collegiate School, Bloxham Heywood, James, esq., M.P. Higginbottom, J., esq., F.R.S., Not- tingham IIiggin.s, C. L., esq., Turvey Abbey Hill, Rev. II. T., Felton Hindle, Rev. Joseph, B.D., Highani(2 copies) Hindle, R., esq., M.D., Billington, Whalley Hodgson, Rev. J., M.A.. Bloxham Hodgson, Rev. H , M.A., Debden Hogg, J., esq., Norton House, Stockton Holden, Rev. H. A., M.A., Trinity College, Cambridge Holden, Ralph, esq., M.D., Burnley Holland, Henry, esq,, Montague-square Hollinshead, H. Brock, esq , Blackburn Hope, H. T., esq., M.P., Piccadillv Hopkins, Rev. \V. B,, St. Catherine Hall, Cambridge Hopwood, Robert, jun., esq., Mayor of Blackbui'n (2 copies) Hopwood, Mr. W., Blackburn Horner, Rev. J. S. IL, Mell's Park, Frome Home, Rev. Thomas H., B.D., London Hornby, Rev. R„ M.A., Walton-le- Dale (2 copies) Hornby, W. H., esq., Blackburn (2 copies) Hornby, John, esq., Regent's Park Hornby, Rev. W., M.A., St. Michael's on Wyre Hornby, Rev. J. J., Winwick (2 copies) Howard, the Hon. and Very Rev. H E. J., D.D., Dean of Lichfield Howson, Rev. J. S., M.A., Collegiate Institution, Livei-pool How, Robert, esq , Luton Hughes, Rev. H. H., B.D., Layham Hull, Rev. J., M.A., Poulton-le-Fylde Hulton, W. A., esq., Preston Hutchinson, Rev. C, M.A., Batsford Iggulden, Rev. W. H., East Hyde, Luton Irons, Rev. W. J., B.D., Brompton Jacobson, Rev. "W., D.D., Regius Pro- fessor of Divinity, Oxford Jackson, E. Steane, esq., M.A., Tot- teridge Jacson, C. R., esq., Preston Jackson, R. R., esq., Blackburn Jackson, Rev. T., Wesleyan Institu- tion, Richmond James, Rev. J. A., Birmingham James, Rev. D., M.A., Kirkdale, Liver- pool Jebb. Rev. J., M.A., Peterstow Jeremie, Rev. J. A., D.D., Regius Professor of Divinitv, Cambridge Jessop, Rev. T., D.D., AYighill Johnson, F., Professor, East India College, Herts Jones, T., esq., Tottenham-court-road Joule, J. P., esq., F.R.S., Salford 196 LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Kaye, Rev. Peter, Blackburn Keats, Rev. R., Northfleet Kempe, Rev. J. E., M.A., Kensington Kennedy, Rev. B.H., D.D., Shrewsbury Kenyon, H., esq., Blackburn Kenworthy, W., esq., Blackburn (2 co- pies) Ken-ick, Rev. R. E., M.A., Cambridge Kingsley, Rev. C, M.A., Eversley Kitto, Dr. John, F.S.A., London Kitton, Rev. H., Preston Kitton, Rev. J., M.A., Hutton, Preston Knatchbull, Rev. W., D.D., Ashford Knyvett, Felix, esq., Lambeth Palace Lichfield, the Lord Bishop of Lincoln, the (late) Lord Bishop of Llandaff, the Lord Bishop of London, the Lord Bishop of Limerick, the Lord Bishop of (2 copies) Law, F. J., esq., Chelmsford Lawford, Rev. C., M.A., Winterbome Stoke Lawley, Hon. and Rev. S. W., M.A., Escrick Layton, James, esq., Higham Layard, A. H., esq., D.C.L. Leask, Rev. W., Kennington Leathes, Rev. F., Reedham Lee, John, esq., D.C.L., F.R.S., Doc- tors' Commons Lee, Major George, Budleigh, Devon Legh, T., esq., F.R.S., Stockpoi-t Letts, Rev. J., M.A., St.Olave, Hart-st. Lester, Rev. J. H., B.A., Liverpool Lightfoot, Rev. J. Prideaux, M.A., Wootton Lindsav, the Hon. Colin, Haighlands Liveing, Rev. H. T., M.A., East Bed- font Liverpool, Free Public Library of Livesey, John, esq., Blackburn (2 cop.) Livingstone, Rev. T.Gr.,B. A., Bloxham Lowe, the Very Rev. T.H., D.D., Dean of Exeter Lowther, Rev. G. P., M.A., Orcheston St. George's Lowndes, T. M., esq., F.S.A., Preston (2 copies) Lund, Thos., esq., Blackbura Lyttelton, Hon. and Rev. W. H., M.A. Hagley Manchester, the Lord Bishop of Meath, the Lord Bishop of Morav and Ross, Right Rev. the Bishop of Mc Lean, S. B., esq., Ordnance Office McDonald, W. Bell, esq., Rammers- cales McDonald, J., esq., Town Clerk of Arbroath Mc Millan & Co., Messrs., Cambridge McDouall, Rev. W. S., M.A., Kirtling Mc Bride, Rev. J. D., LL.D., Oxford McKean, J., esq., Preston Mackreth, Rev. T., B.D., Halton Major, Rev. J. R., D.D., King's Col. Mantell, Rev. E. R., M.A., Louth Marriott, Rev. C, M.A., Oriel College, Oxford Man-iott, Rev. W. B., B.C.L., Eton College Marshall, J. R., esq., Wray House, Lancaster Marshall, W., esq., Penwortham Hall, Preston Mayo, Rev. C, B.D., F.R.S., Cheshunt Maxwell, Sir John, Bart., F.R.S, Pol- lock, Renfrew Mercer, J., esq., F.R.S., Oakenshaw, Preston Miles, Rev. R. W., Bingham Milnes, R. Monkton, esq., M.P. Mill, Rev. W. H., D.D., Regius Pro- fessor of Hebrew, Cambridge (2 copies) Monk, Rev. J. W., B.A., Grimsby Mordacque, Rev. L. H., M.A., Has- lingden Moore, Rev. R., M.A., Hunton (2 cop.) Morrell, Rev. G. K., D.C.L., Walling- ford Mortan, G., esq., Capemwray Hall, Muii-, Rev. W., D.D,, St. Stephen's, Edinburgh Murch, Rev. W. H., D.D., Torrington- square Musgrave, the Venerable Archdeacon, Halifax MusgTave, Sir G., Bart., Penrith (2 copies^ Neeld, Joseph, esq., M.P., Grittleton House, AVilts (2 copiesj Neville, Mrs., Beardwood, Blackburn New College, Edinburgh, Library of Newsham, R., esq., Preston Nicholl, John, esq., F.S.A., Islington Nichols, J., esq., M.A., Hoxton-square Nicholson, J., esq., Ph.D., Penrith Nicholson, W. N., esq., Newark Ossoiy and Ferns, the Lord Bishop of Okes, Rev. R., D.D., Provost of King's College, Cambridge (for Library) Okes, Rev. W., M.A., Wheatacre Osbora, Rev. G., Wesleyan Mission House Ouvry, Frederick, esq., F.S.A., Oxford- terrace, Hyde-park Owen, Rev. O. F., M.A., Burstow Parker, Rev. E., M.A., Atkincoats, Colne Parkinson, Rev. R., D.D., St. Bees Parkinson, Mr. C, Blackburn Parkinson, Mr. J., Blackburn Pariy, F. Gambler, esq., Highnam-Ct. (2 copies) Patten, J. Wilson, esq., M.P., Eaton-pl. (2 copies) Pater son, Rev. G. J. M., Brome LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. 197 Paul, Rev. W., A.M., Bauchory Deve- nick Payne, Joseph, esq., Inner Temple-lane Pearson, Rev. G., B.D., Castle Camps Peel, Jonathan, esq., Clitheroe Peel, Fred., esq., M.P., Bury Peel, Mr. William, Blackburn Pell, S., esq., Albert-i-d., Regent's-park Perowne, Rev. J. J. S., M.A., Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Pigott, Rev. J. Dryden, Edgmond Pilkington, James, esq., M.P., Black- burn (4 copies) Pickup, Mr James, Blackburn Pinching, C. J., esq., Gravesend Pinder, Kev. J. H., 31. A., Wells Phillips, Rev. George, B.D., Sandon Plucknett, George, esq., Frederick-st., Grav's Inn Road Plumptre, Rev. F. C, D.D., Master of University College, Oxford Po^er, David, esq., Temple Prodgers, Rev. E., B.D., Ayott St. Peter's Pulling, Rev. J., B.D., Vice Chancellor of Cambridge Pye, Mr., Blackburn Raffles. Rev. T., D.D., Livei-pool Raikes, Rev. Chancellor, Chester Randolph, Rev. J. H., M.A., Sander- stead Ratcliffe, T., esq., Blackburn Ratcliflfe, J., esq., Blackburn Rathbone, Theodore W., esq., Liver- pool Ratteubury, Rev. J., Leeds Renouard, Rev. G. C, B.D., Swans- combe Rice, Hon. and Very Rev. E., D.D., Dean of Gloucester (2 copies) Richardson, Rev. W. V., M.A., Leven, Beverley Riddle, Rev. J. E., M. A., Leckhampton Ridges, Messrs., Newark (2 copies) Risley, Rev. J. H., B.C.L., Akeley Robinson, Rev. C, B.A., Blackburn Robinson Dixon, esq., Clitheroe Castle Robinson, Rev. T., D.D., Master of the Temple Rodwell, Rev. J. M., M.A., St. Ethel- burga, Bishopsgate Rose, Rev. H. J., B.D., Houghton Conquest Rouch, Rev. F., M.A., Lower Halstow Russell, J., esq., the Grammar School, Peebles Russell, J. Watts, esq., F.R.S., Biggin House, Oundle Ryland, J. E., esq., A.M., Northampton St. Asaph, the Lord Bishop of St. David's, the Lord Bishop of Salisbury, the Lord Bishop of Sutherland, the Duke of Sames, Mr., Blackburn Selwyn, Rev. W., M.A., Melbourne Sewell, Rev. J. E., M.A., New College, Oxford Sharp, S., esq., Highbury-place Sharpies, Rev. T., M.A., Blackburn t^liaw, H., esq., Blackburn sluTuian, Rev. J., Surrey Chapel JSikes, Rev. T., M.A., Luton Skaife, J., esq., Blackburn Simpson, Rev. J., D.D., Alstonfield Slade, Rev. J., M.A., Bolton Smith, Rev. S., M.A., St. George's, Camberwell (2 copies) Smith, James, esq., F.R.S., Jordan- hill, Glasgow Spyers, Rev. T., D.D., Weybridge Spence, Rev. J., A.M., Preston Spence, Rev. C. C, M.A., Benefield Spottiswoode, W., Esq., Queen's Print- ing-office Starkie, le Gendre N. esq., Huntroyd Steiner, F., esq., Hyndburn, Accrington (4 copies) Stevenson, Rev. H. J., M.A., Grimley Sturdy., J. Barlow, esq., Blackburn Sturge, Joseph, esq., Birmingham Swaun, Rev. C. H,, M.A., Stoke Diy Swindells, Rev. G., Shingley, Mac- clesfield Sworder, T., esq., Luton Sykes, Rev. G. M., M.A., Downing College Cambridge Tenterden, Lord Tattersall, Mr. J., Blackburn Tagart, Rev. E., F.S.A., Wildwood House, Hampstead Talbot, W. H., esq., Wrightiugton, Wigan Talbot, H. F., esq., F.R.S., Lacock, Chippenham Tayler, Rev. J. James, Manchester Thomas, Rev. J., B.C.L., Lambeth Palace Thoii), Archdeacon, T., B.D., Kemer- ton Thurtell, Rev. E., M.A., Oxburgh Thursby, Rev. W., M.A., Bumley Thwaites, T., esq., Blackburn Thwaites, D., esq., Blackburn Thwaites, T.,esq., Preston-road, Black- bum Tieraey, Rev. M. Aloysius, F.R.S., Arundel Tiplady, Mr. C, Blackburn Tomkiiis, Rev. W., M.A., Lavendon Tomkins, Rev. S., B.A., Croydon Tomlins, Rev. R., M.A., Edgmond Tooke, Thos., esq., F.R.S., Spring- gardens Towmsend, Rev. G., D.D., Durham Trevelyan, Sir W.C, Bart., Edinburgh Tremenheere, H. S., esq.. Pall Mall (2 copies) Trollope, Rev. E., M.A., Leasingham Tupper, Martin F., esq., Albury Turner, C. H., esq., F.R.S., Rooke's Nest, Godstone 198 LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Turner, Alderson, esq., Apollo-build- ings, Walworth Vaughan, Rev. R., D.D,, Manchester Veitch, Rev. W.Douglas, M.A., Newton Vincent, G. G., esq., Dean's-yard, Westminster, (3 copies) Vyse, Richard, esq., Luton Waddington, Very Rev.G., D.D., Dean of Durham Wagner, Rev. A. D., Brighton Watson, W. H., esq., Bouverie-street Watts, T., esq.. The Oaks, Chorley Walmsley, John, esq., Hoghton Weguelin, Rev. W. A., M.A., South Stoke Weir, Rev. Professor Duncan A., Glasgow University Westcott, Rev. B. F., M.A., Harrow Wheeler, J. Talboys, esq., Cambridge Whittaker, Rev. J. W., D.D., Black- burn Wharton, Mr., Blackburn Wilkinson, L., esq., Blackburn Wilkinson, Sir Gardiner, York-street, Portman-square Williams, Rev. H. G., M.A., Em- manuel College, Cambridge Williams, Rev. D., D.C.L., Warden of New College, Oxford Williams, Rev. Rowland, B.D., St. David's College Willoughby, B. E., esq., Bedford-sq. Willson, T., esq., Blackburn Willsou, James, esq., Blackburn Wollaston, F., esq., Chester-place, Pimlico Wordsworth, Rev. C, D.D., West- minster Wrighte, Rev. T. W., Boughton Blean Yates, J., esq., M.A., F.R.S., Lauder- dale House, Highgate Yates, Rev. W., M.A., Eccleston, Chorley Young, Mr. R., Edinburgh Although the jirinting the above List was delayed as long as possi- ble, it is likely the names of some Subscribers may not be found in it. Shoidd this be the case Dr. Burgess begs to express his regret at the unavoidable omission. ERRATUM. At p. 166, note u, for (Aj-JD read |^j_0. 13 Paternoster lloic, April, 1853. ROEEllT B. BLACKADER'S PUBLICATIONS. THE EDITED B7 JOHN KITTO, D.D., F.S.A. The Journal of Sacred Literature was originally undertaken " Mlth the design of supplying a want, vrhich had long been felt, of a periodi- cal entirely devoted to biblical literature, and established on so wide a basis as to embrace the contributions of writers of different denomina- tions and of diiferent countries. The aim of the pubhcation is thus to fiii-nish the students and readers of bibUcal literatiu-e with an organ for the discussion of all the subjects in which they are interested, and for the interchange of their views upon questions of equal importance to them all. It aims at becoming a repository of the best results of the active biblical research of the present age ; so that the Christian minister, and all those who take an interest in the 'v\ide and important range of subjects to which the periodical is appropriated, may find in it not only a Journal, which, by means of Reviews, Intelhgence, and Correspon- dence, shall keep them well acquainted with the actual state and pro- gress of Sacred Literature, but a Library of original and translated Dissertations and Essays of permanent value in all the branches of re- search which tend directly or indirectly to explain or illustrate the Sa- cred Volume." Of this FORMER SERIES, which is in 7 Volumes (comprising 14 Numbers), price £1 lis. 6d. cloth, the follo^^^ng are the principal contents ; — Vol. I. — Aquinas, Chrysostom. Mohammed, Milton. Azazel. Death, Anthropomorphism, Poetry, Rationalism, Free Inquiry in Theologjs Hebrew Meats, Metres, Resurrection of the Saints, Sacred Trees. Amos, Ezekiel, Job, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Song of Songs. ROBERT B. BLACKADER, 13 PATERNOSTER ROW. Vol. II. — Matthew Henry, Francis Quarles. The Burning of the World. Christianity in Germany, Old Testament Citations, The Youth of David, Elohim, Metals,"The East, The Christian Sabbath, TheSept- uagint, Misapplication of Scripture. Genesis xiv., The First Periods of Genesis, The Gospel of St. John. Vol. III. — Calvin, Pascal, Wesley, Ulphilas. Alleged Discrepancy be- tween Paul and James, The Days of Creation. Customs illustrative of the Bible, The Logos, Fine Art among the Jews, Mustard Tree of Scripture, The formula — * That it might be fulfilled.' Colossians, Matthew and Luke's Genealogies, INIiracle of Joshua. Vol. IV. — Eustathius. Chronology of the Kings of Israel, Demoniacal Possession, Hyssop. Is Bibhcal Criticism unfavourable to Piety ? Genius of Christianity, Tense of the Hebrew verb, Tischendorf's Greek Testament. Isaiah, Genesis iv. 7, Joshua, St. Luke. Vol. V. — Josephus, Justin Martyr, Theobald Thamer. Baptism for the Dead, Bedouin Romance — Antar. The Creation, Peter's Resi- dence at Rome, The Separate State. Vol. VI. — Apocalyptic Literature, Chronological Harmony of the Gos- pels, Evidence of the Resurrection, Genesis and Geology, Letter and Spirit of the Old Testament. Literal Interpretation of Prophecy, Poetical Legends of the Talmud, Scripture Parallehsms, Providence of God. Vol. VII. — Calvin, the Jansenists. Bards of the Bible, Egypt, Ex- ploration of the Jordan, Inspiration, Nineveh, Our Lord's Discourses, The Septuagint, Human Progression. Acts, Words which Paul heard in Paradise, Daimoniac Possessions, 1 Cor. vii. 25, Parallel- istie Poetry. These objects, thus described, are still retained, and will, it is ex- pected and promised, be more efficiently wrought out. By a larger proportion of thorough articles in the higher departments of bibhcal literature, it is expected on the one hand to render the publication of still greater value and interest to bibhcal scholars, while by increased attention to the topics which the publications of the day suggest, and by a larger proportion of articles on subjects of general theological in- terest, the hope is entertained of rendering the publication more widely interesting than it may hitherto have been. Under former arrangements, and for reasons which were at the time stated, it did not appear to the Editor necessary or advisable to assume any distinct responsibility for the views of all the contributors to The Journal of Sacred Literature. He is still unprepared to pledge his concurrence to all the propositions set forth in the various articles which may appear in a publication designed to encourage discussion. But he is enabled to undertake this general responsibihty, — that, unless for immediate exposure and refutation, nothing contraiy to sound doctrine shall be found in either the original or the translated articles of this Journal. ROBERT B. BLACKADER, 13 PATERNOSTER ROW. In thus taking upon himself the responsibility for the soundness of the critical and theological character of the Journal, for the greater efficiency of its arrangements, and for the generally more valuable as well as more attractive character of its contents, the Editor trusts that he brings the New Series before the public with increased claims for encouragement and sujjport. *5j,* The Journal comprises a large proportion of articles in Sacred Ilermeneutics, in Exegesis, and in Biblical Introduction. It embraces original articles in Biblical Historj^ Antiquities, Geography, and Natural History. Ecclesiastical History and Biography receive due attention, especially in connexion with the History of Doctrines. Analytical Re- \iews of all ira})orlant works in British and Foreign Sacred Literature are given, with short Notices of others ; and a glance will sometimes be taken at the forgotten books and unpubhshed manuscripts of former times. Expositions of Passages of Scripture form an important depart- ment of the Journal. Translations of interesting and valuable disserta- tions, old and new, are provided from the Latin, German, Dutch, and French languages : and there are occasional reprints of the most valua- ble of the critical and theological pamphlets, w^hich form no mean part of our neglected literature. The philology of the Sacred Languages is not overlooked ; nor is Oriental Literature (especially in regard to the SjTO-Arabiau group of languages) neglected : although the space afforded to these subjects in a periodical designed for general use can he but hniited. These, with Home and Foreign Correspondence, with Biblical Intelligence from all quarters, and with a general regard to the interests of theological education, comprise whatever can properly come under the title of this Journal, or that can contribute to render it an instru- ment of USEFULNESS TO THE BIBLICAL LITERATURE OF THIS COUN- The above was witten in October, 1851, when the NEW SERIES was commenced, and the following are the contents of the Numbers already published ; — No. I. — A new explanation of the Taxing in Luke ii. 1 — 5. The Je- suits. The Sabbath Day. Davidson's Introduction to the New Tes- tament. Wycliffe's Bible. The Septenary Arrangement of Scriptm-e. The Rephaim, and their connexion with Egyptian Histoiy. Modern Judaism. Scripture Parallehsms. Queried Texts. On the Evan- gelization of India. Correspondence. Notices of Books. Biblical Intelhgence. List of Pubhcations. No. II. — On the Relative Authority of the Hebrew and Greek Scrip- tures of the Old Testament. The Ministry of Angels. Solomon's Song. The Voice of Israel from the Rocks of Sinai. The Serpent. The Rephaim, and their connexion with Egji^tian History, Charac- teristics of ^Miracles. Ancient Oriental Palaces. The Last Vision of Ezekiel. Critical Remarks upon the common translation and inter- pretation of Matt. V. 21, 22. Correspondence. Notices of Books. Analecta Biblica. Intelligence. Contemporary Periodical Literature, List of Pubhcations. Obituary. ROBERT B. BLACKADER, 13 PATERNOSTER ROW. No. III. — Romanism as it is. Gregory of Nazianzum ; the Church in the Fourth Centurj'. The Rephaim, and their connexion with Egyp- tian History. Alford's Greek Testament. On the Nature of a Mira- cle, Recent Travels in Palestine. The Epistle to Diognetus. Israel after the flesh. Remarks on 1 Chron.vi. 16 — 38. Remarks on Rev. xxii. 8, 9. Correspondence. Notices of Books. Analecta Bibhca. Intelligence. Contemporary Periodical Literature. List of Publica- tions. Obituary. No. IV. — The Religion of Geology. The Rephaim and their connexion with Egyptian History. The Nature of our Lord's Resurrection Body. Solomon's Temple. The Pulpit of the Church of England. Elijah's Coming. The Last Blessings of Jacob. Luther. The Lan- guage of Symbohsm. Correspondence. Notices of Books. Intelli- gence. Contemporaiy Periodical Literature. List of Publications. Obituary. No. Y. — Romanism in France. Hades and Heaven. The Harmony of the Gospels. The Rephaim, and their connexion with Egj^tian His- tory. The Greek Vulgate. Clemens Alexandrinus ; his ^Yritings and his Principles. Origin of the Cherubic Forms mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. The Acts of Andrew and Matthias in the city of the Men-Eaters. The Essenes. * Men or God ?' a criticism on Gal. i. 8 — 12. Correspondence. Notices of Books. InteUigence. Con- temporary Periodical Literature. List of Publications. Obituary. No. VI. — Why have the Greek and Roman Writers so rarely alluded to Christianity ? The Rephaim, and their connexion with Egyptian Histon^ — Moses Stuart. Ewald on the Prophets. The Resuri-ection of the Body. Auricular Confession. Hebrew Literature. Who are the ' Spirits in Prison ?' Hippolytus and his Age. Correspondence. Notices of Books. Intelligence. Contemporary Periodical Literature. List of Publications. Obituary. No. VII. — The Scythian Dominion in Asia. Modern Contributions to the study of Prophecy. Heaven, Hell, Hades. The Nature of Sin, and its earliest Developments. The Life and Epistles of St. Paul. Slavery and the Old Testament. Biblical Criticism. The Memphitic New Testament. Correspondence. Notices of Books. Intelligence. List of Publications. Obituary, ROBERT B. BLACKADER, 13 PATERNOSTER ROW. In Foolscap Quarto, and in a legible type, PART I., (containing the whole of GEXESISJ of THE ENGLISH BIBLE, CONTAIXIXC. THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS: ACCORDING TO The following are its main features, — I. The Sacred Text is divided into paragraphs on a principle which has for the first time been apphed to the English Bible. II. The most important parallel passages are quoted in the margin. III. The marginal renderings of the Translators are given. IV. ]Misprints are corrected, and obsolete words explained. V. Dates are given, and locahties have been sought to be identified. VI. The department of natural history has received attention. VII. The poetical portions are printed rhythmically. In an Appendix to each Book of Scripture there are given, — I. The most important Variations of the ancient Versions, viz. : the Chaldee Paraphrases, the Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate, Arabic, Persic and Ethiopic. The English reader is thus put in sub- stantial possession, as far as possible, of the treasm-es contained in the Polyglot of Bishop Walton and in that of Drs. Stier and Theile, and the most recent editions of the Versions. II. Critical Notes from the best sources, British and Foreign. The object has been to explain as clearly and thoroughly as possible all difficult passages, and thus to put the English reader in possession of those helps which modern research and scholarship have afforded. III. Elucidations from modern Discoveries and Travels. Great attention has been paid to the Geography and History of the Bible ; and the best and most recent sources of information have been consulted — all which are carefally given. ^flfll^jecttojmmediate recall. f^MUiE£juJSS_ 'N=^i^fro?i?-|iI°3. General Library U.C. BERKELEY LIBRARIES III CD212^73S5