Christianity at the Crossroads: The Legacy of Ephrem the Syrian

Christianity at the Crossroads: The Legacy of Ephrem the SyrianReligion and LiteratureSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference PortalThe National Endowment for the HumanitiesThe International Balzan Prize FoundationDavid A. Michelsoncbsc_adminRecord added to Zotero bycbsc_adminSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference Portalhttp://syriaca.org/cbss/4ILNIT4C/tei

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2024-08-15-04:00

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CREATED: This bibl record was autogenerated from a Zotero record.Joseph PhillipAmarChristianity at the Crossroads: The Legacy of Ephrem the Syrianhttp://syriaca.org/cbss/4ILNIT4Chttps://www.zotero.org/groups/a_comprehensive_bibliography_on_syriac_studies/items/4ILNIT4Chttps://www.zotero.org/groups/4861694/items/4ILNIT4CReligion and Literature43:220111-21The Syriac Life of Ephrem purports to be a factual account of the most celebrated writer in the history of Syriac-speaking Christianity; in fact, it is devoid of reliable historical information concerning either Ephrem or the context in which he lived and wrote. The value of this remarkable document consists in its eloquent witness to the need of local expressions of Christianity to demonstrate conformity with the Byzantine imperial church. The compilers of the Life undertook various strategies to achieve this. They seized upon the reputation of Ephrem in native Syriac tradition to promote a way of life which he never practiced, namely, monasticism. The Life further distorts the legacy of Ephrem by capitalizing on his authority as a respected teacher (Malpana) in his tradition to enlist him in the defense of doctrines which emerged only after his death and which, in fact, he rejected in his own writings. Amar, Joseph Phillip. “Christianity at the Crossroads: The Legacy of Ephrem the Syrian.” Religion and Literature 43:2 (2011): 1–21. Joseph Phillip Amar, Christianity at the Crossroads: The Legacy of Ephrem the Syrian, Religion and Literature 43:2 (2011): 1–21.EphremEphrem [influence]Ephremiana [Syriac]Holy SpiritIV-VII CEVita Ephremihagiography