{"id":2085,"date":"2014-11-16T08:00:06","date_gmt":"2014-11-16T00:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=2085"},"modified":"2021-11-26T15:28:50","modified_gmt":"2021-11-26T07:28:50","slug":"105-reading-the-bible-saint-ephrem-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jeffangiegoh.com\/?p=2085","title":{"rendered":"116. Reading the Bible Saint Ephrem Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,\u00a0so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work<\/span>.<\/strong> [2 Timothy 3:16-17<\/span>, NRSV<\/em>]<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Romanian Orthodox Icon of St. Ephraim the Syrian. [R]<\/span><\/p>\n

Ephrem the Syrian [306-373] was a Syriac\u00a0deacon and a prolific theologian of the 4th century from the\u00a0region of Syria. Venerated as a\u00a0saint, he has been declared a\u00a0Doctor of the Church in Roman Catholicism. The Roman Catholic feast day of Saint Ephrem is 9 June, his date of death.Naturally, he is especially beloved in the\u00a0Syriac Orthodox Church.<\/span><\/p>\n

While his great variety of written works included sermons and biblical exegesis, they were largely works of practical theology for the edification of the\u00a0Church in troubled times. His popularity meant that for centuries after his death, Christian authors would write hundreds of\u00a0pseudepigraphal works in his name. There is a special benefit in reading Saint Ephrem’s works in that they witness to an early form of Christianity uninfluenced by Western ideas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of special interest is a piece St Ephraem wrote about how to approach the Sacred Scriptures. Needless to say, one can profitably apply his insights to any great text. In particular, these insights draw out three effects:<\/span><\/p>\n