The Harp of the Spirit: The Power of Poetic Theology

What happens when art, music, beauty, and theology become seamlessly woven together?

What happens when art, music, beauty, and theology become seamlessly woven together? Possibly the most outstanding and effective preaching of all time. This is the greatness of what Ephrem of Syria achieved. It is hard not to be in awe of the gifts God had given him. There is no lack of wonder considering Ephrem’s abilities. Famous church fathers like Jerome had this to say about him, “he became so distinguished that his writings are repeated publicly in some churches, right after the reading of the Scriptures” and “I once read a volume by him in Greek called On the Holy Spirit (which someone had translated from Syriac) and I recognized, even in translation, the power of lofty genius.” (Jerome, Lives of Illustrious Men, 115). A genius he indeed must have been. But even a genius could not have known how far his impact would reach and how long his hymns would endure.

Theology through Hymns

Throughout his prolific creation of hymns and poetry, Ephrem addressed theological heresies on topics such as the birth of Christ, the crucifixion, the resurrection, the church, fasting, faith, repentance, sexual purity, and eternal paradise. While other church fathers also addressed these issues, Ephrem did not do this through the traditional means of rhetoric we would often expect. He did it through the elegance of artistic language, which “shed beams of spiritual grace” in Syria as he went to defeat the darkness of false teaching that had overcome so many. The fifth-century historian Theodoret concludes that Ephrem’s compelling insight must be rooted in the fact that he was “totally untainted by heathen education” and therefore, “he was able to expose the finer points of heathen error, and lay bare the weakness of all heretical deceit” (Church History, 4.26). This brings to light another astonishing fact: Ephrem never had a formal education.

The church historian Theodoret praised Ephrem’s work with the title, “harp of the Spirit, who daily waters the people of Syria with the streams of grace.” To the oral culture of the Christians in Syria, Ephrem was a powerful communicator through his masterful ability to wield poetic language to deliver theological truths powerfully. It is difficult to overstate what a juggernaut Ephrem was in his time in terms of talent and skill. The ancient church historian Sozomen had no shortage of words of acclamation to heap upon him:

“Ephrem devoted his life to monastic philosophy; and although he received no instruction, he became, contrary to all expectation, so proficient in the learning and language of the Syrians that he comprehended with ease the most abstruse theorems of philosophy. His style of writing was so replete with splendid oratory and with richness and temperateness of thought that he surpassed even the most approved writers of Greece…Basil, who was subsequently bishop of [Caesarea], the metropolis of Cappadocia, was a great admirer of Ephrem, and was astonished at his erudition. The opinion of Basil, who universally confessed to have been the most eloquent man of his age, is a stronger testimony, I think, to the merit of Ephrem than anything else that could be composed to his praise. It is said that Ephrem wrote three hundred thousand verses, and that he had many disciples who were zealously attached to his doctrines.” (Ecclesiastical History, 3.16). 

Hopefully, I have emphasized the point enough; he was unbelievable. My biggest regret is not knowing Syriac to fully enjoy the genius God has wrought through Ephrem’s hymnography. Nevertheless, here are some translated tastings of his work to whet your appetite:

Hymn Examples 

Ephrem’s life and ministry were situated in the context of the cancerous spread of false teaching that more broadly pervaded the communities of Syria and the Middle East. To combat these false teachings, he composed poetic responses for his sermons to his congregation. 

Hymns against Heresies 23.21-22:

“The church [ already at the beginning] belonged to the peoples,

And then [God] laid waste to the temple of the [Jewish] people,

And when he had uprooted the temple of the [Jewish] people,

There the church was built.

Marcion did not serve in it,

Because he was not yet mentioned.

Arius, next, did not enter it,

Nor Mani and Bardaisan.

The [Old Testament] prophets handed down [teaching] to the apostles.

Response: Blessed is the Lord of [orderliness]!

[God] conveyed it from Adam to Noah,

It extended from Noah to Abraham,

And from Abraham on to Moses,

From Moses to David,

And from David to the [Babylonian] captivity,

And from Babylon to our Savior.

Then the [Jewish] people were scattered,

And they cut off [ the progression],

And all his successions came to an end.

The hand of the apostles [next] conveyed it.

Response: Blessed is the Lord of successions!” 

Combating heresies also includes shoring up correct doctrine in your church. Therefore, Ephrem wrote hymns to simply do the regular tasks that are demanded of any shepherd of the church, to teach and preach the good news. The Hymn to the Light is one such beautiful teaching that captured the minds of his audience in its ecstatic beauty.

Hymn to the Light:

**Click the Link: Listen to St. Ephrem's Hymn to the Light

“The Light of the just and joy of the upright is Christ Jesus our Lord.

Begotten of the Father, He manifested himself to us.

He came to rescue us from darkness and to fill us with the radiance of His light.

Day is dawning upon us; the power of darkness is fading away.

From the true Light there arises for us the light which illumines our darkened eyes.
His glory shines upon the world and enlightens the very depths of the abyss.
Death is annihilated, night has vanished, and the gates of Sheol are broken.
Creatures lying in darkness from ancient times are clothed in light.
The dead arise from the dust and sing because they have a Savior.
He brings salvation and grants us life. He ascends to his Father on high.
He will return in glorious splendor and shed His light on those gazing upon Him.

Our King comes in majestic glory.

Let us light our lamps and go forth to meet Him.
Let us find our joy in Him, for He has found joy in us.
He will indeed rejoice us with His marvelous light.

Let us glorify the majesty of the Son and give thanks to the almighty Father
Who, in an outpouring of love, sent Him to us, to fill us with hope and salvation.
When He manifests Himself, the saints awaiting Him in weariness and sorrow,
will go forth to meet Him with lighted lamps.

The angels and guardians of heaven will rejoice
in the glory of the just and upright people of earth;
Together crowned with victory,
they will sing hymns and psalms.

Stand up then and be ready!
Give thanks to our King and Savior,
Who will come in great glory to gladden us
with His marvelous light in His kingdom.”

 How wonderful would it have been to hear these lofty theological melodies. They excite the imagination while uplifting the spirit to greater intimacy with Christ.

The Power of Symbolic Imagery

 Ephrem recognized the untapped power of symbolic imagery. Symbolic imagery is a necessary vehicle in order to go beyond what can be traversed “logically” in the pursuit of knowing God more intimately. Bryan Liitfin states, “the infinite God of the universe is far beyond our minds to grasp. He cannot be pinned down with logic, or contained in the human-made box of philosophical theorems. Attempting to do so leads to heresy” (Getting to Know the Church Fathers, p. 180). This is the wisdom of Ephrem. He recognized early on that imagery and symbols were far more native to the human mind than rationalistic formal discourses. He believed God had created us this way, which is why there was so much symbolism, poetry, and imagery in the Bible as well. Which is what made Ephrem often refer to God as “Lord of Symbols.”

There seems to be a monoculture surrounding what qualifies as rigorous theologic or apologetic work in the church today. Ephrem reminds us that this has historically not been the case throughout the life of the church. Poetry and music can be just as capable instruments in the formation of the believer as a systematic theology textbook (perhaps more so). There has always been a tradition of a beautiful mosaic of skills, talents, and abilities used to communicate solid and profound theological truth to edify the body of Christ.    

In 1907, European explorers discovered the contents of a Chinese time capsule in a cave in Gansu province. In the capsule lay 530 texts, some of which were books of the Bible. The most ancient of these was authored by Alopen, a missionary to China in 635 A.D. Alopen and others from the Assyrian church started a Christian community there that would live on for centuries. This Christian community would even appear in Marco Polo’s records during his adventures in China. The Gospel message had spread from Ephrem’s Syrian church to the Pacific Ocean. All of which would not have come about without the faithfulness of Ephrem. Ephrem wrote songs that gave the Gospel wings to soar through imaginations until it reached the earth's very ends.

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I created this blog to exercise the ideas that have haunted my mind. This blog will discuss and contemplate story, imagination, formation, Christian education, icons, symbols, pictures, and poetry. Journey with me as we delve into the deep cavernous thoughts of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, Malcolm Guite, James K.A. Smith, N.T. Wright, Charles Taylor, and The Holy Scriptures. If you are interested in or hate this content, join the conversation, as I will blog about these subjects and authors every Sunday morning.