The Way

Poetic Theology in Ephrem the Syrian’s Poetry and Sermons

Abstract

The article focuses on Ephrem’s madrashe (hymns) that for a large part can be called ‘contest-poetry’ seeing that Ephrem uses this kind of poetry to combat Arian theology, as in Hymns on Faith which are at the heart of this article. Ephrem uses images because human beings can only approach God in this way. An example is the image of the way. Ephrem lived all his life within the Roman Empire and exploits the real Roman via publica for the purpose of painting a picture of the kingdom of Jesus as a way that travels toward the kingdom, Paradise. As the Roman road has milestones which were well known to people, and inns on the way, Ephrem points out the ‘milestones’ of what can be called the ‘Syriac catechism’.