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Pope Benedict XV - 5 October 1920 - On St. Ephrem the Syrian
PRINCIPI
APOSTOLORUM PETRO (On St. Ephrem the Syrian)
Pope
Benedict XV
Encyclical of Pope Benedict XV promulgated on
5 October 1920. To the
Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops and other Ordinaries of Places in Peace and
Cornmunion with the Apostolic See.
Venerable Brothers, Greetings and Apostolic
Benediction.
1. To Peter the Prince of the Apostles, the
divine Founder of the Church allotted the gifts of inerrancy1 in matters of
faith and of union with God. This relationship is similar to that of a "Choir
Director of the Choir of the Apostles."2 He is the common teacher and
rector3 of all, so that he might feed the flock of Him who established His
Church4 on the authority of Peter himself and his successors.5 And
on this mystical rock the foundation6 of the entire ecclesiastical structure
stands firm as on a hinge. From it rises the unity of Christian charity as well as our
Christian faith.
2. Indeed the unique gift of Peter's primacy is
that he might spread everywhere and preserve the riches of charity and faith, as Ignatius
Theophorus, a man of Apostolic times, beautifully declared. For in those noble letters he
wrote to the Roman Church on his journey, announcing his arrival in Rome to be martyred
for Christ, he gave testimony to the primacy of that Church over all others by calling it
'presiding officer over the universal community of charity."7 This was to
signify not only that the Universal Church was the visible image of divine charity, but
also that Blessed Peter, together with his primacy and his love for Christ (affirmed by
his triple confession), remains heir of the Roman See. Accordingly the souls of all the
faithful should be ignited by the same fire.
3. The ancient Fathers, especially those who held
the more illustrious chairs of the East, since they accepted these privileges as proper to
the pontifical authority, took refuge in the Apostolic See whenever heresy or internal
strife troubled them. For it alone promised safety in extreme crises. Basil the Great8
did so, as did the renowned defender of the Nicene Creed, Athanasius,9 as well
as John Chrysostom.10 For these inspired Fathers of the orthodox faith appealed
from the councils of bishops to the supreme judgement of the Roman Pontiffs according to
the prescriptions 11 of the ecclesiastical Canons. Who can say that they were
wanting in conformity to the command which they had from Christ? Indeed, lest they should
prove faithless in their duty, some went fearlessly into exile, as did Librius and
Silverius and Martinus. Others pleaded vigorously for the cause of the orthodox faith and
for its defenders who had appealed to the Pope, or to vindicate the memory of those who
had died. Innocent III is an example. He commanded the bishops of the East to insert the
name of St. John Chrysostom in the liturgical list of the orthodox Fathers to be mentioned
at mass.12
4. However We, who embrace the Eastern Church
with no less solicitude and charity than our predecessors, truly rejoice, now that the
frightful war is ended. We rejoice that many in the Eastern community have achieved
liberty and wrested their holy things from the control of the laity. They are now striving
to set the nation in order, consistent with the character of its people and the
established customs of their ancestors. We propose, appropriately, a splendid example of
sanctity, learning, and paternal love for them to diligently imitate and nurture. We speak
of St. Ephrem the Syrian, whom Gregory of Nyssa compared to the River Euphrates because he
"irrigated by his waters the Christian community to bring forth fruits of faith a
hundred-fold."13 We speak of Ephrem, whom all the inspired orthodox
Fathers and Doctors, including Basil, Chrysostom, Jerome, Francis of Sales, and Alphonsus
Liguori, praise. We are pleased to join these heralds of truth, who though separated from
each other in talent, in time and place, nevertheless perfect a harmony modulated by
"one and the same spirit."
5. This letter follows so shortly after Our
Encyclical marking the fifteenth centenary of the birth of St. Jerome because these two
illustrious men have much in common. They are almost contemporary, both were monks, both
lived in Syria, and both were outstanding for their study and knowledge of the Scriptures.
You may rightly compare them to "two shining lights,"14 one
illuminating the West, the other the East. Their writings, being of the same spirit, are
equally valuable. Both the Latin and the Eastern Fathers have agreed with those two and
praise them similarly.
6. The birthplace of Blessed Ephrem could have
been Nisibi or Edessa. What is certain is that he was connected by blood with the martyrs
of the last persecution.15 His parents brought him up as a Christian. If they
did not have the comforts of a wealthy life, they had the far greater and more splendid
distinction that "they had professed Christ in judgment."16 In his
youth Ephrem, as he bewails in his little book of confessions, was languid and remiss in
resisting the temptations by which that age is usually troubled. He was hot tempered,
easily angered, quarrelsome, and unrestrained in mind and language. But while in prison on
a false charge, he began to despise human things and the empty joys of this world.
Therefore, as soon as he was exonerated, Ephrem at once put on the habit of a monk and
ever after devoted himself completely to the exercises of piety and to the study of the
Sacred Scriptures. James, the bishop of Nisibi, one of the three hundred eighteen Fathers
of the Nicene Council, who had established a renowned school of exegesis in the episcopal
city, became his patron. He not only fulfilled James' expectations with his diligent and
sharp-witted commentaries on the Bible, but even surpassed them. As a result, he soon
became the greatest of all commentators of that school, earning the title Doctor of the
Syrians. Soon he had to interrupt his study of Sacred Literature because Persian troops
threatened the city. He urged on the citizens in their vigorous resistance to the
Persians. With the aid of the prayers of James the bishop, they were defeated; however,
after his death, the Persians again besieged the city. This time, in 363, it did fall.
Because Ephrem preferred exile to serving infidels, he migrated to Edessa. There he
diligently exercised the duties of an ecclesiastical doctor.
7. The house on a suburban hill where he lived
soon resembled an illustrious academy with a great concourse of men eager to study the
divine books. To it came learned interpreters and students of Scripture, including
Zenobius, Maraba, and St. Isaac of Amidea, who acquired the title Great17
because of the profusion and importance of his writings. Because of his learning and
holiness, Ephrem's fame spread from that retreat. Thus when he traveled to Caesarea to see
Basil the Great, Basil, learning of his approach by divine revelation, received him
reverently and spoke with him about divine concerns.18 According to report, it
was at this time that Basil consecrated Ephrem deacon.19
8. Ephrem never left his solitude in Edessa
except on fixed days to preach. In his preaching, he defended the dogmas of faith from
swelling heresies. If, conscious of his lowliness, he did not dare to rise to the
priesthood, he nevertheless showed himself a most perfect imitator of St. Stephen in the
lower rank of the diaconate. He devoted all of his time to teaching Scripture, to
preaching, and to instructing the nuns in sacred psalmody. Daily he wrote commentaries on
the Bible to illustrate the orthodox faith; he came to the aid of his fellow citizens,
especially the poor and the stricken. What he sought to teach others, he first did
absolutely and perfectly. In this way, he could serve as the example which Ignatius
Theophorus proposes to the deacons when he calls them "charges of Christ"20
and asserts that they express "the mystery of faith in a pure conscience."21
9. How great and how active was the charity he
showed his brethren in a time of famine, even though by then he was worn out by age and
labor! He left the house where for so many years he had lived a heavenly rather than a
human life and ran to Edessa. By that eloquence which Gregory of Nyssa characterized
"as a key fashioned by divinity,"22 to open the minds and the coffers
of the wealthy, he castigated those who were hoarding grain and vehemently demanded that
they feed the poor from their surplus. And they were touched not so much by the hunger of
the citizens, as by the sincerity of Ephrem. With the money he begged, he himself provided
beds for those tortured by starvation and spread them in the porticos of Edessa. There he
nursed the sick and met the pilgrims who came to the city from round about looking for
bread.23 Truly this man was placed there by divine providence to aid his
country! And he did not return to solitude until the next harvest provided abundance.
10. The testament he left for his fellow citizens
- memorable for its faith, humility, and singular patriotism - reads as follows. "I,
Ephrem, am dying. With fear, but also with reverence, I entreat you, citizens of Edessa,
not to bury me under the altar or elsewhere in the house of God. It is not fitting that a
worm teeming with corruption be buried in the temple and sanctuary of God. But lay me out
in the tunic and mantle which I used and wore daily. Accompany me with psalms and prayers.
I had neither pouch nor staff, neither wallet nor silver and gold; nor did I ever acquire
or possess anything else earthly. Work diligently at my precepts and doctrines; as my
disciples, do not fall away from the Catholic faith. With regard to the faith, be
especially constant. Guard against adversaries - I mean evildoers, boasters, and tempters
to sin. And may your city be blessed; for Edessa is the city and mother of the wise."
And so Ephrem died, but his memory lives on, to the blessing of the Church Universal.
Therefore when his name began to be mentioned in the sacred liturgy, Gregory of Nyssa
could say: "The splendor of his doctrine and life illumined all the earth, for he is
known in almost every place where the sun shines."
11. There is no reason to list his many writings.
"He is said to have written three thousand myriad poems if one counts them all
together."24 His writings cover almost all ecclesiastical doctrines. There
are extant commentaries on Sacred Scripture and the mysteries of the faith; sermons on
obligations and on the interior life; studies on the sacred liturgy; hymns for the
feastdays of our Lord and of the Blessed Virgin and of the saints, for the processions of
prayers and penitential days, for the funerals of the departed. In all of these, his
purity of soul shines forth as a "burning and shining"25 evangelical
lamp. By illustrating the truth he makes us love and embrace it. Indeed when Jerome
testifies about the writings of Ephrem in his day, he tells us that they were read in
public liturgical assemblies along with the works of the orthodox Fathers and Doctors. He
also affirms that he recognized "the sublimity of Ephrem's genius even in the
translations" of these same works from the Syrian into Greek.26
12. It is indeed fitting to honor the blessed
deacon of Edessa for his desire that the preaching of the divine word and the training of
his disciples rest on the purity of Sacred Scripture. He also acquired honor as a
Christian musician and poet. He was so accomplished in both arts that he was called the
"lyre of the Holy Spirit." From this, Venerable Brothers, you can learn what
arts promote the knowledge of sacred things. Ephrem lived among people whose nature was
attracted by the sweetness of poetry and music. The heretics of the second century after
Christ used these same allurements to skillfully disseminate their errors. Therefore
Ephrem, like youthful David killing the giant Goliath with his own sword, opposed art with
art and clothed Catholic doctrine in melody and rhythm. These he diligently taught to boys
and girls, so that eventually all the people learned them. In this fashion he not only
renewed the education of the faithful in Christian doctrine and supported their piety with
the spirit of the sacred liturgy, but also happily kept creeping heresy at bay.
13. The artistry introduced by Blessed Ephrem
added dignity to sacred matters as Theodoretus stresses.27 The metric rhythm,
which our saint popularized, was widely propagated both among the Greeks and the Latins.
Indeed does it seem probable that the liturgical antiphonary with its songs and
processions, introduced at Constantinople28 in the works of Chrysostom and at
Milan29 by Ambrose (whence it spread throughout all of Italy), was the work of
some other author? For the "custom of Eastern rhythm" deeply moved the
catechumen Augustine in northern Italy; Gregory the Great improved it and we use it in a
more advanced form. Critics acknowledge that that "same Eastern rhythm" had it
origins in Ephrem's Syrian antiphonary.
14. It is no wonder then that many of the Fathers
of the Church stress the authority of St. Ephrem. Nyssenus says of his writings,
"Studying the Old and New Scriptures most thoroughly, he interpreted them accurately,
word for word; and what was hidden and concealed, from the very creation of the world to
the last book of grace, he illumined with commentaries, using the light of the
Spirit."30 And Chrysostom: "The great Ephrem is scourge of
the slothful, consoler of the afflicted, educator, instructor and exhorter of youth,
mirror of monks, leader of penitents, goad and sting of heretics, reservoir of virtues,
and the home and lodging of the Holy Spirit."31 Certainly nothing greater
can be said in praise of a man who, however, seemed so small in his own eyes that he
claimed to be the least of all and a most vile sinner."
15. Therefore, God, who has "exalted the
humble," bestows great glory on blessed Ephrem and proposes him to this age as a
doctor of heavenly wisdom and an example of the choicest virtues. And the appropriateness
of his example is truly singular today. The frightful war is over and there is something
of a new order for many nations, especially in the East. We, along with you and all good
men, must endeavor to restore in Christ whatever remains of human and civil culture and to
recall the erring society of men to God and to His Holy Church. Though our ancestors'
institutions failed, public affairs are in tumult, and everything human is confused, the
Catholic Church alone never vacilates, but instead looks confidently to the future. She
alone is born for immortality, trusting in the words addressed to Blessed Peter:
"Upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against
her."32
16. Would that other ecclesiastical teachers
learn from him how skilfully, how diligently they must work in preaching the doctrine of
Christ! And indeed the piety of the faithful has nothing stable and advantageous except to
adhere entirely to the mysteries and precepts of the faith. Those who legitimately teach
the Sacred Scriptures are warned by the example of the Edessine not to distort the Sacred
Scriptures to the good pleasure of their own inclinations, nor, in investigating them, to
depart a finger's breadth from the constant interpretation of the Church. "No
prophecy of Scripture originates from private interpretation. For never by will of man was
prophecy brought forth. But holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy
Spirit."33 And that Spirit who has spoken to men by the prophets is the
same one who for the Apostles "opened their minds that they might understand the
Scriptures"34 and the same who constituted his Church to announce,
interpret, and preserve revelation, so that it might be "the pillar and mainstay of
truth."35
17. Let honorable men, in the tradition of
Ephrem--We mean the illustrious offspring of the monastic orders--preserve the dignity
which arose with Anthony and Basil in the East. This was propagated later by offshoots in
the West, and in many ways has been noteworthy for the Christian community. Therefore may
these seekers of Evangelical perfection never cease to look up to and imitate the
anchorite of Edessa. For a monk will profit the Church most when he exemplifies what his
habit signifies to God and men, that is, according to a saying of the ancient Fathers of
the East, he must be "a son of the covenant," and again "an Angel whose
mission is mercy, peace, and the sacrifice of praise," as the blessed Nilus the
Younger beautifully defines him.36
18. Finally, Venerable Brothers, all who are your
subjects, both clergy and people, may learn this from Blessed Ephrem: the love of the
fatherland, whose claims indeed rest on the profession of Christian wisdom itself, must
not be separated from the love of the heavenly fatherland, nor be preferred to it. We
speak of that fatherland which is nothing other than the innermost rule of God in the
souls of the just, begun here, then perfected in heaven. Indeed the Catholic Church
exhibits a mystical image of this, since, transcending all differences of nationality and
language, she embraces all sons of the Lord as a single family under a common father and
pastor. Ephrem also teaches that the sources of spiritual life are in the sacraments, in
the observance of the Evangelical precepts, and in the manifold exercises of piety which
the liturgy supplies and the authority of the Church proposes. On this subject, note what
our saint has to say about the sacrifice of the Altar: "With his hands the priest
places Christ on the altar to become food. He addresses the Father as a member of the
family saying, "Give me your Spirit, that in his coming he may descend upon the altar
and sanctify the bread placed there to become the Body of your only begotten Son. He tells
him of Christ's passion and death and exposes His blows; nor is His divinity ashamed of
those blows. He says to the invisible Father: behold, your Son is nailed to the cross, his
garments are sprinkled with blood, his side pierced with a lance. He recalls for him the
passion and death of his Beloved, as though he had forgotten them, and the Father,
hearing, favors his request."37 He also remarks on the state of the just
after death. In a singular manner, these remarks augment the constant doctrine of the
Church, later defined in the council of Florence. "The deceased has been taken away
by the Lord and has already been introduced to the kingdom of heaven. The soul of the
deceased is received in heaven and inserted as a pearl in the crown of Christ. The
deceased even now resides with God and his saints."38
19. Regarding his devotion to the Virgin Mother
of God, who can say enough? "You, O Lord and your Mother" he says in a Nisibean
poem, "are the only ones who are in all respects perfect beauty; in you, my Lord,
there is no stain, nor in your Mother is there any dishonor."39 "The
lyre of the Holy Spirit" never sounded sweeter than when he was asked to sing the
praises of Mary or to celebrate her perfect virginity, her divine maternity, or her full
patronage of mercy toward man.
20. Nor is he less zealous when, from faraway
Edessa, he looks to Rome to extol the Primacy of Peter: "Hail, holy kings, Apostles
of Christ," and to the choir of Apostles, "Hail, light of the world.... Christ
is the light and the lampstand is Peter; the oil, however, is the activity of the Holy
Spirit. Hail, O Peter, gate of sinners, tongue of the disciples, voice of preachers, eye
of the Apostles, guardian of heaven, the first-born of the keepers of the keys."40
And in another place, "Blessed are you, O Peter, the head and tongue of the body of
your brothers, the body which is joined together with the disciples, in which both sons of
Zebedi are the eye. They indeed are blessed, who contemplating the throne of the Master,
seek a throne for themselves. The true revelation of the Father singles out Peter, who
becomes the firm rock."41 In another hymn he introduces the Lord Jesus
speaking to his first vicar on earth: "Simon, my disciple, I have made you the
foundation of the holy Church. I called you "rock" that you might sustain my
entire building. You are the overseer of those who build a church for me on earth. If they
should wish to build something forbidden, prevent them, for you are the foundation. You
are the head of the fountain from which my doctrine is drawn. You are the head of my
disciples. Through you all nations shall drink. Yours is that vivifying sweetness that I
bestow. I have chosen you to be as a firstborn in my institution and heir to all my
treasures. The keys of the kingdom I have given to you, and behold I make you prince over
all my treasures."42
21. As We recalled all these things, We humbly
entreated God to return the Eastern church at long last to the bosom and embrace of Rome.
Their long separation, contrary to the teachings of their ancient Fathers, keeps them
miserably from this See of Peter. Irenaeus testifies (and he received the doctrine of St.
John the Apostle from his master Polycarp) that "it is necessary for all to join the
Church because of its greater authority, that is, all of those who are faithful."43
Meanwhile We received letters from the Venerable Brothers Ignatius Ephrem II Rahmani,
Patriarch of Syria at Antioch; Elias Petrus Huayek, Maronite Patriarch at Antioch; and
Joseph Emmanuel Thomas, Chaldean Patriarch at Babylon. They presented weighty arguments
beseeching Us earnestly to bestow upon Ephrem, the Syrian Deacon of Edessa, the title and
honors of Doctor of the Universal Church. In addition to these requests, a number of
Cardinals, Bishops, Abbots and Generals of religious orders of the Greek and Latin rites
sent their supporting petitions. We decided promptly to consider a matter so agreeable to
our own desires. We recalled that these Eastern Fathers have always considered Blessed
Ephrem a teacher of the truth and an inspired doctor of the Catholic Church. Nor were We
unaware that his authority had great weight from the very beginning, not only with the
Syrians, but also with the neighboring Chaldeans, Armenians, Maronites, and Greeks. In
fact, they had each translated the writings of the Deacon of Edessa into their own
languages, and read them eagerly both in liturgical celebrations and at home. Even today
his songs can be found among the Slavs, Copts, Ethiopians, and even the Jacobites and
Nestorians. We also recalled that the Roman Church has honored him before this. From
ancient times it commemorated Blessed Ephrem in the Martyrology for February first and not
without special praise for his holiness and learning. During the sixteenth century, a
church was built on the Viminal hill in Rome itself to honor the Blessed Virgin and St.
Ephrem. Our predecessors Gregory XIII and Benedict XIV instructed first Vossius and then
Assemanus, to collect, edit, and publish the works of St. Ephrem in order to illustrate
the Catholic faith and nourish the piety of the faithful. More recently, in 1909, St. Pius
X approved for the Benedictine monks of the Priory of St. Benedict and Ephrem in
Jerusalem, a proper mass and office in honor of this same saint and deacon of Edessa, with
excerpts for the most part from the Syrian liturgy. Therefore, in order to further glorify
the great anchorite, and at the same time to grat fy the Christian peoples of the East, We
have sent to the Sacred Congregation of Rites a recommendation to proceed in this matter,
in accordance with the prescriptions of the sacred canons and current discipline. The
result was most gratifying, since the cardinals at the head of this same congregation
responded through its prefect, Our Venerable Brother Anthony S.R.E. Cardinal Vico, Bishop
of Portuensis and St. Rufina, that they too desired and humbly asked Us the same thing the
others had asked in their suppliant letters.
22. Therefore, having invoked the Holy Spirit, by
Our Supreme Authority, We confer upon St. Ephrem the Syrian, Deacon of Edessa, the title
and the honors of Doctor of the Universal Church. We decree that his feastday, which is
the 18th of June, is to be celebrated everywhere the birthdays of the other doctors of the
Universal Church are celebrated.
23. Therefore, Venerable Brothers, since We
rejoice at this increase of honor and glory for our holy Doctor, at the same time We trust
that he will be an ever present and eager intercessor for the entire Christian family in
these difficult times. May this also be a new testimony to the Eastern Catholics of the
special care and interest which the Roman Pontiffs extend to those separated churches. We
desire, just as our predecessors did, that their legitimate liturgical customs and
canonical prescriptions always remain in integral safety. Would that by the grace of God
and the aid of St. Ephrem those obstacles might collapse which separate so large a part of
the Christian flock from the mystical rock upon which Christ founded his Church. May that
happy day come as soon as possible, on which the words of Evangelical truth will be like
"goads and nails firmly fixed" in all minds, words "which are given through
authoritative deliberation by one shepherd."44
24. Meantime as a sign of heavenly gifts and a
witness of Our paternal charity, We impart to you most lovingly, Venerable Brothers, and
to all your clergy and the people entrusted to each one of you, the Apostolic Benediction.
25. Given at Rome at St. Peter's, 5 October 1920,
the seventh year of Our Pontificate.
REFERENCES:
1. Lk 22:32.
2. St. Theodore the Studite, epistle 2 to the
Emperor Michael.
3. St. Cyril of Alexandria, De Trinit.,
dialogue 4.
4. Epistle 2 to the Emperor Michael.
5. Mt. 16:18.
6. St. Cyril of Alexandria, Comm. in Luc,
22.32.
7. St. Ignatius, Epist. ad Rom.
8. St. Basil the Great, epistle, cl. 2, ep.
69.
9. St. Felix, second epistle and
decree--epistle of Athanasius and the bishop of the Egyptians.
10. St. John Chrysostom, epistle to Innocent,
bishop of Rome.
11. Sardic., canons 3, 4, 5.
12. Theodoret., 1. v, chap. 34.
13. St. Gregory Nyssa, Life of Ephrem,
chap. 1, n. 4.
14. Ap 11.4.
15. Vita S. Ephrem.
16. Confession of St. Ephrem, n. 9.
17. Sozomenus, Hist. eccl., 1.iii chap.
15.
18. Vita S. Ephrem chap. 4, n. 17.
19. St. Amphilochius [?], Vit. S. Basil.
20. St. Ignatius, epistle to Thrall., n. 3.
21. 1 Tm 3:9.
22. Vita S. Ephrem, chap. 6, n. 23.
23. Hist. eccl., 1.iii chap. 15.
24. Ibid.
25. Jn 5:35.
26. St. Jerome, De script. eccl., chap.
115.
27. Theodoret., I.iv chap. 27.
28. Hist. eccl., chap. 8, 1. 3.
29. St. Augustine, Confess., 1.ix chap.
7.
30. Vita S. Ephrem.
31. St. John Chrysostom, Orat. de consumm.
saec.
32. Mt 16:18.
33. 2 Pt 1:20-21.
34. Lk 24:45.
35. 1 Tm 3:15.
36. St. Barthol. Crypt. Abb., Vita S. Nili
Iunioris.
37. See Rahmani, I Fasti della Chiesa
Patriarcale Antiochena 8-9.
38. Carm. Nisib., chap. 6, pp. 24-28.
39. Ibid., n. 27.
40. St. Ephrem, Encom. in Petrum et Paulum.
41. See Rahmani, Hymni S. Ephr. De
Virginitate, p. 45.
42. Lamy, S. Ephr. Hymn. et Serm., vol.
1, pr. 411.
43. St. Irenaus, c. haer, 1.iii chap. 3.
44. Eccl 12:11.
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