Ephrem the Syrian

Sebastian Brock — on the Syriac Mystics (Interview with James Bean) Part 1

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• published: 02 Apr 2014
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Sebastian Paul Brock (born 1938, London) is generally acknowledged as the foremost and most influential academic in the field of Syriac language today. He is a former Reader in Syriac Studies at the University of Oxford's Oriental Institute and currently a Professorial Fellow at Wolfson College. He is a Fellow of the British Academy. Sebastian Brock completed his BA degree at the University of Cambridge, and a DPhil at Oxford. He is the recipient of a number of honorary doctorates and has been awarded the Medal of Saint Ephrem the Syrian by the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch and the Leverhulme prize and medal of the British Academy. He is a widely published author on Syriac topics. His best selling books are The Luminous Eye: The Spiritual World Vision of Saint Ephrem the Syrian and The Syriac Fathers on Prayer and the Spiritual Life. The Luminous Eye: the Spiritual World Vision of Saint Ephrem (Cistercian Studies Series) http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/566847.The_Luminous_Eye All but unknown outside the Syrian tradition, Ephrem's rich theology of symbol, asceticism, and prayer amply deserves to stand beside his more famous greek contemporaries. ''Blessed is the man who has acquired a luminous eye with which he will see how much the angels stand in awe of Thee, O Lord, and how audacious is man.'' - St. Ephrem the Syrian The Syriac Fathers on Prayer and the Spiritual Life (Cistercian Studies) http://www.amazon.com/Syriac-Fathers-Spiritual-Cistercian-Studies/dp/0879079010 The Bible in the Syriac Tradition: https://archive.org/details/TheBibleInTheSyriacTradition St. Ephrem the Syrian: ''The facets of God's Word are far more numerous than the faces of those who learn from it. God depicts His word with many beauties, so that each of those who learn from it can examine that aspect of it which he likes. And God has hidden within His Word all sorts of treasures, so that each of us can be enriched by it, from whatever aspect he meditates on. For God's Word is the Tree of Life which extends to you blessed fruits from every direction, it is like the rock which as struck in the wilderness, which became a spiritual drink for everyone on all sides. Anyone who encounters Scripture should not suppose that the single one of it's riches that he has found is the only one to exist, rather, he should realise that he himself is only capable of discovering that one out of the many riches which exist within it. Nor because Scripture has enriched him, should the reader impoverish it. Rather, if the reader is incapable of finding more, let him acknowledge Scripture's magnitude. Rejoice because you have found satisfaction and do not be grieved that there has been something left over by you. A thirsty person rejoices because he has drunk, he is not grieved because he proved incapable of drinking the mountain dry. Let the fountain vanquish your thirst, your thirst should not try to vanquish the fountain!'' From the semitic-aramaic spirituality of the early Church to the Hellenized theological Vision of later centuries, the Syrian tradition offers modern Christians an intensity, insights, and an immediacy rare in the West. Mystic Treatise by Isaac of Nineveh: Translated from Bedjan's Syriac Text http://archive.org/stream/IsaacOfNinevehMysticTreatises/isaac_of_nineveh_mystical_treatises_djvu.txt ''If thou wouldst associate to thy nightly meditation, o man, service during the day without breaking in twain the fervour of the occupations of the heart, thou wouldst quickly embrace Jesus' bosom.'' A Collection of Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcasts @ Tumblr: Spiritual Awakening Radio with James Bean explores the world of spirituality, comparative religion, world scriptures and other sacred texts, East and West, meditation, near death experiences, the vegan diet, and ahimsa ethics -- education for a more peaceful planet. http://spiritualawakeningradio.tumblr.com/