The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 1

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Varying Voices in Different Places

There were various Syriac apologists. The Aramaic language predominated over a large section—from Palestine and Egypt in the west to Persia in the east. The dialect of Aramaic used was the Syriac, which was current in northern Mesopotamia. Aphrahat and Ephraim, whom we now note, have little in common. Ephraim’s writings were a flamboyant versification, concerned chiefly with the intellectual claims of orthodox Christianity, in contrast to the pretensions of the heretics. Aphrahat is simplicity personified. His prose is direct in style, warning against the temptations and errors of life. 1 Aphrahat gives an orderly exposition of the Christian faith, with occasional appeals to the Jews. Homily 12 deals with the Passover, and Homily 13 with the Sabbath. Ephraim, on the other hand, seeks to bear down on the heretics by ponderous intellectualism. 2 PFF1 401.1