# Encomium on Ephraim

- Author: [Gregory of Nyssa](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/gregory-of-nyssa/)
- Latin title: *In Ephraem Syrum*
- Date: ca. 379-394 (approximate)
- Source: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Graeca 46 (Paris: Migne, 1863), cols. 819-851 (OCR by the Internet Archive; lines extracted for this site)

- Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator
- Editions and translations: Gregorii Nysseni Sermones, Gregorii Nysseni Opera 9-10 (Leiden: Brill) (volume and editors not yet checked; cited only; not reproduced)
- Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/
- Passages: 16

## Encomium on Ephraim, Migne cols. 819–820

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/819/#p-819
- Source: PG 46:819–820
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: The preacher, moved by the parable of the lamp, sets out to praise Ephrem the Syrian, although Ephrem had forbidden anyone to praise him.

### Greek text

Κινεῖ με πρὸς τὴν παροῦσαν ὑπόθεσιν ἡ ἐν τοῖς θείοις Εὐαγγελίοις παραβολή, ἡ τοῦ λύχνου μυσταγωγία, καὶ τὴν γλῶτταν κημῷ τῆς ἀφωνίας λύει δουλεύουσαν, καὶ τὰς ὁδοὺς τῶν νοημάτων, ὡς ἱππηλάτους τρίβους προομαλίζει, καὶ τὸ τοῦ λόγου πολυειδέστατον ἅρμα ἐπὶ λεωφόρον τρέχειν ὁδὸν ἑτοιμάζεται, ὧδέ πη διαπρυσίως βοῶσα· Οὐ καίουσι λύχνον, καὶ τιθέασιν ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὴν λυχνίαν, καὶ λάμπει πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ. Καὶ τὸ ἐκ τούτου ἐν βάθει νοούμενον ἐπάγει λέγουσα· Οὔτως λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσι τὰ καλὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν. Οὐκ ἂν ὑπαίτιον γοῦν ἐγκαλύπτεσθαι, καὶ δειλιᾷν, ἐν οἷς αὐτὸς ὁ Δεσπότης θαῤῥεῖν παρηγγύησεν; Ὃς οἱονεὶ φαιδρὰν καὶ τῆς ἡλιακῆς λαμπροτέραν ἀνάψας λαμπάδα, τὴν τοῦ προκειμένου θείου Πατρὸς ἡμῶν εἰς διήγησιν πολιτείαν, οὐχ ὑπὸ τὸν τῆς σιγῆς κατακρύπτεσθαι ταύτην βούλεται μόδιον, ἀλλ᾽ ἄνω προκεῖσθαι ἐπ' αὐτῆς τῆς Ἐκκλησιαστικῆς κορυφῆς, ὥστε φαίνειν πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν τῇ κοσμικῇ περιστρεφομένοις οἰκίᾳ· ἐκ ταύτης τε τοὺς ὁρῶντας δοξάζειν τὸν Πατέρα τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Οὐκ ἄρα τὸν πατρικὸν εὐλαβητέον ἐκείνου δεσμὸν, ὅτι Δεσποτικὸς πατεῖται θεσμός· ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἐκεῖθεν τῶν ἐπαίνων λαβεῖν τὰς ἀρχὰς, κἂν ἡ νῦν παράληψις τῇ θέσει κατόπιν τῶν ἐγκωμίων ἀφώρισται. Ἐπειδήπερ τῷ καλῶς διακρίνειν εἰδότι τὰ πράγματα, οὐ δεσμὸς ἐκεῖνος ἁπλῶς, ἀπείργων ἐγκωμίοις καταστέφειν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην δόξαν ἀποστρεφόμενον· ἀλλὰ δεσμὸς ἄδεσμος, καὶ κατοχὴ ἀκάθεκτος, πρὸς τὸ ἐναντίον τοὺς ἐραστὰς συνωθοῦσα. Δι' ὧν γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τοὺς ἡμετέρους ἐκφυγεῖν ἐπαίνους κατεστοχάσατο, δεσμῷ τὴν ἐγχείρησιν ἀποτειχίσας, διὰ τούτων ἡμεῖς

### English translation (Claude)

The parable in the divine Gospels, the mystical teaching of the lamp, moves me to the present subject. It loosens my tongue, enslaved by the muzzle of speechlessness; it levels the roads of thought in advance like tracks for horses; and it makes ready the many-formed chariot of speech to run on the highway, crying aloud somewhat as follows: “They do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.” And it adds the deeper meaning of this, saying: “So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works.” Would it not, then, be blameworthy to veil oneself and be timid where the Master himself has bidden us be bold? For he has, as it were, lit a bright torch, brighter than the sun's, the way of life of the divine father whom we have set out to describe, and he does not want it hidden under the bushel of silence, but set high on the very summit of the church, so as to shine on all who move about in the house of the world, and so that those who see it may glorify the Father who is in heaven. We need not, then, stand in awe of that father's binding charge, lest the Master's ordinance be trampled. For we must take the beginnings of our praises from there, even though by his disposition the present undertaking has been placed outside the bounds of encomium. For to one who knows how to judge things well, that charge is not simply a bond forbidding us to crown with praises one who turned away from human glory; it is a bond that does not bind, a restraint that cannot restrain, driving those who love him toward the opposite. For the very means by which he aimed to escape our praises, walling off the attempt with a binding charge, are those from which we

### Scripture references

- Matt 5:15: quotation, high confidence
- Luke 11:33: allusion, medium confidence
- Matt 5:16: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- This encomium on Ephrem the Syrian is printed among Gregory's works in Migne; its authorship is generally doubted.
- “That father's binding charge”: Ephrem's Testament, in which he forbade his disciples to praise him after his death.
- “Lest the Master's ordinance be trampled”: the printed sentence is compressed (“because the Master's ordinance is trampled”); translated by sense.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Eph. 819 (PG 46:819–820; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/819).

## Encomium on Ephraim, Migne cols. 821–822

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/819/#p-821
- Source: PG 46:821–822
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: Ephrem's very refusal of praise shows his worth; like Paul, who called himself unworthy to be an apostle, he deserves praise, and the church gladly receives this crown of his virtues on his yearly memorial.

### Greek text

τὰς ἀφορμὰς τῶν ἐγκωμίων λαμβάνομεν. Εκαστον μὲν οὖν αὐτοῦ πλεονέκτημα πρὸς ἀφορμὴν ἐπαίνου τελείου, μάλιστα δὲ τὸ μὴ χαίρειν ἐπαίνῳ. Ἐβούλετο γὰρ οὐ δοκεῖν, ἀλλ᾽ εἶναι χρηστός. Δι' αὐτὸ τοιγαροῦν καὶ μόνον, κἂν μηδὲν ἕτερον ἄξιον πέπραχεν ἐπαίνων, ἐγκωμιάζεσθαι δίκαιον, ὅτι τοσοῦτον χαίρειν εἶπε τοῖς ἐγκωμίοις, ὡς καὶ δεσμῷ σφραγίσαι τὴν ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ἐπιτίμησιν. Ἡμῖν δὲ τοῦτο πρῶτον ἀνοίγει τοῦ λόγου τὸ στάδιον, καὶ πληροφορεῖ μὴ βαίνειν ἀσκόπως, μηδὲ κατὰ κρημνοῦ φέρεσθαι, ἀλλὰ βασιλικὴν ὁδεύειν ὁδὸν, καλῶς ἀναλογιζομένοις, ὅτιπερ εἰ μὴ ἄξιον ἐπαίνων ἑαυτὸν ὁ θαυμάσιος τοῦ Θεοῦ συνεώρα, οὐκ ἂν εὐφημεῖν αὐτὸν ἀπεῖργε τοὺς θέλοντας. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ μὴ θαυμαζόμενος, ἔτι περιὼν, ἐπὶ μεγίστοις πλεονεκτήμασι παρεγγυᾷ τοῖς μετέπειτα, λήθης πτώματι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μνήμην παραφανίζειν. Πρὸς δὴ τούτοις ἔστι καὶ τοῦτο εἰπεῖν· ὅτι καθάπερ Παῦλος ὁ ῥήτωρ τῆς χάριτος, ὁ νυμφοστόλος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ στόμα, οὐκ ἀπώλεσε τὸ καλεῖσθαι ᾿Απόστολος, διὰ τὸ εἰπεῖν, Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἄξιος καλεῖσθαι ᾿Απόστολος· μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸ τὸ μετριοφρονῆσαι, μεῖζον ἀπηνέγκατο κλέος. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ μέγας Πατὴρ ἡμῶν, ἀνάξιον ἑαυτὸν ἐπαίνων δι᾽ εὐλάβειαν κρίνας, ἄξιος εὑρεθήσεται κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἡμέτερος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας νόμος, τοὺς τῆς ἀρετῆς ζηλωτὰς ἐκ τοῦ ταύτης τὰ εἴδη μετέρχεσθαι στεφανοῦν οἶδε· καὶ τούτων ὅσοι μάλιστα τῷ ταπεινῷ τοῦ φρονήματος μέτρῳ πνευματικῶς ἀνυψώθησαν, κατὰ τὸ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις ὧδέ πως εἰρημένον· Ὁ ταπεινῶν ἑαυτὸν ὑψωθήσεται· ἔξω παντελώς ψόγου καὶ σκώμματος καὶ αὐτῆς τυγχάνουσι κατακρίσεως, οἱ τοῦ παρόντος θεοφόρου Πατρὸς τὰς ἀρετὰς ἀναγράφοντες, καὶ οἷον εἰς στήλην ἔμπνουν καὶ ζῶσαν τὸν ἐκείνου βίον ἡμῖν ἀνεγείροντες. Καὶ τῶν ἐπαγγελθέντων ὁ σοφὸς ἀκροατὴς ἐπόψει τὸ ἀψευδὲς, κατόπιν τοῦ λόγου τὰς ποικίλας αὐτοῦ τῶν ἀρετῶν ἰδέας ἀναλεγόμενος, ὧν ἡμεῖς καθάπερ ἕνα τινὰ χρυσοκόλλητον στέφανον, πολυτίμοις καὶ διαφόροις περιηνθισμένον χρυσουργήσαντες λίθοις, τῇ νύμφῃ Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησίᾳ δῶρον ποθούμενον προσκομίσομεν· χαίρει γὰρ τοῖς τοιούτοις φιλοφρονεῖσθαι χαρίσμασιν, ὅτε μνήμη δικαίων ἀπαντήσει ἐτήσιος. Ἐφραὶμ δὲ νῦν εἰς εὐφημίαν περιήγαγε τρέχων ὁ χρόνος καὶ πῶς οὐ περιχαρῶς τὸ τούτου μνημόσυνον ὑποδέξεται; Ἐφραὶμ ἐκεῖνον, τὸν ἐν πᾶσι Χριστιανῶν περιφερόμενον στόμασιν. Ἐφραὶμ λέγω τὸν Σύρον· οὐ γὰρ τὸ γένος ἐπαισχύνομαι, οὗ τοῖς τρόποις ἐγκαλλωπίζομαι. Ἐφραίμ, οὗ εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν τὸ φέγγος τοῦ βίου καὶ τῆς θεωρίας ἐξέλαμψεν ὁ πάσῃ τῇ ὑφ᾽ ἡλίῳ σχεδὸν γινωσκόμενος, παρὰ τοσούτοις τε ἀγνοούμενος, παρ' ὅσοις ὁ μέγας τῆς Ἐκκλησίας φωστήρ Βασίλειος·

### English translation (Claude)

take the starting points of our praises. Each of his excellences is a starting point for complete praise, but above all his taking no pleasure in praise. For he wished not to seem good but to be good. For this alone, then, even if he had done nothing else worthy of praise, it is right to praise him: that he bade such a farewell to praises as even to seal his rejection of them with a binding charge. For us this first opens the course of the speech, and assures us that we are not walking aimlessly or rushing down a precipice, but travelling the royal road, if we reason rightly that, had the wonderful man of God not seen that he was worthy of praise, he would not have forbidden those who wished to praise him. For no one who is not admired, while he is still alive, charges those who come after him to let his memory vanish into forgetfulness in spite of very great excellences. Besides this, one may also say that, just as Paul, the orator of grace, the bridal escort of the church, the mouth of Christ, did not lose the title of apostle by saying, “I am not worthy to be called an apostle,” but rather won greater glory by that very humility, so too our great father, judging himself unworthy of praise out of reverence, will accordingly be found worthy of it. Since, then, our law of the church knows how to crown those zealous for virtue from their pursuit of its forms, and among them especially those who have been spiritually exalted by the humble measure of their mind, according to what the Lord said in the Gospels, somewhat as follows, “He who humbles himself will be exalted,” those who record the virtues of the God-bearing father before us, and raise up his life before us as a living and breathing monument, are entirely free of blame and mockery and even of condemnation. The wise hearer will see the truthfulness of what has been promised, when after the speech he gathers up the varied forms of his virtues; out of these we will work, as it were, a single crown set in gold and flowered with many and various precious stones, and bring it as a welcome gift to the bride of Christ, the church. For she delights to be honored with such gifts when the yearly memorial of the righteous comes round. And now the course of time has brought Ephrem round for praise; and how will she not welcome his memorial with great joy? That Ephrem who is on the lips of all Christians. Ephrem the Syrian, I mean; for I am not ashamed of the race of the man in whose character I glory. Ephrem, the radiance of whose life and contemplation shone out into all the earth; known to almost everyone under the sun, and unknown only among as few as the great luminary of the church, Basil,

### Scripture references

- Num 20:17: echo, low confidence
- 1 Cor 15:9: quotation, high confidence
- Luke 14:11: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 23:12: quotation, medium confidence
- Prov 10:7: allusion, medium confidence
- Ps 19:4 (18:5 LXX): allusion, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- “Bade such a farewell to praises”: the Greek idiom χαίρειν εἰπεῖν means to renounce.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Eph. 821 (PG 46:821–822; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/821).

## Encomium on Ephraim, Migne cols. 823–824

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/819/#p-823
- Source: PG 46:823–824
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: Ephrem is praised as the church's Euphrates, God's vine and faithful steward; the preacher will praise him not for birth, homeland or bodily gifts, which he despised, but for his own life of action and contemplation and its virtues.

### Greek text

Ἐφραίμ, ὁ νοητὸς ὄντως τῆς Ἐκκλησίας Εὐφράτης, ἐξ οὗ τὸ τῶν πιστῶν καταρδευόμενον πλήρωμα εἰς ἑκατὸν ἀποδίδωσι τὸν σπόρον τῆς πίστεως Ἐφραΐμ, ἡ πολύφορος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄμπελος, ἡ δίκην βοτρύων γλυκερῶν καρποὺς ἀνθοῦσα διδασκαλίας, καὶ τοὺς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τροφίμους τῷ κόρῳ τῆς θείας ἀγάπης εὐφραίνουσα· Ἐφραὶμ, ὁ καλὸς καὶ πιστὸς οἰκονόμος τῆς χάριτος, ὁ τοὺς λόγους τῶν ἀρετῶν ἀναλόγως τοῖς ὁμοδούλοις σιτομετρῶν, καὶ τὴν δεσποτικὴν οἰκίαν οἰκονομούμενος ἄριστα. Οὗ τὸ γένος καὶ τὴν ἐνεγκαμένην καὶ προγόνων περιφάνειαν, καὶ γεννητόρων εὔκλειαν, καὶ γέννησιν, καὶ ἀνατροφὴν, καὶ αὔξησιν ἡλικίας, καὶ σωματικὴν ἐπιτηδειότητα, καὶ τύχην, καὶ τέχνας, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν ἔξω λογογράφων ἐρανιζόμενα τοῖς ἐπαίνοις σεμνολογήματα, περιττὸν εἰς μέσον ἄγειν ὑποτοπήσαντες· ὅτι μὴ τοὺς θείους ἄνδρας ἡμεῖς ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων ἐπαινεῖν παρειλήφαμεν· κἂν ἐκ περιουσίας αὐτῷ κἀντεῦθεν ὑπάρχει τὸ ἀξιέπαινον, ἐξ ὧν αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν περιφανῆ βίῳ τε καὶ λόγῳ κατεσκεύασεν, ἐκ τούτων καὶ ἡμεῖς αὐτῷ τὸν τοῦ λόγου στέφανον ἀναδήσωμεν. Τῶν ἐφ᾽ ἡμῖν γὰρ οἱ ἔπαινοι, καὶ τῶν αὐτεξουσίων τὰ γέρα. Τῶν ἀπηριθμημένων δὲ, καὶ ψόγοι παράλογοι, καὶ εὐφημίαι ἀνάρμοστοι. Πῶς γὰρ οὗτος ἀπὸ γένους ἐγκωμιάζεσθαι κατεδέξατο, ὁ πᾶσαν κοσμικὴν εὐγένειαν βδελυξάμενος, καὶ τέκνον Θεοῦ δι' ἀναλήψεως ἔργων ἀρίστων γενέσθαι κατασπασάμενος; Ἢ πῶς ἀπὸ πατρίδος σεμνύνεσθαι, ὁ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἀλλοτρίαν ἑαυτοῦ λογιζόμενος, καὶ ὡς ἔχθραν τὴν ὑλικὴν κτίσιν ἀποστρεφόμενος, διὰ τὴν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀποκειμένην ἀἴδιον μακαριότητα; Πῶς δὲ πάλιν ἐπὶ προγόνων ἢ γεννητόρων ἠδυνθείη εὐκλείᾳ, ὁ σωματικὴν ἁπλῶς καταπατήσας προσπάθειαν, καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ψυχικὸν χιτώνιον, ἤτοι σαρκίον βαρούμενος, ὡς ἐμποδὼν αὐτῷ πρὸς τοὺς τῆς ἀρετῆς ὀξυτάτους εὑρισκόμενον δρόμους; Πῶς δὲ ὅλως ἐκ σωματικῆς αὐξήσεως καὶ ἀναστροφῆς, ἡ ἐπιτηδειότητος, ἢ τέχνης, ἡ τινος ἄλλης καταπτύστου θελήσειεν ἐπαινεῖσθαι περὶ τὸν βίον ἀσχολίας, ὁ τραφεὶς μὲν ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας, καὶ ἀὐξηθεὶς ἐν τῇ τῶν θείων μελέτη Γραφῶν, ποτισθεὶς δὲ τοῖς τῆς χάριτος ἀεννάοις ὀχετοῖς, καὶ πρὸς μέτρον ἡλικίας, ἀποστολικῶς εἰπεῖν, φθάσας Χριστοῦ; Εἰδότες οὖν ἡμεῖς ὡς οὐ χαίρει τοῖς τοιούτοις ὁ μέγας Πατὴρ ἡμῶν μεγαλύνεσθαι, οἶσπερ οἱ σωματικοὶ, καταγελάστοις ἐπαίνοις, ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων αὐτὸν πόνων, κἂν γοῦν μετρίως πειραθῶμεν ἀποσεμνῦναι· οὐ γὰρ ἔχει φύσιν ὁ λόγος τοῖς ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἐπεκτείνεσθαι. Ὡς ἂν οὖν μήτε τὸν ἡμέτερον πόθον ἡ ἀφωνία πεδήσῃ, μήτ' αὖ πάλιν ξένην τρίβον τῶν Πατέρων ὀδεύοντες, βασιλικῆς παρασφαλῶμεν ὁδοῦ, τὰ παρεκτρίβια διαθέοντες, τῷ μετρίῳ τὸν λόγον φιλοτεχνήσομεν. Τί δὲ τὰ τούτου, δι' ὧν ἐξυφᾶναι τὸν ἔπαινον ὑπεθέμεθα; Πρᾶξις καὶ θεωρία, αἷς ὁ κατὰ μέρος τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐσμὸς ἐπακολουθεῖ, πίστις, ἐλπὶς, ἀγάπη,

### English translation (Claude)

Ephrem, truly the spiritual Euphrates of the church, watered by which the whole body of the faithful yields the seed of faith a hundredfold; Ephrem, the fruitful vine of God, which bears the fruits of teaching like sweet grapes and gladdens the nurslings of the church with the fullness of divine love; Ephrem, the good and faithful steward of grace, who measures out to his fellow servants their portion of the words of virtue in due proportion, and manages the Master's household excellently. His race, his homeland, the distinction of his ancestors, the renown of his parents, his birth, upbringing, growth in years, bodily aptitude, fortune, crafts, and the rest of the grand themes collected for praises by secular speechwriters, we have judged it superfluous to bring forward, since we have not received the custom of praising divine men for such things. Even if he had praiseworthy qualities from these sources too in abundance, let us bind on him the crown of our speech from the things by which he made himself illustrious in life and in word. For praises belong to what is in our power, and rewards to what is freely chosen; but for the things listed, blame is unreasonable and praise unfitting. For how could he accept being praised for his race, who loathed all worldly nobility and was eager to become a child of God by taking up the best works? Or how could he take pride in a homeland, who reckoned the whole earth foreign to himself and turned away from the material creation as hostile, for the sake of the eternal blessedness laid up in heaven? How again could he be pleased by the renown of ancestors or parents, who trampled down all bodily attachment and was burdened by the very garment of the soul, that is, the poor flesh, as an obstacle to him on the swiftest courses of virtue? How at all would he wish to be praised for bodily growth and upbringing, or aptitude, or a craft, or any other contemptible occupation of life, he who was nourished from his earliest youth and grew up in the study of the divine Scriptures, watered by the ever-flowing channels of grace, and attained, to speak with the Apostle, to the measure of the stature of Christ? Knowing, then, that our great father does not delight in being magnified by things for which worldly people receive ridiculous praises, let us try, at least moderately, to honor him from his own labors; for speech cannot by nature stretch beyond its power. So, that neither speechlessness may fetter our longing, nor, walking a path foreign to the fathers, we may slip from the royal road by running along the byways, we will craft our speech with moderation. What, then, are his qualities from which we have proposed to weave the praise? Action and contemplation, which the swarm of particular virtues follows: faith, hope, love,

### Scripture references

- Matt 13:8: allusion, medium confidence
- John 15:1: echo, low confidence
- Luke 12:42: allusion, high confidence
- 1 Pet 4:10: allusion, medium confidence
- John 1:12: allusion, medium confidence
- Heb 11:13: allusion, medium confidence
- 2 Tim 3:15: allusion, medium confidence
- Eph 4:13: allusion, high confidence
- Num 20:17: echo, low confidence
- 1 Cor 13:13: allusion, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- The play on “Ephrem” and “Euphrates” rests on the similarity of the names.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Eph. 823 (PG 46:823–824; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/823).

## Encomium on Ephraim, Migne cols. 825–826

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/819/#p-825
- Source: PG 46:825–826
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: The preacher lists Ephrem's virtues, drawn from his own writings, and begins with his orthodox faith: he rejected Sabellius, Arius, Apollinaris, the Anomoeans and Novatus, confessing the Trinity as one in essence and three in number.

### Greek text

εὐσέβεια εἰς Θεὸν, μελέτη τῶν θείων Γραφῶν, ἁγνισμὸς ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος, δάκρυα διηνεκή, ἐρημική διαβίωσις, ἡ ἐκ τόπου εἰς τόπον ἀναχώρησις, φυγή τῶν ἐπιβλαβῶν, διδασκαλία ἀένναος, προσευχὴ ἀκατάπαυστος, νηστεία καὶ ἀγρυπνία μέτρον οὐκ ἔχουσαι, χαμευνία καὶ σκληραγωγία λόγον ὑπερβαίνουσαι, ἀκτημοσύνη καὶ ταπείνωσις εἰς ἄκρον ἐλάσασαι, ἐλεημοσύνη τῆς φύσεως αὐτὸν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἐξαίρουσα, ζῆλος ἔνθεος τῶν κατὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας λυττώντων καὶ, ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν, πᾶν ὅ τι κατὰ Θεὸν οἶδε χαρακτηρίζειν ἄνθρωπον. Τοῖς τοιούτοις ἐπαίνοις ὁ ἡμέτερος Πατήρ ὡραῖζεται, καὶ γινώσκει τὰ λεγόμενα, καὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα ἐπίσταται προτερήματα, καὶ στέργει τοὺς λόγους, ὡς ὠφελείας προξένους, οὐκ αὐτῷ, ἀλλ᾽ ἡμῖν· ἐπεὶ καὶ ψιλὴ τούτου προσηγορία, ὑπόθεσις ἀρετῆς τοῖς σπουδαίοις καθίσταται. Οὐ γὰρ ἄλλοθεν δεδιδάγμεθα ταῦτα, ἢ ἐξ ὧν αὐτὸς τὰ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λόγοις κατέσπειρεν. Αφ᾿ ὧν ἡμεῖς ὡς ἡ ἐπαινετὴ μέλισσα, ἐκ πολλῶν ἀνθέων συλλέξαντες τὰ χρήσιμα, τὸ πνευματικὸν τοῦτο κηρίον κατειργασάμεθα. Καὶ οὐ χολανεῖ πάντως ἡμῖν διὰ τὴν ἐγχείρησιν, ὅτι μὴ δέδιεν ἔτι τὸν πονηρὸν δαίμονα, διὰ τὸ καὶ πρὸς αὐτῷ τῶν ἀγώνων τῷ τέλει πολλοὺς ὑποσκελίσαι, ἅπαξ καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἀκυμάντους τῶν ἀσωμάτων φθάσας λιμένας, ἔξω τυγχάνει καὶ ζάλης καὶ κλύδωνος. Δεῦρο δὴ οὖν, καθ᾿ ἕνα τῶν ἀπηριθμημένων μικρὸν ἐνδιατρίψαντες τῷ λόγῳ, οἷος γέγονεν ὁ θαυμάσιος, καὶ εἰς ὅσον μέτρον πνευματικῆς ἔφθασεν ἀναβάσεως, τοῖς συνειλεγμένοις καθυποδείξωμεν. Πίστεως μὲν γὰρ εἶχε λίαν ὀρθῶς, οὐ πόῤῥω που νεύων τῆς εὐσεβείας καθὼς ἔκ τε τῶν αὐτοῦ συγγραμμάτων, ἔκ τε τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας παρειλήφαμεν δόξης· ἐξ ἴσου γὰρ ἐμυσάττετο τὴν τοῦ Σαβελλίου παράλογον σύγχυσιν, καὶ τὴν Αρείου μανιώδη διαίρεσιν. Ιστατο δὲ τῶν τῆς εὐσεβείας ὅρων ἐντός διαιρῶν μὲν τῷ ἀριθμῷ, συνάπτων δὲ τῇ οὐσίᾳ τὴν μίαν καὶ ἀσύγχυτον καὶ παναγίαν Τριάδα· ὡς ἂν μήτε πενίαν θεότητος Ἰουδαϊκῶς ὀνειδίζοιτο, μήτε δήμῳ Θεῶν Ἑλληνικῶς ἐκβακχεύοιτο ἃ παθεῖν οἱ περὶ τὴν ἀκατάληπτον Τριάδα παροινήσαντες ἐξελέγχονται. ᾿Απολιναρίου δὲ τοσοῦτον τὸ ἄλογον ἀπεπέμπετο δόγμα, ὡς πᾶσαν θέσθαι σπουδὴν ἐκ πάσης αὐτὸ Χριστιανικῆς ἐξεῶσαι ψυχῆς. Ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τῶν Ἀνομοίων διὰ πολλῶν ἀποδεικτικῶν τε καὶ Γραφικῶν λόγων, τὰ ἀπύλωτα ἐνέφραξε στόματα, μεγίστην ἀσφάλειαν ἡμῖν τὰ αὐτοῦ θεοδίδακτα λιπὼν λόγια. Νουάτου δὲ εἰ βούλοιτό τις τοῦ θρασυτάτου ἥττημα κατιδεῖν, ἐν τῇ διὰ τῶν λόγων τοῦ Ἐφραὶμ πάλῃ τὸ τοῦ ἐναντίου πτῶμα βλεπέτω, ἐν ᾗ τοσοῦτον εὑρήσει τὸ περιὸν τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ ἡμετέρου Διδασκάλου ἐν τῇ τοῦ λόγου παραστάσει, ὅσην ἀνδρὸς παγκρατιαστοῦ καὶ παιδὸς οὐκ εὐσθενοῦς δι᾽ ἁπαλότητα. Οὐ μόνον δὲ τὰς κατ᾿ ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ ἢ καὶ πρόσθεν ἀναφυείσας ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς κακίας σπορέως ζιζανιώδεις αἱρέσεις, τῷ ὀρθῷ τῆς πίστεως ἐξήλεγξε λόγῳ· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς εἰς ὕστερον

### English translation (Claude)

piety toward God, study of the divine Scriptures, purity of soul and body, constant tears, life in the desert, withdrawal from place to place, flight from what is harmful, unceasing teaching, unceasing prayer, fasting and vigils without measure, sleeping on the ground and hardship beyond words, poverty and humility carried to the extreme, almsgiving that lifted him above human nature, godly zeal against those who rage against piety, and, in short, everything that marks a man as one who lives according to God. With such praises our father is adorned; he knows what is said, he understands his own excellences, and he welcomes the words as bringing benefit, not to himself but to us, since even his bare name becomes an incentive to virtue for the earnest. For we have learned these things from no other source than what he himself scattered in his writings about himself. From these, like the praiseworthy bee gathering what is useful from many flowers, we have made this spiritual honeycomb. And he will surely not be angry with us for the attempt, since he no longer fears the evil demon (who tripped up many even at the very end of their contests); having once reached the waveless harbors of the bodiless ones, he is beyond storm and surge. Come, then, let us dwell a little in speech on each of the things listed, and show those gathered here what the wonderful man was like and to what measure of spiritual ascent he attained. In faith he was entirely right, never inclining away from true religion, as we have received both from his writings and from the church's estimation of him. For he abhorred equally the irrational confusion of Sabellius and the mad division of Arius. He stood within the boundaries of true religion, distinguishing in number but uniting in essence the one, unconfused, and all-holy Trinity, so as neither to reproach the Godhead with poverty in the Jewish manner nor to revel in a crowd of gods in the Greek manner, faults of which those who have behaved like drunkards about the incomprehensible Trinity are convicted. The irrational doctrine of Apollinaris he rejected so strongly that he made every effort to drive it out of every Christian soul. Moreover, with many demonstrative and scriptural arguments he stopped the gateless mouths of the Anomoeans, leaving us his God-taught words as the greatest security. If anyone wishes to see the defeat of the most audacious Novatus, let him look at his adversary's fall in the wrestling match of Ephrem's writings, in which he will find our teacher's superiority in power of argument as great as that of an all-round fighter over a child weak from tenderness. Not only did he refute by the right word of faith the weedlike heresies sown by the sower of evil at that time or before, but those that would

### Scripture references

- Eph 6:18: echo, low confidence
- 1 Thess 5:17: allusion, medium confidence
- 2 Cor 11:27: allusion, medium confidence
- Matt 13:25: allusion, high confidence
- Matt 13:39: allusion, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- “Sabellius … Arius … Apollinaris … the Anomoeans … Novatus”: the heresies named are described in the author's own polemical terms; translated as written.
- “Poverty in the Jewish manner … a crowd of gods in the Greek manner”: the usual Cappadocian contrast between Jewish monotheism (which the author regards as denying the Son and Spirit) and pagan polytheism.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Eph. 825 (PG 46:825–826; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/825).

## Encomium on Ephraim, Migne cols. 827–828

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/819/#p-827
- Source: PG 46:827–828
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: Ephrem's hope was in God alone, as the Psalms, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Paul commend, and his love was such that he could say at his death that he had never cursed anyone or quarreled with any believer.

### Greek text

κακῶς ἀναθαλῆσαι μελλούσας προφητικῷ βλέμματι κατιδών, προεξεθέρισεν. Καὶ τούτων πλήρης τῶν ἀποδείξεων πᾶσα τούτου συγγραφή τε καὶ ποίησις. Οὕτως οὐ πώποτε τῆς ἀληθείας ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας υἱὸς ἐξεφρόνησεν· ἐλπὶς δὲ τούτῳ ἡ εἰς Θεὸν μόνη, ἐξ ὅτου ἂν ἀποκειμένων ἐλπίδων τοῖς ἀξίοις αἱ χάριτες. Τὸ γὰρ ψαλμικὸν διὰ βίου λόγῳ τε καὶ πράξει μελετῶν ἔφασκεν· Ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἤλπισεν ἡ καρδία μου, καὶ ἐβοηθήθην. Διὰ τοιοῦτον ἐλπίσαντος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Κύριον, ἔλεος αὐτὸν κυκλώσει. Καὶ ἡ εἰς αὐτὸν πεποίθησις, ὅρει τοῦτον Σιὼν ἀπεικάζει· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑψηλοτάτου μακαρισμοῦ ἐντὸς τὸν κεκτημένον καθίστησι, ὡς ἔστιν ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν προφητῶν καταμαθεῖν, Δαβὶδ μὲν λέγοντος· Μακάριος ἀνὴρ, οὗ ἐστι τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου ἐλπὶς αὐτοῦ. Ἱερεμίου δὲ· Εὐλογημένος ἄνθρωπος, ὅστις πέποιθεν ἐπὶ τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ ἔσται Κύριος ἐλπὶς αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἔσται ὡς τὸ ξύλον εὐθηνοῦν παρ' ὕδατα, καὶ ἐπὶ ἰκμάδα βαλεῖ ρίζαν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ Ἡσαΐου· Κύριος Βασιλεὺς ἡμῶν, Κύριος Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν, αὐτὸς σώσει ἡμᾶς. Ἰδοὺ ὁ Θεὸς ὁ Σωτήρ μου Κύριος, πεποιθὼς ἔσομαι ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ καὶ θαρσήσομαι. Τοῦ μακαρίου δὲ Παύλου παραινοῦντος καὶ λέγοντος· Κατέχομεν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τῆς ἐλπίδος· πιστὸς γὰρ ὁ ἐπαγγειλάμενος ἡμῖν. Ταύτῃ τῇ θείᾳ καὶ ἀποκειμένῃ ἐλπίδι εἰστρεφό μενος, τῶν κοσμικῶν ἁπάντων περιεφρόνει, καὶ τῆς αἰωνίου δόξης ἑκάστης ἱμείρετο. Ἀγάπην δὲ τὴν εἰς Θεόν τε καὶ τὸν πλησίον οὕτως ἀκριβῶς ἐφυλάξατο, ὡς αὐτὸν εἰπεῖν οὐτωσὶ, τοῦ βίου ἀπαίροντα· καλὸν γὰρ αὐτὰ τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ θεοφόρου Πατρὸς εἰς μέσον ἀγαγεῖν, κρείττονα πάσης ἀποδείξεως τυγχάνοντα. Οὐδαμῶς, φησὶν, ἐν πάσῃ τῇ ζωῇ μου ἐλοιδόρησα Κύριον, καὶ λόγος ἄφρων οὐ παρῆλθε τῶν χειλέων μου. Ἐν πάσῃ τῇ ζωῇ μου κατηρασάμην οὐκ οὐδένα, καθ' ὅλου τε μετ᾿ οὐδενὸς πιστοῦ ἐμαχησάμην. Ὦ μακαρία γλῶσσα, ἥτις θαῤῥήσασα τοιαύτην ἔρρηξε φωνὴν, ἢ μόνοις τοῖς ἀγγέλοις πρεπωδεστάτη τυγχάνει, διὰ τὸ ἄῦλον καὶ ἀστασίαστον τῆς ζωῆς. Ἡμῖν δὲ τοῖς τῇ σαρκὶ δουλεύουσι, ξένη καὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν φύσιν, καὶ χαλεπὸν κατορθωθῆναι. Καὶ πολλὰ μὲν κάμοις βίους ἀνερευνῶν τῶν ἐπ' ἀρεταῖς περιβοήτων, οὐδαμοῦ δὲ τι τοιοῦτον εὕροις, οἷον ἐπὶ τῷ προκειμένῳ Πατρὶ, εἰς διήγησιν σημεῖον καθαρᾶς καὶ ἀκηλιδώτου ἀγάπης. Εἰ οὖν μείζων πασῶν τῶν ἀρετῶν ἡ ἀγάπη· ταύτην δὲ ὡς οὐκ ἄλλος τις τῶν Πατέρων κατώρθωσεν Ἐφραὶμ ὁ μακάριος ἀπολήψεται δὲ ἕκαστος κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ· τὸ ἐκ τούτων ἄλλοις συμπεραίνειν παραχωρήσομεν, ἵνα μὴ δόξωμεν παραβάλλειν Πατράσι Πατέρας. Οὐ γὰρ συγκρίσεως χάριν τὸ ῥηθὲν παρειλήφαμεν, ὡς ἂν δὲ μόνον ὑπ' ὄψιν τοῖς πολλοῖς παραστήσωμεν, ὡς ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἄκρου ἔφθασε τῆς πνευματικῆς τῶν ἀρετῶν κλίμακος ὁ ἡμέτερος, μᾶλλον δὲ τῆς οἰκουμένης

### English translation (Claude)

sprout wickedly later he foresaw with a prophet's eye and reaped them in advance. All his writing and poetry is full of these demonstrations. So the son of truth never strayed in mind from the truth. His hope was in God alone, from whom come the graces of the hopes laid up for the worthy. For practicing the psalm throughout his life in word and deed, he would say: “In him my heart has hoped, and I have been helped.” Because he hoped thus in the Lord, mercy will surround him; and his trust in him likens him to Mount Zion; and it places its possessor within the loftiest blessedness, as one may learn from the prophets themselves: David says, “Blessed is the man whose hope is the name of the Lord”; Jeremiah, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and the Lord will be his hope; and he will be like a tree flourishing by the waters, and will send out his root toward moisture”; and Isaiah, “The Lord is our King, the Lord is our Savior; he will save us. Behold, God my Savior is the Lord; I will trust in him and be bold”; and the blessed Paul exhorts and says, “Let us hold fast the promise of our hope, for he who promised us is faithful.” Nourished in this divine hope laid up for us, he despised all worldly things and longed continually for eternal glory. Love toward God and neighbor he kept so exactly that he could speak thus as he departed this life (it is good to bring forward the very words of the God-bearing father, since they are better than any proof): “Never in all my life,” he says, “did I revile the Lord, and no foolish word passed my lips. In all my life I cursed no one, and I never quarreled with any believer at all.” O blessed tongue, which dared to utter such a word, a word most fitting for angels alone, because their life is immaterial and free of strife, but to us who are slaves of the flesh strange, beyond nature, and hard to achieve! You might labor long searching the lives of those famed for virtue, and nowhere would you find such a sign of pure and spotless love as in the father whom we have set out to describe. If, then, love is the greatest of all the virtues, and blessed Ephrem achieved it as no other of the fathers did, and each will receive according to his works, we will leave it to others to draw the conclusion from this, so that we may not seem to compare fathers with fathers. For we have not taken up what was said for the sake of comparison, but only to set before the eyes of the many that our teacher, or rather the teacher of the whole world, reached the very top of the spiritual ladder of virtues.

### Scripture references

- Ps 28:7 (27:7 LXX): quotation, high confidence
- Ps 32:10 (31:10 LXX): allusion, high confidence
- Ps 125:1 (124:1 LXX): allusion, high confidence
- Ps 40:4 (39:5 LXX): quotation, high confidence
- Jer 17:7: quotation, high confidence
- Jer 17:8: quotation, high confidence
- Isa 33:22: quotation, high confidence
- Isa 12:2: quotation, high confidence
- Heb 10:23: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 22:37: allusion, medium confidence
- Matt 22:39: allusion, medium confidence
- 1 Cor 13:13: allusion, high confidence
- Rom 2:6: allusion, high confidence
- Matt 16:27: allusion, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- Ephrem's words are quoted from his Testament (Greek version).
- “Nourished in”: the printed word (εἰστρεφόμενος) is not attested and is translated by sense; “continually” renders ἑκάστης, apparently for ἑκάστοτε.
- “Or rather the teacher of the whole world”: the printed text breaks off at the page end (“or rather of the world-”); the end of the sentence is lost in the scan, and “teacher” is supplied from the sense.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Eph. 827 (PG 46:827–828; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/827).

## Encomium on Ephraim, Migne cols. 829–830

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/819/#p-829
- Source: PG 46:829–830
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: Ephrem's piety, his study and interpretation of all Scripture, his use of secular learning, his purity (shown when a prostitute sent to tempt him was converted), and his constant tears are praised.

### Greek text

Εὐσέβειαν δὲ ἐν τῇ τῆς ὄντως κτήσει σοφίας ἐμπορευσάμενος (κατὰ τὸ ἐν Ἰὼβ εἰρημένον· Ἰδοὺ ευσέβειά ἐστι σοφία) δι' αὐτῆς, ὡς μικρὸν ἄνωθεν ἐδηλώσαμεν, τῆς πίστεως αὐτοῦ τὸ καθαρὸν διαγράφοντες, εἰς οὐρανὸν μὲν τρίτον, κατὰ Παῦλον, ἀνῆλθεν, ἀθάνατον δὲ τὴν μνήμην καὶ διαρκῆ τὴν εὔκλειαν παρὰ τῇ Ἑκκλησίᾳ πεπλούτηκεν· ἡ μελέτη δὲ τούτῳ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν ἐκ τῆς Δαβιδικῆς ἀνῆψε λαμπάδος, Ἐν τῇ μελέτῃ μου, φάσκοντος, ἐκκαυθήσεται πῦρ. Ἔρως γὰρ αὐτὸν πολήσας πνευματικῆς θεωρίας, εἰς φλόγα μετέωρον τὸν πόθον ἀνήγειρε. Πᾶσαν γὰρ Παλαιάν τε καὶ Καινὴν ἐκμελετήσας Γραφὴν, καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἄλλος τις τοῖς τοιούτοις θεωρήμασιν ἐμφιλοχωρήσας, ὅλην ἀκριβῶς πρὸς λέξιν ἡρμήνευσεν, ἀπό τε τῆς κοσμογενείας, καὶ μέχρι τῆς τελευταίας τῆς χάριτος βίβλου, τὰ βάθη τῶν κεκρυμμένων εἰς τοὐμφανὲς ἀγαγὼν θεωρημάτων, λύχνῳ κεχρημένος τῷ Πνεύματι. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ταύτης τῆς ἡμετέρας καὶ θεοπνεύστου σοφίας ὅλον τὸν πνευματικὸν κρατῆρα ἐκπέπωκε, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις μετέδωκεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἔξω κοσμικῆς, ὅση τε περὶ τὸ κατεγλωττισμένον καὶ ὀρθὸν τοῦ λόγου, ὅση τε περὶ τὸ τῶν νοημάτων βάθος, ὅτι μάλα ἐξασκήσας, ὅσον μὲν χρήσιμον προσελάβετο· ὅσον δ᾽ ἀνόνητον, ἀπεβάλετο, ζυγῷ δικαιοσύνης καὶ πρᾶξιν καὶ θεωρίαν ἐμπορευσάμενος. ῾Αγνείαν δὲ κατώρθωσε ψυχῆς τε καὶ σώματος, ὅσην ἡ φύσις ἐχώρει· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ τὴν φύσιν· χάριτος γὰρ τὸ δῶρον. Οὔτε γὰρ τὴν ψυχὴν τῆς κατὰ τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον ἕξεως ἐνεδίδου παρασφαλῆναι, ἀλλ᾽ ἦν ὡς ἀληθῶς, ψυχῇ μὲν βασιλεύων, σώματι δὲ ἀγλαοφανῶς ἐξαστράπτων. Καὶ μαρτυρεῖ τοῖς λεγομένοις ἡ τῆς ἱστορουμένης πόρνης μεταβολὴ, ἣν πρὸς κακίας δέλεαρ ὁ βροτοκτόνος χρησάμενος Βελίαρ εἰς ἀπάτην τοῦ πεφωτισμένου ἀνδρὸς, τοσοῦτον ἀπέσχε τοῦ ἐλπισθέντος, ὡς καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν μοιχαλιδὴν κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἐκείνου τοῦ ὑπερβαλόντος παρατάξασθαι Πονηροῦ, καὶ παραινέσεσι καὶ τροπαῖς, ταῖς τε τῶν θείων λόγων ἐπῳδαῖς μεταβληθεῖσαν, καὶ πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον μεταπλασθεῖσαν, σώφρονα μὲν ἀντὶ ἀκολάστου, σεμνὸν δὲ ἀντὶ ἀσέμνου, καὶ καθαρὰν ἀντὶ μεμολυσμένης ἀποδειχθῆναι. Δάκρυον δὲ τὸ ἀένναον εἰπεῖν ἐκείνου ῥεῖθρον προθυμηθέντι μοι, δακρύειν ὄντως ἐπέρχεται· ὅτι μὴ δίχα τούτου, τὸ μὲν τῶν δακρύων αὐτοῦ πέλαγος τῷ λόγῳ τις διαπλεύσειεν. Ὡς γὰρ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις σύμφυτον τὸ ἀναπνεῖν, καὶ ἀεὶ ἐνεργούμενον· οὕτως Ἐφραὶμ τὸ δακρυῤῥοεῖν, Οὐ γὰρ ἡμέρα, οὐ νὺξ, οὐ μεσονύκτιον, οὐχ ὥρα, οὐ στιγμῆς τὸ λεπτότατον, ὅτε ξηρὸς ὁ τούτου ἀνύστακτος ὀφθαλμὸς καθωρᾶτο• πῆ μὲν τὰ κοινῇ, πῆ δὲ τὰ ἰδίως ἀποκλαιόμενος, ὡς ἔλεγεν, ἀτοπήματα· στεναγμοῖς δὲ τὰ τῶν ὀμμάτων σοφῶς ἐποχετεύει ῥεῖθρα· μᾶλλον δὲ χεύμασιν ὀφθαλμῶν τοὺς στεναγμοὺς ἐξεκαλεῖτο. Καὶ ἦν παράδοξος ἀμφοτέρων ἡ πρόοδος, τοῦ ἑτέρου αἰτία τοῦ ἑτέρου φαινομένου· ἔτικτον γὰρ ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ δάκρυα μὲν, στεναγμοὺς,

### English translation (Claude)

Having made piety his merchandise in acquiring true wisdom (according to the saying in Job, “Behold, piety is wisdom”), through it (as we showed a little above in describing the purity of his faith) he ascended, as Paul says, to the third heaven, and has gained in the church an immortal memory and lasting renown. His study of the divine Scriptures he kindled from David's lamp, who says: “In my meditation a fire will be kindled.” For love of spiritual contemplation took hold of him and raised his longing into a soaring flame. Having studied the whole of Scripture, Old and New, and having lingered on such contemplations as no one else did, he interpreted all of it accurately, word by word, from the making of the world to the last book of grace, bringing to light the depths of hidden meanings, with the Spirit as his lamp. Not only did he drain the whole spiritual bowl of our own inspired wisdom and share it with others, but he also trained himself thoroughly in the worldly wisdom from outside, both in what concerns eloquence and correctness of speech and in what concerns depth of thought; whatever was useful he took up, and whatever was profitless he rejected, trading both action and contemplation on the scale of justice. Purity of soul and body he achieved as far as nature allowed, or rather even beyond nature, for it is a gift of grace. For he did not let his soul slip from the disposition that accords with right reason, but was truly a king in his soul, while in his body he shone with splendor. The change of the prostitute told in the story bears witness to what is said: Belial, the destroyer of mortals, used her as a bait of vice to deceive the enlightened man, but he fell so far short of his hope that the adulterous woman herself took her stand against that overweening evil one, changed by exhortations and turnings and the charms of divine words, and remolded for the better, so that she was shown to be chaste instead of licentious, modest instead of shameless, and pure instead of defiled. And when I am eager to speak of the ever-flowing stream of his tears, I truly feel like weeping, for without that no one could sail through the sea of his tears in words. For as breathing is natural to all people and always at work, so weeping was to Ephrem. There was no day, no night, no midnight, no hour, not the smallest instant, when his sleepless eye was seen dry, as he wept now for common faults and now for his own, as he said. With his groans he wisely channeled the streams of his eyes, or rather with floods from his eyes he called forth his groans. And the progress of both was remarkable, each seeming to be the cause of the other: for in him tears gave birth to groans,

### Scripture references

- Job 28:28: quotation, high confidence
- 2 Cor 12:2: allusion, high confidence
- Ps 39:3 (38:4 LXX): quotation, high confidence
- Ps 119:105 (118:105 LXX): echo, low confidence
- Prov 20:27: echo, low confidence
- 2 Cor 6:15: allusion, medium confidence
- Ps 6:6 (6:7 LXX): echo, medium confidence
- Ps 42:3 (41:4 LXX): echo, low confidence

### Translation notes

- “Behold, piety is wisdom”: Job 28:28 in the Septuagint.
- “Took hold of him”: the printed verb (πολήσας) is not attested; translated by sense.
- The prostitute sent to tempt Ephrem and converted by him is a story told in the lives of Ephrem.
- “Prostitute” renders πόρνη; “adulterous woman” renders μοιχαλίς.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Eph. 829 (PG 46:829–830; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/829).

## Encomium on Ephraim, Migne cols. 831–832

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/819/#p-831
- Source: PG 46:831–832
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: Ephrem's tears and groans fed each other continually, and his writings on repentance, humility, love, virginity and the judgment still move hard hearts; fearing the judgment, he fled to the desert.

### Greek text

στεναγμοὶ δὲ πάλιν δάκρυα· καὶ τὸ αἴτιον τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀγνοούμενον. Χρόνου γὰρ ταῦτα μὴ διαιροῦντος, ἀλλ᾽ ἀεὶ τῶν στεναγμῶν δάκρυα διαδεχομένων, εἶτα πάλιν τούτων στεναγμοὺς, καὶ κύκλου τινὸς γιγνομένου, ἄδηλος ἦν ἡ ἀρχὴ, καὶ θατέρου τὸ αἴτιον. Καὶ τοῦτό τις κατόψεται τοῖς αὐτοῦ προσομιλήσας συγγράμμασιν. Οὐ μόνον γὰρ ἀποκλαιόμενον αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς περὶ μετανοίας καὶ ἤθους καὶ πολιτείας χρηστῆς εὐρήσει λόγοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς πανηγυρικοῖς αὐτοῦ λόγοις, ἔνθα πολλὴν εἰώθασιν οἱ πλείστοι περιχάρειαν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις δείκνυσθαι. Ὁ δὲ πανταχοῦ ταὐτὸς ἦν, καὶ τῆς κατανύξεως διηνεκῶς ἐπλούτει τὸ χάρισμα. Ἔνθεν καὶ νῦν σχεδόν πάντας αὐτοῦ τοὺς τῶν λόγων ἀκροατὰς πρὸς τὴν ὄντως ἀνακαλεῖται ζωήν. Τοσαύτην ἰσχὺν ὁ τούτου κέκτηται θεόπνευστος λόγος δάκρυσι συγκεκραμένος. Ποῖος γὰρ ἀμείλικτος, ἢ τῇ καρδίᾳ λιθώδης, τῶν τούτου ῥημάτων ἐπακούσας, οὐ μαλαχθήσεται, καὶ τὸ σκληρὸν τοῦ ἤθους ἀποβαλὼν, ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ κακίαις ἐπιστυγνάσει; Ποῖος ἄγριος τὸ ἦθος, ἢ θηριώδης τὸν τρόπον τὴν ψυχωφελή διδασκαλίαν αὐτοῦ ἐνωτισθεὶς, οὐκ εὐθὺς χρηστὸς καὶ ἐπιεικὴς, καὶ τοῖς τρόποις ἔσται φιλάγαθος; Ποῖος χαίρειν ἐμμελετῶν ταῖς τοῦ βίου ἡδυπαθείαις, καὶ τὸ δακρύειν ἀποστρεφόμενος, ὀλίγων ἀκούσας ἐκείνου ῥημάτων, οὐ θρηνήσει καὶ κλαύσεται, καὶ εἰς ὑπόμνησιν ἔλθῃ τῶν βεβιωμένων μελλούσης ἀνταποδόσεως; Λίθον ἐψεῖς, ἡ τῶν ἔξω παροιμία ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων παρείληφεν. Ἡμῖν δὲ τοῦτο ἐναργῶς ἡ πεῖρα παρέστησε. Τὰς γὰρ ἀτέγκτους καὶ ἀνυπείκτους ψυχὰς, καὶ φυλάττεσθαι καὶ ὑπήκειν ὁ θεῖος οὗτος πρεσβύτης παρέπειθεν. Τίς ἐντυχὼν αὐτοῦ τῷ περὶ ταπεινοφροσύνης λόγῳ, οὐ πᾶσαν μὲν εὐθὺς οἴησιν ἐκμισήσει, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲ παντὸς ταπεινότερον ἑαυτὸν ἐκκηρύξει; Τίς τοῖς περὶ ἀγάπης ἐπιβαλὼν, οὐχ ὑπὲρ ἀγάπης προκινδυνεῦσαι σπουδάσει; Τις τοῖς περὶ παρθενίας προσομιλήσας, οὐχ ἁγνὸν ἑαυτὸν ψυχῇ τε καὶ σώματι Θεῷ ἀγωνίσεται παραστῆσαι; Τίς τοῖς περὶ κρίσεως, ἤτοι δευτέρας Χριστοῦ ἐλεύσεως ἐγκύψας, οὐ παρίστασθαι τῷ ἐκεῖθεν κριτηρίῳ νομίσει, καὶ σύντρομος γενόμενος, τὴν τελευταίαν ἤδη ἀπόφασιν κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐξενεχθήσεσθαι δοκήσει; Οὕτως γὰρ παρέστησε τὸ μέλλον τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαστήριον ὁ ἀοίδιμος καὶ προφητικώτατος οὗτος ἀνὴρ, ὡς μηθὲν μὲν ἕτερον ὑπολείπεσθαι γνώσεως, μόνον δὲ τῷ ἔργῳ τούτῳ καὶ τῇ πείρᾳ καταμαθεῖν. Ταῖς τοιαύταις ἀεὶ περὶ κρίσεως ὁ μακάριος συνεχόμενος φαντασίαις, ἔφευγε μὲν τὸν κόσμον καὶ τὰ ἐν κόσμῳ· ἐμάκρυνε δὲ φυγαδεύων, ᾗ φησι τὰ λόγια, καὶ ηὐλίζετο ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, ἑαυτῷ μόνῳ καὶ Θεῷ προσέχων, κἀκεῖθεν τῶν ἀρετῶν τὰς ἐπιδόσεις δεχόμενος. Ἤδει γὰρ ἀκριβῶς ὡς ἐρημική διαβίωσις τῶν κοσμικῶν μὲν ἐλευθεροῖ τὸν βουλόμενον θορύβων, τῇ ἡσυχίᾳ δὲ συνόμιλον τοῖς ἀγγέλοις ποιεῖ, καὶ ταῖς

### English translation (Claude)

and groans in turn gave birth to tears; and the cause was unknown to most. For since no interval of time separated them, but tears always followed groans and groans followed these again, a kind of circle came about, so that the beginning was unclear, and which was the cause of the other. Anyone who becomes familiar with his writings will see this. For he will find him weeping not only in his discourses on repentance, character, and good conduct, but even in his festal discourses, where most people are accustomed to show great gladness in their words. But he was everywhere the same, and was continually rich in the gift of compunction. That is why even now he calls nearly all who hear his words to the true life. Such power has his inspired word, mingled with tears. For what pitiless or stony-hearted person, hearing his words, will not be softened, cast off the hardness of his character, and grieve over his own vices? What person savage in character or beastly in his ways, giving ear to his teaching that profits the soul, will not at once become kind and gentle and a lover of good in his conduct? What person who makes a practice of delighting in the pleasures of life and shuns weeping, hearing a few of his words, will not lament and weep and come to remember what he has done in view of the coming recompense? “You are boiling a stone” is the outsiders' proverb for things that are impossible; but experience has clearly shown us this very thing. For this divine old man persuaded unbending and unyielding souls both to be on their guard and to obey. Who, reading his discourse on humility, will not at once hate all conceit, and even declare himself lower than everyone? Who, taking up his writings on love, will not be eager to run risks for love? Who, becoming familiar with his writings on virginity, will not strive to present himself pure in soul and body to God? Who, poring over his writings on the judgment, that is, on Christ's second coming, will not think himself standing at that tribunal, and, trembling, suppose that the final sentence is about to be pronounced against him? For so did this celebrated and most prophetic man set forth God's coming judgment seat that nothing was left of knowledge except to learn it by the event itself and by experience. Ever held by such pictures of the judgment, the blessed man fled the world and the things in the world; he went far off in flight, as the oracles say, and lodged in the wilderness, attending to himself alone and to God, and from there he received growth in the virtues. For he knew precisely that life in the desert frees the one who wishes it from worldly disturbances, makes him by its quiet a companion of the angels, and

### Scripture references

- Heb 3:13: echo, low confidence
- Ezek 11:19: allusion, medium confidence
- Rom 14:10: allusion, medium confidence
- 2 Cor 5:10: allusion, medium confidence
- 1 John 2:15: allusion, medium confidence
- Ps 55:7 (54:8 LXX): quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- The OCR had displaced a line (“For so did … set forth God's coming judgment seat”) into the proverb about boiling a stone; it is restored to its place.
- “You are boiling a stone”: a Greek proverb for wasted effort or the impossible.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Eph. 831 (PG 46:831–832; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/831).

## Encomium on Ephraim, Migne cols. 833–834

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/819/#p-833
- Source: PG 46:833–834
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: Ephrem moves to Edessa, where a prostitute's retort teaches him humility, and to Caesarea, where he and Basil recognize each other by the Spirit; he receives a vision of a fruitful vine growing from his tongue.

### Greek text

περὶ Θεοῦ θεωρίαις τὸν νοῦν ὅσον ἐστιν εφικτὸν ἀνυψοῖ. Ἐκ τόπων δὲ τόπους ἀμείβειν, ὅτε κινοῦν αὐτὸν Πνεῦμα πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν τῶν πολλῶν ᾠκονόμει, οὐκ ἠπείθει, οὐδ᾽ ἀντέτεινεν. Ἦν γὰρ κελεύσεσι θείαις πειθήνιος, εἰ καί τις ἄλλος. Ἐντεῦθεν τὴν ἐνεγκαμένην, ὡς ὁ Θεῖος ἐκεῖνος κελευσθεὶς ᾿Αβραάμ, τὴν Εδεσινῶν κατέλαβε πόλιν· δίκαιον γὰρ οὐκ ἦν ὑπὸ γῆν μέχρι πολλοῦ τὸν ἥλιον κατακρύπτεσθαι. Δύο δὲ χάριν αἰτιῶν, τοῦ τε τὰ ἐκεῖσε περιπτύξασθαι ἅγια, καὶ πρό γε τούτου λογίῳ περιτυχεῖν, καὶ καρπὸν γνώσεως ἢ λαβεῖν, ἢ μεταδοῦναι, Ἐν οἷς, ὡς ἱστόρηται, τῇ πόλει παραβαλών, τὴν τε πόλιν ὑπερχόμενος, πόρνῃ τινὶ συναπήντηκεν ἀνθ᾽ οὗ φιλολόγου ἐπηύχετο προστυχεῖν· ὡς δὲ τῆς προσδοκίας ἕτερον ἦν τὸ φανὲν, θλιβερὸν αὐτῷ ἀπέβη τὸ συναντῆσαν. Διὸ καὶ προσατενίσας τῷ πορνιδίῳ, ὡς τῆς ἐλπίδος ψευσθεὶς ἀπήγετο ἡ δὲ τοῦτον θεωμένη προσατενίζοντα ταύτῃ, καὶ αὐτὴ ἐπιμελῶς αὐτὸν βλέπουσα κατεσκόπει. Τῇ δὲ ὁ σοφός· Λέγε μοι, γύναι, τίνος χάριν μικρὸν ἀπατενίζεις μοι. Ἡ δὲ, ᾿Ακολούθως ἐγὼ καὶ πρεπόντως· ἐκ σοῦ γὰρ λέλημμαι τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, σὺ δὲ μή με κατασκόπει, τὴν γῆν δὲ μᾶλλον, ἐξ ἧς ἐλήφθης. Τοῦτο παρὰ προσδοκίαν ὁ σοφὸς ἐπακούσας, μεγάλως μὲν ὡμολόγει ὠφεληθῆναι· τοῦ Θεοῦ δὲ τὴν ἀκατάληπτον ὑπερεδόξασε δύναμιν, ὃς τὰ τῆς ἐλπίδος καὶ διὰ τῶν παρ' ἐλπίδα χαρίζεται. Δύσας τε ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς Καππαδοκίας Καισάρειαν, ὑπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου ὁδηγηθεὶς, τὸν μέγαν κατεῖδεν Βασίλειον, τὸ στόμα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, τὴν τῶν δογμάτων χρυσῆν ἀηδόνα ὃν θεασάμενος ὁ πρεσβύτης, πολλαῖς καταγεραίρειν ἤρξατο εὐφημίαις. Διορατικῷ γὰρ τῆς ψυχῆς ὄμματι, περιστερὰν ἀγλαοφανῆ ἐφεζομένην πρὸς τὸν δεξιὸν τούτου ἔβλεπεν ὦμον, λόγους αὐτῷ διδασκαλίας χορηγοῦσαν, κἀκεῖνον τούτους διαπορθμεύοντα τῷ λαῷ. Ὃς ὑπὸ τῆς διδασκούσῃς αὐτῷ σεπτῆς μυηθεὶς περιστερᾶς, τῆς τε ἐπιδημίας ᾔσθετο, καὶ Ἐφραὶμ αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν Σύρον ἐπέγνωκε. Καὶ δὴ πνευματικῆς ἐπικαίρου ἄμφω συναυλίας ἠξίωνται οὕτως οὐκ ἐπιζήμιος τῷ Ἐφραὶμ ὁ σκυλμὸς ἐχρημάτισεν. Ἡ δὲ τοῦ βίου φυσικὴ ἀκεραιότης, τῶν ἐπιβλαβῶν τὴν φυγὴν αὐτῷ παρεδείκνυε τὸ τε τοῦ κρείττους προορατικὸν, καὶ τὸ τοῦ χείρους φυλακτικὸν ἐκδιδάσκουσα, ἐκείνους τε τῶν λογισμῶν προσίεσθαι, τοὺς ἐγκρίτους καὶ καθαροὺς, καὶ πρὸς αἵρεσιν λυσιτελεστέρους καλοῦ, ὅσοι μάλιστα πρὸς τὴν τῆς διδασκαλίας ἐμποδίζουσι χρείαν. Δαψιλῶς γὰρ δέδοτο παρὰ Χριστοῦ τῷ θείῳ πρεσβύτῃ τὸ τοῦ λόγου τάλαντον, ὃ καταβάλλειν ἐν ταῖς τῶν πολλῶν τῆς καρδίας τραπέζαις πρὸ πάντων αὐτῷ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπωφείλετο. Καὶ τοῦτο μὲν αὐτὸς περὶ ἑαυτοῦ φαίνεται λέγων, ὅτιπερ ἄρτι τῆς παιδικῆς ἡλικίας τὸ ἀπαλὸν ὑπερβάς, τεθέαται μυστικῶς πρὸς τῇ γλώσσῃ ὡς ἀνῆλθεν αὐτοῦ λίαν εὔκαρπος ἄμπελος, αὐξηθεῖσα τοσοῦτον, ὅσον πληρῶσαι

### English translation (Claude)

lifts the mind, as far as is attainable, to the contemplation of God. When the Spirit moved him and arranged that he change from place to place for the building up of many, he did not disobey or resist; for he was obedient to divine commands, if anyone ever was. So he left his homeland, like the divine Abraham at the command, and came to the city of the Edessenes; for it was not right that the sun should be hidden under the earth for long. He went for two reasons: to embrace the holy places there, and, before that, to meet a learned man and either receive or impart the fruit of knowledge. On this journey, as the story goes, as he approached the city and was entering it, he met a prostitute instead of the man of learning he had prayed to meet; and since what appeared was other than he had expected, the encounter grieved him. So he stared at the young prostitute, vexed, as one disappointed in his hope; and she, seeing him staring at her, looked closely at him in turn. And the wise man said to her: “Tell me, woman, why do you stare at me so?” And she said: “It is consistent and fitting for me to do so, for I was taken from you, the man. But you, do not look at me, but rather at the earth from which you were taken.” Hearing this unexpectedly, the wise man admitted that he had greatly benefited, and he gave abundant glory to the incomprehensible power of God, who grants what we hope for even through what is beyond hope. Setting out from there for Caesarea in Cappadocia, guided by the Holy Spirit, he saw the great Basil, the mouth of the church, the golden nightingale of doctrine. Seeing him, the old man began to honor him with many praises. For with the discerning eye of the soul he saw a dazzling dove sitting on his right shoulder, supplying him with words of teaching, and Basil passing them on to the people. And Basil, initiated by the holy dove that taught him, perceived Ephrem's arrival and recognized that he was Ephrem the Syrian. And both were granted a timely spiritual meeting; so the trouble of the journey proved no loss to Ephrem. The natural integrity of his life showed him the way to flee what was harmful, teaching him foresight of the better and guarding against the worse, to admit those thoughts that were choice and pure and more profitable for choosing the good, and to reject those that most hindered the work of teaching. For the talent of the word had been given abundantly by Christ to the divine old man, and above all else he was bound to deposit it on the tables of the hearts of many. And he himself is found saying this about himself: that when he had just passed the tender age of childhood, he saw in a mystical vision a very fruitful vine spring up at his tongue, growing so large as to

### Scripture references

- Gen 12:1: allusion, high confidence
- Gen 2:22: allusion, high confidence
- Gen 2:23: allusion, medium confidence
- Gen 3:19: allusion, high confidence
- Eph 3:20: echo, low confidence
- Matt 3:16: echo, low confidence
- Matt 25:15: allusion, medium confidence
- Matt 25:27: allusion, high confidence
- 2 Cor 3:3: allusion, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- The stories of Ephrem's meeting with the prostitute at Edessa and with Basil at Caesarea are legendary; the author tells them as received tradition (“as the story goes”).
- The prostitute's retort plays on Gen 2:22 (woman taken from man) and Gen 3:19 (man taken from the earth).
- “And to reject those that most hindered”: the printed sentence lacks a verb for the second group of thoughts; words appear to be lost, and the sense is supplied.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Eph. 833 (PG 46:833–834; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/833).

## Encomium on Ephraim, Migne cols. 835–836

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/819/#p-835
- Source: PG 46:835–836
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: A seer's vision of angels giving Ephrem a scroll confirms his gift of teaching; his words overflowed so that he begged God to hold back the waves of grace, and he subdued his body by fasting and vigil.

### Greek text

τὴν γῆν, πᾶν δὲ πετεινὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐρχόμενον ἐξ αὐτῆς ἐμπίμπλασθαι τροφῆς. Αὐτὴν δὲ τὴν ἄμπελον ἐν τῷ ἀποκείρεσθαι, καὶ πᾶν πτηνὸν δεξιούσθαι, μᾶλλον πλουτεῖν τῶν βοτρύων. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἄλλος περὶ αὐτοῦ τῶν πάνυ διορατικῶν τότε προσεμαρτύρησεν· ἰδέσθαι λέγων ἀγγέλων πληθὺν, κατιοῦσαν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, τόμον ἐπὶ χεῖρας βαστάζουσαν, ἔξωθέν τε καὶ ἔσωθεν ἐγγεγραμμένον. Ἔλεγε δὲ ἡ φανεῖσα θεία ἐκείνη πρὸς ἑαυτὴν παράταξις. Τίς ἄρα ὀφείλει τόνδε τὸν τόμον ἐγχειρισθῆναι; Ἐξ ὧν ἀποκριθέντες, οἱ μὲν τόνδε προέκριναν, οἱ δὲ τὸν, καὶ ἄλλοι ἕτερον, οὓς ὁ χρόνος ἐκεῖνος εἶχε λογάδας· Εἶτα μετὰ τὴν δοκιμὴν πάντας εἰπεῖν· ᾿Αληθῶς ἅγιοι οὗτοι καὶ δοῦλοι Θεοῦ πλὴν οὐ δύνανται τόνδε τὸν τόμον ἐγχειρισθῆναι. Ὡς δὲ πολλοὺς τῶν τότε ἁγίων ἐπιμνησθέντες, ἐν αὐτοῖς οὐκ εὐδόκησαν· τέλος, συμφωνήσαντες εἶπον. Οὐδεὶς δύναται τοῦτον ἐγχειρισθῆναι τὸν τόμον, εἰ μὴ Ἐφραϊμ. Καὶ δὴ καὶ τοῦτο θεάσασθαι ὁ βλέπων ἐκεῖνος λέγεται τοὺς θείους ἀγγέλους ἐπιδιδόντας τὸν τόμον τῷ Ἐφραΐμ· Ἀναστάντα ἐν νυχαλίᾳ εἰς Ἐκκλησίαν ἀφικέσθαι τὸν μυσταγωγηθέντα τὴν ὅρασιν, ἀκοῦσαι διδάσκοντος τοῦ Ἐφραὶμ ἐν λόγῳ δαψιλεῖ καὶ χάριτι ἡρτυμένῳ τὴν δὲ ὀραθεῖσαν ὀπτασίαν ἐκεῖνον ἐπικρίνοντα, δοξάσαι τε τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ τὴν δοθεῖσαν τῷ ἁγίῳ ἐκπλαγῆναι πλουσίαν τοῦ λόγου δωρεάν. Τοσοῦτον γὰρ τὸ περιὸν αὐτῷ τῆς σοφίας κεχάριστο, ὡς ἀεννάους μὲν εἶναι τοὺς τῶν λόγων ὀχετούς· βραδεῖς δὲ πρὸς τὴν τῶν νοημάτων φανέρωσιν, οὐ τῇ τῆς γλώττης ναρκότητι, ἀλλὰ τῇ τῶν ἐνθυμημάτων πυκνότητι· ὥστε τὴν γλῶσσαν ἶσον μὲν δύνασθαι τῷ τάχει τῶν παρ᾽ ἄλλοις ἐνθυμημάτων, ἧττον δὲ τῶν οἰκείων θεωρημάτων. Διὸ καὶ αὐτὸς περὶ ἑαυτοῦ ὁ μέγας πρεσβύτης Θεὸν ἐξαιτούμενος, ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνοχῇ τῆς ἀκατασχέτου τῶν λογάδων δωρεᾶς τοιαῦτα λέγεται φάναι· "Ανες, ὦ Δέσποτα, τὰ τῆς χάριτός σου κύματα. Ὑπὸ γὰρ τὴν γλῶσσαν ἡ τῆς διδασκαλίας ἄβυσσος πελαγίζουσα, φέρειν αὐτῷ τὰ τῶν νοημάτων οὐκ ἐπέτρεπεν ἀλλεπάλληλα κύματα, τῇ κατεσπουδασμένῃ λειτουργίᾳ τῶν πρὸς τὸ λέγειν ὀργάνων οὐχ ὑπουργούντων Ἐπέκοπτεν δὲ τοὺς λόγους ἕτερον μὲν οὐδὲν, εὐχὴ δὲ μόνη, καὶ ταύτην οἱ λόγοι, καὶ τούτους τὰ δάκρυα, καὶ ταῦτα πάλιν εὐχή. Καὶ ἦν ὁ λόγος τοῦ λόγου, εἰπεῖν δὲ μᾶλλον οἰκειότερον, ἐν λόγῳ, ταῖς περὶ Θεοῦ διὰ πάντων τούτων θεωρίαις συνεχῶς ἀσχολούμενος. Τὸ γὰρ σῶμα νεκρώσας μετὰ τῶν ἡδονῶν, καὶ δοῦλον δι' ἐγκρατείας τῷ ἡγεμόνι κατεργασάμενος λογισμῷ, ἀκίνητον μὲν εἶχε πρὸς τὰ μὴ δέοντα ἀσιτίᾳ προδαμασθὲν, στεῤῥὸν δὲ πρὸς τὰ λυσιτελῆ καὶ ψυχικὴν σωτηρίαν πορίζοντα. ᾿Αλλ᾿ οὐδὲ νύκτες αὐτῷ τὸν τῆς ἀρετῆς δρόμον ἐνέκοπτον, ταῖς ἐξ ὕπνου φαντασίαις αὐτὸν φενακίζουσαι. Νήφοντα γὰρ ἐξ ἡμερῶν δεχόμεναι, γρηγοροῦντα κατελίμπανον παρατρέχουσαι, τοῦτο πραγματευόμενον, ἵνα μὴ καταλάβῃ τοῦτον ἡ χεὶρ τοῦ ἄρχοντος τοῦ σκότους τούτου καθεύδοντα. Ὕπνου δὲ μετελάμβανε τοσοῦτον, ὅσον πρὸς τὸ ζῆν ἱκανόν· ὅπως μὴ τῆς φυσικῆς παντελῶς ἀκολουθίας

### English translation (Claude)

fill the earth, and every bird of heaven that came to it was filled with food; and the vine itself, the more it was cropped and welcomed every bird, the richer it grew in clusters. Another man, one of those of great spiritual insight at that time, also bore witness to this concerning him. He said that he saw a host of angels coming down from heaven, carrying in their hands a scroll written inside and outside. And that divine company that appeared said among themselves: “Who ought to be entrusted with this scroll?” Answering, some put forward this man, others that, and others another, of the chosen men of that time. Then after examining them all said: “Truly these are holy and servants of God; but they cannot be entrusted with this scroll.” When they had named many of the saints of that time and were not satisfied with them, at last they said with one voice: “No one can be entrusted with this scroll except Ephrem.” And the seer is said to have seen this too: the divine angels handing the scroll to Ephrem. Rising at night, the man who had been shown the vision went to the church and heard Ephrem teaching in abundant speech seasoned with grace; and judging the vision he had seen to be true, he glorified God and was amazed at the rich gift of speech given to the saint. For such an abundance of wisdom had been granted him that the channels of his words were ever-flowing, yet slow in expressing his thoughts, not from sluggishness of tongue but from the density of his reflections, so that his tongue could match the speed of other men's thoughts, but not his own contemplations. For this reason the great old man himself, asking God for relief from the unstoppable gift of words, is said to have spoken thus: “Hold back, O Master, the waves of your grace.” For the abyss of teaching surging beneath his tongue did not let him bear the waves of thought that came one upon another, since the organs of speech could not keep pace with the hurried service. Nothing else interrupted his words but prayer alone; and words interrupted prayer, and tears the words, and prayer again the tears. And his discourse was about the Word, or to say it more fittingly, in the Word, continually occupied through all these with the contemplation of God. For having put the body to death together with its pleasures, and made it by self-control a slave to the ruling reason, he kept it, tamed in advance by fasting, unmoved toward what is improper but strong for what is profitable and provides for the salvation of the soul. Nor did the nights interrupt his course of virtue by deceiving him with the fancies of sleep. For receiving him sober from the days, they ran past and left him wakeful, since he made it his business that the hand of the ruler of this darkness should not find him sleeping. He took only as much sleep as was enough to live, so that the natural order might not be entirely

### Scripture references

- Ezek 2:9: allusion, high confidence
- Ezek 2:10: allusion, high confidence
- Rev 5:1: allusion, high confidence
- Rev 5:2: echo, medium confidence
- Col 4:6: allusion, medium confidence
- Col 3:5: allusion, medium confidence
- 1 Cor 9:27: allusion, high confidence
- 1 Thess 5:6: allusion, medium confidence
- Eph 6:12: allusion, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- “A scroll written inside and outside”: Ezek 2:10; Rev 5:1.
- “Rising at night”: the printed word (νυχαλίᾳ) is not attested; translated by sense.
- “Hold back, O Master, the waves of your grace”: a saying traditionally ascribed to Ephrem.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Eph. 835 (PG 46:835–836; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/835).

## Encomium on Ephraim, Migne cols. 837–838

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/819/#p-837
- Source: PG 46:837–838
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: Ephrem lived in apostolic poverty and deep humility, and in his Testament forbade praise and a costly burial; though owning nothing, he practiced almsgiving by moving others to mercy.

### Greek text

ἀνατραπείσης, λύσιν βίαιον ὑπομείνῃ τὸ σαρκίον. Ἀνέτρεπε δὲ τοῦτον, καὶ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἐξεδίωκε πολλὰ μὲν καὶ ἄλλα, μάλιστα δὲ χαμευνία καὶ σκληραγωγία, καὶ ἡ παντοία τοῦ σώματος κάκωσις. Τούτοις γὰρ μάλιστα τὸ τοῦ ὕπνου πάθος ἐξορίζεσθαι πέφυκεν. Ακτημοσύνην δὲ τοσαύτην ἐκτήσατο, ὅσην ἔχειν τοὺς θείους ἀποστόλους ἀκούεις. Διὸ καὶ εἴ τις τοῦτον ἀκτημονούντων ἀρχέτυπον καλέσει, οὐχ ἁμαρτήσει τοῦ δέοντος. Αὐτοῦ γὰρ ἐκείνου τὴν γλυκυτάτην καὶ μακαρίαν ἔχομεν φωνὴν, ἥνπερ μέλλων ἀπαίρειν πρὸς τὰ οὐράνια, ἡμῖν ἀφῆκεν ἀκτημοσύνης διδάσκαλον, ὧδέ πως ἔχουσαν· Οὐχ ὑπῆρξε τῷ Ἐφραὶμ ποτε βαλάντιον, οὐ ῥάβδος, οὐ πήρα. Οὔτε μὴν ἀργύριον, οὔτε χρυσίον, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδέ τινα κτῆσιν ἑτέραν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐκτησάμην. Τοῦ γὰρ ἀγαθοῦ Βασιλέως ἤκουσα ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις φήσαντος τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς, μηδὲν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κτήσασθαι. Ὅθεν οὐδὲ ἐμπαθῶς ἔσχον πρός τι τοιοῦτον. Οὕτως οὖν δόξης τε καὶ χρημάτων ὀλίγωρος, παντὸς δὲ μᾶλλον τοῦ ἀμείνονος ἐραστὴς, τῷ ἴσῳ κἀντεῦθεν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ἁμιλλώμενος δρόμῳ. Τί δὲ περὶ ταπεινοφροσύνης αὐτῷ προσμαρτυρήσωμεν· ὅπου γε διαρρήδην ἅπας αὐτοῦ λόγος καὶ σύγγραμμα ταύτην ἔχει τὴν ἀρετὴν κηρυττομένην, καίπερ αὐτῷ διωκομένην ἐκ πολλοῦ τοῦ περιόντος; Πότε γὰρ ὁ δάκρυα προσκαλούμενος δάκρυσι, σποδόν τε ὡσεὶ ἄρτον ἐσθίων, τὸ τραχὺ τῆς διαίτης, καὶ ἀνήδονον, καὶ τὸ πόμα κιρνῶν μετὰ κλαυθμοῦ, ἡ φησι τὰ λόγια, πρὸς ἐπάρσεως ἢ οἰήσεως λίθῳ τὸν ψυχικὸν πόδα προσκρούσειεν; Ἢ ὁ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ἅπασαν ἀποστρεφόμενος δόξαν, καὶ περιὼν μὲν ἔτι κατὰ τὸν βίον, τινὸς ἐπαινοῦντος, ἀσχαλῶν, καὶ ἄλλο τε ἄλλην ἀλλάττων χροιὰν, κύπτων τε εἰς γῆν, καὶ στάζων ἱδρῶτι λεπτῷ, καὶ δεινῇ κρατούμενος ἀφωνίᾳ, ὥσπερ τῆς αἰσχύνης αὐτοῦ τὴν γλῶσσαν ἀργούσης; ᾿Απαίρων δὲ πρὸς τὴν μακαρίαν καὶ ἄληκτον ζωὴν, αὐτὸ τοῦτο πάλιν μετὰ σφοδρᾶς ἀπείργων ἐπιτιμήσεως, καὶ λέγων· Μὴ ἄσητε ἆσμα ἐπὶ Ἐφραΐμ, μὴ ἐγκωμιάσητε, μή με πολυτελεῖ ἐνθάψητε ἱματισμῷ, μὴ ἰδίᾳ τῷ σώματί μου τάφον ἐργάσησθε λόγον γὰρ ἔχω μετὰ Θεοῦ, αὐλισθῆναί με σὺν τοῖς ξένοις. Ξένος ἐγὼ καὶ παρεπίδημος, καθὼς πάντες οἱ πατέρες μου. Ἔχεις τοιγαροῦν ἐκ περιουσίας καὶ ταύτης τῆς ἀρετῆς, καθὰ δὴ καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν, ἐναργῆ τὰ τεκμήρια. Τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης δὲ καὶ συμπαθείας οὐ ποιητὴν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διδάσκαλον τοῦτον ἐπιψηφιεῖται ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας ὅρος καὶ νόμος. Τῇ γὰρ τελείᾳ ἀκτημοσύνῃ, τὸ παρέχειν τοῖς δεομένοις οὐκ ἔχων, ἐν τῷ τοὺς ἄλλους διεγείρειν πρὸς ἔλεον πυκναῖς παραινέσεσι, τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην μετήρχετο. Ἧν γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς ὁ τούτου λόγος, καὶ δίχα τῆς ὅψεως, κλεὶς θεοχάλκευτος, τοὺς τῶν πλουσίων θησαυροὺς διανοίγων,

### English translation (Claude)

overturned and his poor flesh suffer a violent dissolution. Many things overturned sleep and drove it from his eyes, but above all sleeping on the ground, hardship, and every kind of bodily affliction; for it is by these above all that the weakness of sleep is naturally banished. He acquired a poverty as great as you hear the divine apostles had. So if anyone calls him the model of those who own nothing, he will not miss the mark. For we have his own most sweet and blessed words, which he left us as a teacher of poverty when he was about to depart for heaven, running somewhat as follows: “Ephrem never had a purse, nor staff, nor bag; nor silver nor gold; indeed, I acquired no other possession on earth. For I heard the good King say in the Gospels to his disciples that they should acquire nothing on earth. Hence I had no passion for anything of the kind.” So, disregarding glory and money, and loving above all what is better, here too he ran an equal race with the apostles. What witness shall we add to his humility, when all his words and writings expressly proclaim this virtue, though he pursued it in great abundance? For when could he who called forth tears with tears, who ate ashes like bread (so harsh and joyless was his diet) and mixed his drink with weeping, as the oracles say, strike the foot of his soul against the stone of pride or conceit? Or he who turned away from all human glory, and who, while still alive, was distressed when anyone praised him, changed color again and again, bent down to the ground, dripped with fine sweat, and was gripped by terrible speechlessness, as though shame had paralyzed his tongue? And as he departed to the blessed and endless life, he again forbade this very thing with a vehement charge, saying: “Do not sing a song over Ephrem; do not praise me; do not bury me in costly clothing; do not make a tomb apart for my body. For I have a covenant with God to lodge with the strangers. I am a stranger and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.” You have, then, clear evidence in abundance of this virtue too, as of the rest. The rule and law of truth will vote him not only a doer of almsgiving and compassion but also their teacher. For in his perfect poverty, having nothing to give the needy, he practiced almsgiving by rousing others to mercy with frequent exhortations. For truly his speech, even apart from his presence, was a key forged by God, opening

### Scripture references

- Acts 3:6: allusion, medium confidence
- Matt 10:9: allusion, high confidence
- Matt 10:10: allusion, high confidence
- Matt 6:19: allusion, high confidence
- Ps 102:9 (101:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence
- Ps 91:12 (90:12 LXX): allusion, medium confidence
- Ps 39:12 (38:13 LXX): quotation, high confidence
- Heb 11:13: allusion, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- Ephrem's words on poverty and his charge about his burial are quoted from his Testament (Greek version).

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Eph. 837 (PG 46:837–838; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/837).

## Encomium on Ephraim, Migne cols. 839–840

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/839/#p-839
- Source: PG 46:839–840
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: Ephrem knew the church's doctrines and the heretics' arguments; the author tells how he tricked a woman holding Apollinaris's books into lending them and glued their pages together before a public debate.

### Greek text

καὶ τοῖς μετρίοις τὰ δέοντα χορηγῶν· ἡ δὲ ἀγγελοειδὴς θεωρία ἤρκει καὶ μόνη βλεπομένη πρὸς συμπάθειαν καὶ οἰκτιρμοὺς, καὶ τοὺς ἄγαν ἀμειλίκτους κινῆσαι, ἁπλότητι, καὶ ἐπιεικείᾳ, καὶ πολλῇ κεκραμένῃ καλοκἀγαθίᾳ. Καὶ τίς οὕτως ἦν ἀναιδείᾳ προ[σ]κείμενος, ὃς προσβλέψας αὐτὸν, οὐκ ἠρυθρία, καί πως αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ κοσμιώτερος ἐγεγόνει Τάχα τοίνυν τοσοῦτόν τις πλῆθος ἀκούσας κατορθωμάτων, δόξει ὡς οὐκ ἐν βάθει τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν ἐχώρησε δογμάτων ὁ θεῖος οὗτος ἀνήρ. Ποίαν γὰρ εἶχε σχολὴν, φαίην ἂν, ὁ τοιοῦτος, τοσαύταις μεριζόμενος ἀρεταῖς; Τῷ δὲ οὐκ ἐπεπόλαζε τῶν θείων δογμάτων ἡ γνῶσις. Οὐ γὰρ ὅσον εἰπεῖν καὶ παραινέσαι τοῖς ἄλλοις, ταύτην μετῄει· ἀλλ᾽ ἄμφω καλῶς ἐπαιδεύθη, τά τε δόγματα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας αὐτὰ, τὰ τε τούτοις ἀντιλέγειν ἐπιχειροῦντα· τὰ μὲν, ὅσον ἐπιτηδεύσει μαθών· τὰ δὲ πρὸς ἔλεγχον τῶν αἱρετικῶν. Ζῆλος γὰρ αὐτὸν κατὰ τῶν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐκίνει θηρῶν ὅθεν καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς ἔφθασέ τε τις ἄγραφος λόγος, τὸν πρὸς τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τούτου ζῆλον ἡμῖν ἀποδεικνὺς, ἔχων οὕτως, ὡς ὁ κουφόνους, μᾶλλον ἄνους καὶ ἄλογος Απολινάριος, πολλὰ καινοτομήσας καὶ ἀπὸ κοιλίας ἐρευξάμενος, ἄδικον τῆς εὐσεβείας Γραφὴν ἐσχεδίασεν, ἐν δυσὶ βιβλίοις ταύτην συντάξας. Ἐνεχείρισε δὲ ταύτας πρὸς φυλακὴν καί τινι, τῇ τὰς ἐκείνου ἡδονάς, ὡς ἐφημίσθη, θεραπευούσῃ. Ὡς δὲ τῷ Μεγάλῳ τὰ τῆς συγγραφῆς ἐγνωρίσθη, τῆς ἐκείνου δόξης σχῆμα πλασάμενος ὁ σοφὸς, προσέρχεται τῇ γυναικὶ τῇ τὰς βίβλους φυλαττούσῃ τὰς βεβήλους, ἀναγνωριζόμενος, καὶ εὐλογίας αὐτῇ ὡς ἀπὸ τῆς ἐρήμου κομίζων, τάχα δὲ καὶ ἕτερά τινα τεχναζόμενος. Ὕστερον οὖν ἱκετεύει δοθῆναι αὐτῷ χάριν ὠφελείας, ὡς ἔλεγε, τὰ τοῦ διδασκάλου συγγράμματα, ως ἂν τοῖς αἱρετικοῖς, ἡμᾶς οὕτω δῆθεν ἀποκαλῶν, ἀντιφέρεσθαι εὐπετῶς ἔχοι. Ἡ δὲ τὸν νοῦν οὐκ ἐμφω[τισ]θεῖσα, καὶ τῶν τῆς Ἀπολιναρίου συμμορίας καὶ τοῦτον εἶναι φενακισθεῖσα, τὰς βίβλους παρέσχετο, ταχινὴν ἀξιώσασα τὴν τούτων γενέσθαι ἀποστροφήν. Ὁ δὲ μέγας οὗτος Ἰακώβ, τὸν βέβηλον πτερνίσας Ἡσαῦ, καὶ τὰ πονηρὰ πρωτότοκα τῶν τούτου νοημάτων λαβών, σοφῶς ὑπεξῆλθε· φύλλον γὰρ φύλλῳ προσπτύξας, ἰχθύος τε κόλλῃ τὸ πᾶν καταχρίσας, ὡς ἕν πυκτίον τὸ πᾶν τῆς βίβλου κατειργάσατο, θάτερον μέρος θατέρου διασπασθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ σφοδροῦ συνδέσμου μὴ συγχωρούμενον. Οὕτως ταῖς δυσὶ τεχνασάμενος βίβλοις, τῇ χρησάσῃ πάλιν ἀνταπέδωκεν· ή, οἷα γυνή, καὶ τῶν σοφῶν ἄπειρος νοημάτων, τὴν πρόσοψιν τούτων σώαν θεασαμένη, περὶ τοῦ βάθους οὐκ ἠκριβολόγησεν. Ἡμερῶν δὲ οὐ πάνυ συχνῶν διελθουσῶν, τισὶ τῶν ὀρθοδόξων ὑποτίθησιν ὁ θεῖος πρεσβύτης, τὸν ἀσεβῆ καλέσαι Ἀπολινάριον διαλεξόμενον. Ὁ δὲ τὴν πρόσκλησιν δεξάμενος, καὶ ταῖς ἀθέοις αὐτοῦ βίβλοις

### English translation (Claude)

the treasuries of the rich and supplying those of moderate means with what they needed; and his angelic appearance, merely seen, was enough to move even the very pitiless to sympathy and compassion, blended as it was with simplicity, gentleness, and great nobility. And who was so given to shamelessness that, on looking at him, he did not blush and become somehow more orderly than his usual self? Perhaps, then, someone hearing of so great a multitude of achievements will suppose that this divine man did not go deep into the doctrines of the church. For what leisure, I might say, did such a man have, divided among so many virtues? But his knowledge of the divine doctrines was not superficial. For he did not pursue it only so far as to speak and exhort others; he was well trained in both: the doctrines of the church themselves and the arguments that try to contradict them, the former as far as he learned them by practice, the latter for the refutation of the heretics. For zeal moved him against the wild beasts of the church. Hence an unwritten story has reached us too, showing us his zeal for the truth, and it runs thus. The lightheaded, or rather mindless and irrational, Apollinaris, having made many innovations and belched them up from his belly, improvised an unjust writing against piety, composing it in two books. He entrusted them for safekeeping to a certain woman who, as the rumor went, served his pleasures. When the work became known to the great man, the wise Ephrem, pretending to share Apollinaris's opinion, came to the woman who was keeping the profane books, made himself known to her, brought her blessings as if from the desert, and perhaps contrived other things too. Then he begged her to give him the teacher's writings for his own benefit, as he said, so that he might easily oppose the heretics (meaning us, of course). She, not enlightened in mind, and deceived into thinking that he too was of Apollinaris's faction, gave him the books, asking that they be returned quickly. But this great Jacob, supplanting the profane Esau and taking the wicked birthright of his ideas, wisely withdrew. Pressing leaf to leaf and smearing the whole with fish glue, he made the whole of the book into a single block, so that the strong bond did not allow one part to be pulled away from another. Having done this to the two books, he returned them to the lender; and she, being a woman and unversed in learned ideas, saw that their outside was intact and did not inquire closely into the inside. Not many days later the divine old man suggested to some of the orthodox that they invite the impious Apollinaris to a debate. He accepted the challenge, and in his godless books

### Scripture references

- Acts 20:29: allusion, medium confidence
- Gen 25:26: allusion, high confidence
- Gen 27:36: allusion, high confidence
- Heb 12:16: allusion, high confidence
- Gen 25:33: allusion, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- The story of Ephrem and Apollinaris's glued books is a legend (“an unwritten story”); the author's description of Apollinaris and the rumor about the woman are his own polemic, translated as written.
- “Supplanting”: the verb πτερνίζω recalls Jacob's name (Gen 25:26; 27:36).

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Eph. 839 (PG 46:839–840; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/839).

## Encomium on Ephraim, Migne cols. 841–842

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/839/#p-841
- Source: PG 46:841–842
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: Apollinaris, unable to open his glued books before the debate, withdrew in shame and died; the preacher praises Ephrem's zeal for the faith and likens his soul to a paradise of all the virtues, beginning a comparison with the righteous of the Old Testament.

### Greek text

θαῤῥῶν, εἰς τὴν κυρίαν ἀπήντησε, καὶ διαλέγεσθαι μὲν αὐτὸς ὡς γήρᾳ τρυχωθείς, ἀπηνήνατο· τὰς οἰκείας βίβλους προκομισθῆναι, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν ἀποκρίνασθαι καὶ ἀντιλέγειν ἠξίου. Ὡς οὖν οἱ τούτου συμμύσται τὰς βίβλους ἐκόμισαν, μεγάλως ἐπ᾿ αὐταῖς βρενθυόμενοι λαβὼν ἐκεῖνος ὁ πεπαλαιωμένος κακῶν ἡμερῶν τῆς ἀδικίας κριτὴς, τὴν μίαν βίβλον ἀναπτύξαι ἐπεχείρει. Ὡς δὲ οὐκ ἐνεδίδου τῇ κόλλῃ πιεσθεῖσα, περὶ τὸ μέσον ταύτης τὴν ὁρμὴν ἐποιεῖτο ἡ δὲ ὁμοίως ἦν ἀνεπτυγμένη. Ὡς γοῦν τῆς πρώτης ἠστόχησεν, ἐπὶ τὴν δευτέραν λοιπὸν ἐχώρησε, καὶ δὴ καὶ αὐτὴν ὅλην ἀδιαίρετον καὶ πάντως ἀνύπεικτον κατιδὼν, τῇ μὲν αἰσχύνῃ τὸ πρόσωπον ἠλλοιώθη· τῇ ἀπορίᾳ δὲ, τὴν ψυχὴν ἐξεπλάγη, καὶ τοῦ συνεδρίου χωρισθεὶς ὁ παραπλὴξ ἀθυμίᾳ καὶ νόσῳ, καὶ τέλος θανάτῳ προσήγγισε, τὴν ὕβριν οὐκ ἐνεγκών. Τοιοῦτος ἦν καὶ πρὸς τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας ζῆλον ὁ μέγας πατὴρ ἡμῶν καὶ διδάσκαλος Ἐφραΐμ ἄλλοις μὲν τὸ πρᾶον καὶ ἐπιεικὲς ἐνδεικνύμενος, ὅτε μὴ χρεία πολέμου ἐν ἄλλοις δὲ τὸ στύφον καὶ αὐστηρὸν, ὅτε μάλιστα περὶ τὴν πίστιν ὁ κίνδυνος, πάντα σοφως μετερχόμενος, καὶ ὡς ὁ καιρὸς ἐδεῖτο. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο τῶν πολλῶν αὐτοῦ νηστειῶν καὶ δακρύων, καὶ ἀκαταπαύστων οὐκ ἔλαττον προσευχῶν· ὁ κατὰ Θεὸν λέγω ζῆλος, μᾶλλον δὲ, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐκεῖνα ὅσον αὐτὰ μὲν εἰς μόνον τὸν δράσαντα περιορίζει τὴν ὄνησιν· ἐκεῖνο δὲ πρὸς κοινὴν διαβαίνει ὠφέλειαν. Ἐπειδὴ τὸν καλὸν θηρευτὴν ὁ ἀληθὴς λόγος πρὸς τὰ μάχιμα δοκιμάζει θηρία, καὶ τὸν ἀγαθὸν κυβερνήτην πρὸς ἀντιπνέοντας τῷ πλοίῳ ἀνέμους, καὶ τὸν σοφὸν ἰατρὸν πρὸς τὰ δυσίατα πάθη, καὶ τὸν γενναῖον στρατιώτην πρὸς ἀντικειμένην βαρεῖαν παράταξιν, καὶ τὸν σπουδαῖον καὶ ζηλωτὴν εὐσεβείας, ἐν ἀκμῇ κινδύνων καὶ δυσκολίας, ὅπως ἑαυτόν τε καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐκσπάσῃ ἐκ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς. Οὐκ ἔστιν οὖν εἶδος εὑρεῖν ἀρετῶν παρά τισι πάλαι φιλοπονηθέν, τὸ μὴ καὶ ἐν τούτῳ κατορθωθέν. Εἰκάσαι δὲ τὴν αὐτοῦ ψυχὴν ἔστι πηγὴν παντοίοις βρύουσαν νάμασιν, ὠφελείᾳ καὶ γλυκύτητι καὶ τέρψει καθωραϊσμένοις· ἢ λειμῶνα κυπρίζοντα ποικίλοις ἀρωματίζουσαν ἄνθεσιν ἢ οὐρανὸν ἐπίγειον διαφόροις λαμπτῆρσι πεποικιλμένον, ἢ παράδεισον· οἷον ἀκούεις τὸν τῆς Ἐδὲμ ἀπείροις ἐγκάρποις ἀγλαϊζόμενον δένδροις πλὴν μὴ βατὸν ὄφει πονηροτάτῳ, καὶ τῆς ἐξορίας προξένῳ ἢ εἰ ἄλλο τι τῶν καλῶν καὶ τερπνῶν πολλοῖς καὶ διαφόροις ἀγαθοῖς ἡ φύσις τετίμηκε τοιαύτην εἶναι λογίζου τὴν τοῦ μεγάλου Ἐφραὶμ μακαρίαν ψυχήν, πολλαῖς ἀρετῶν ἰδέαις πάντοθεν κυκλουμένην. Μελέτην γὰρ ὁ θαυμάσιος διὰ βίου παντὸς θέμενος, τὴν ὁλικὴν κτήσασθαι ἀρετὴν, τὰ πάντα ἐσπούδασε μόνος περιλαβεῖν προτερήματα. Τοῦ γὰρ ἐν δικαίοις πρώτου ῎Αβελ τὴν θεόλεκτον ὡς ἱερεὺς ἐκμιμησάμενος προσφορὰν, οὐκ ἐκ ποιμνίων θύματα, οὐδὲ στέαρ Κυρίῳ προσήνεγκεν, ἀλλὰ θυσίαν ἀναίμακτον, τὴν λογικὴν λατρείαν, βίου καθαρότητι

### English translation (Claude)

trusting, he came on the appointed day; and, declining to debate in person on the grounds that he was worn out by old age, he asked that his own books be brought out, so that he might answer and argue through them. So when his fellow initiates brought the books, priding themselves greatly on them, that man grown old in evil days, that judge of injustice, took them and tried to open one of the books. But since it would not give way, pressed together by the glue, he made an attempt at its middle; but it was likewise closed. When he failed with the first, he went on to the second; and seeing that it too was entirely undivided and wholly unyielding, his face changed with shame and his soul was struck with perplexity; and leaving the assembly, the deranged man came to despondency and illness and at last to death, unable to bear the humiliation. Such was our great father and teacher Ephrem in his zeal for true religion: to some he showed his mildness and gentleness, when there was no need for war; to others his sternness and severity, especially when the faith was in danger; handling everything wisely and as the occasion required. For this too, zeal according to God, I mean, is no less than his many fasts and tears and unceasing prayers; or rather it is even greater than they, inasmuch as they confine the benefit to the one who performs them alone, while zeal extends to the common good. For true reason tests the good hunter against fighting beasts, the good helmsman against winds blowing against the ship, the wise physician against diseases hard to cure, the noble soldier against a heavy opposing battle line, and the earnest zealot for true religion at the height of dangers and difficulty, by how he rescues himself and others from the plot. One cannot find any form of virtue cultivated of old by anyone that was not also achieved in him. One may liken his soul to a spring gushing with all kinds of streams, adorned with usefulness, sweetness and delight; or to a meadow in bloom, fragrant with varied flowers; or to an earthly heaven adorned with various lights; or to a paradise, like the one in Eden you hear of, glorious with countless fruitful trees, but closed to the most wicked serpent, the cause of our exile; or whatever else, fair and delightful, nature has honored with many and various goods: reckon such to be the blessed soul of the great Ephrem, encircled on every side with many forms of virtue. For the wonderful man made it his study all his life to acquire the whole of virtue, and strove to embrace all excellences in himself alone. Imitating as a priest the offering of Abel, the first among the righteous, which God chose, he offered to the Lord not victims from the flocks nor fat, but a bloodless sacrifice, the rational worship, wholly burned in purity

### Scripture references

- Gen 3:24: allusion, medium confidence
- Gen 4:4: allusion, high confidence
- Heb 11:4: allusion, medium confidence
- Rom 12:1: allusion, high confidence

### Extrabiblical texts

- Sus 52 (Susanna): allusion, high confidence

### Translation notes

- The death of Apollinaris from this humiliation belongs to the legend; it is not historical (Apollinaris died around 390).
- “Grown old in evil days”: the words of Daniel to the elder in Susanna 52, applied to Apollinaris.
- “It was likewise closed”: the printed word (ἀνεπτυγμένη, “opened”) contradicts the sense and is translated as “closed”; probably a slip for ἀνάπτυκτος.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Eph. 841 (PG 46:841–842; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/841).

## Encomium on Ephraim, Migne cols. 843–844

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/839/#p-843
- Source: PG 46:843–844
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: Ephrem is compared with Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses, each of whose deeds he matched in a spiritual way, especially in his triumph over heresies.

### Greek text

ὁλοκαυτουμένην, τοσοῦτον ἐκείνῳ ἁμιλληθεὶς, ὅσον μὴ ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ φονέως ἀναιρεθῆναι, ἀλλὰ διαδράντα τὰς παγίδας τοῦ μισανθρώπου δαίμονος ἐκφυγεῖν, καὶ πρὸς ἀτελεύτητον, ὡς ἐκεῖνος, μεταστῆναι ζωὴν, τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς φανέντα ἀνώτερον. Τοῦ δὲ Ἐνὼχ τὴν ἐλπίδα ζηλώσας, οὐκ ἐπικέκληται μόνον τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις συνεπικαλεῖσθαι ἐδίδαξεν. Ἐνὼχ, οὐ τὴν ξένην ἐκ γῆς πρὸς τὸν παράδεισον μετάθεσιν ἐπετήδευσεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐξ ὑλικῆς προσπαθείας ἐπὶ τὸ πνεῦμα μετάβασιν. Νῶε, οὐ τὴν ἐν ξυλίνῃ λάρνακι μικρὰν τοῦ γένους διάσωσιν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν πανταχόθεν ἀσφαλίσασθαι, ὥστε παρελθεῖν ἀβλαβῶς τὸ τοῦ βίου κλυδώνιον, καὶ τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς μὴ ζημιωθῆναι ἀγώγιμα. Τοῦ ᾿Ἀβραὰμ ἐν πολλοῖς μὲν καὶ ἄλλοις γέγονε μιμητὴς, τῇ πίστει καὶ πραότητι, καὶ τῇ εἰς Θεὸν ἀγάπῃ, μάλιστα δὲ τῇ τοῦ κόσμου φυγῇ, ὡς τῆς οἰκείας γῆς καὶ τῆς συγγενείας ἐκεῖνος ἡμείβετο φίλον, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Μονογενοῦς θυσίαν εἰς τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἐκείνου προαιρετικὴν διὰ Θεὸν ἐκλαβέσθαι προσφοράν, νεκρώσαντι τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ, ἐν τῷ ἑκουσίῳ καὶ ἀταράχῳ θανάτῳ, πλὴν οὐχ ὑπὸ πατρὸς ἐκεῖνος. Οὗτος γὰρ ἱερουργῶν ἑαυτὸν ἑκάστοθι ἀποστολικῶς, σώματι μὲν ὡλοκαρποῦτο, ὅσον εἰς πρόθεσιν, πνεύματι δὲ ἔζη, καὶ ζῇ τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τὴν ὡς ἐν κριῷ τοῦ σώματος ἁγνὴν προσφοράν. Τὸν Ἰακώβ, ἐν τῷ πτερνίσαι τὸν βέβηλον Ἡσαῦ, ἤτοι τὸν τῶν αἱρέσεων γεννήτορα, καὶ λαβεῖν τὰ πρωτότοκα, τὰ ὀρθὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας δόγματα, καὶ ἐν τῷ κατιδεῖν οὐ κλίμακα μὲν ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανὸν ἐστηριγμένην, στύλον δὲ πυρὸς οὐρανομήκη, γλαφυρώτερόν πως μυστηρίου βάθος ἐμφαίνοντα. Ἔτι γε μὴν καὶ ἐν τῷ τοῖς μαθηταῖς ὡς τοῖς υἱέσιν ἐκεῖνος ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι ἀπαίρειν τοῦ σώματος, διανείμαι τὰς εὐλογίας· αἷς τις φιλοπόνως ἐγκύψας, αὐτοῦ ἐκείνου τοῦ μεγάλου Ἰακώβ ταύτας εἶναι οἰηθήσεται. Τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ, μάλιστα μὲν ἐν τῇ τοῦ σώματος ἁγνείᾳ καὶ καθαρότητι πολὺ δὲ πλέον ἐν τῇ τοῦ λόγου μεταδόσει, ὡς ἐκεῖνος τοῦ σίτου. Τοῦ Μωσέως ἢ ἐν πᾶσιν ἢ ἐν πλείστοις παρόμοιος ἔφυγε γὰρ καὶ οὗτος τὸν γοητὸν Φαραὼ, καὶ ἐν ἐρήμῳ ηυλίσθη, καὶ Θεὸν εἶδεν, ὅσον ἐφικτὸν θεωρίᾳ, καὶ θαύματα εἰργάσατο, καὶ λαοῦ καθηγήσατο χρηματίσας διδάσκαλος καὶ τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους κατεσοφίσατο, τὸν πλοῦτον ἐκείνων ἁρπάσας, τὰς τῶν αἱρετικῶν βίβλους αἰχμαλωτίσας καὶ θριαμβεύσας, καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν διέῤῥηξε, τὴν ἁλμυρὰν καὶ ἄποτον ἀπιστίαν, καὶ τὸν λαὸν διεβίβασε, τὸ ὀρθόδοξον σύστημα. Και τοὺς Φαραωνίτας ἐπόντισε, τὰ τῶν αἱρετικῶν ἄθεα γεννήματα. Καὶ τὸν ᾿Αμαλὴκ ἐτροπώσατο (εἴ τινα τῶν αἱρετικῶν τούτῳ βούλει καλέσαι τῷ ὀνόματι)· τὸν νόμον ἐκ Θεοῦ τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας ἔλαβε, καὶ ἡμῖν πᾶσι μετέδωκε. Τῆς σκηνῆς ἐν τῷ ὄρει τὸν τύπον ἐθεασατο, οὐ τῆς ἐπὶ Μωσέως, ἀλλὰ τῆς μελλούσης φρικτῆς κρίσεώς τε καὶ καταστάσεως. Τοὺς ἱερέας ἐτελείωσε, τὰ περὶ ἱερωσύνης νομοθετῶν. Ὕδωρ ἐκ πέτρας ἐπήγασε, τὰς λιθώδεις καρδίας στάζειν δάκρυα

### English translation (Claude)

of life. He rivaled Abel so far as not to be killed by the wicked murderer, but escaped the snares of the demon who hates mankind and, like Abel, passed over to endless life, showing himself above the plot. Emulating the hope of Enoch, he not only called on the name of the Lord God, but taught others to call on it with him. Like Enoch, he practiced not the strange translation from earth to paradise, but the passage from material attachment to the spirit. Like Noah, he practiced not the small saving of the race in a wooden ark, but securing his own soul on every side, so as to pass unharmed through the surge of life and not lose the cargo of virtue. Of Abraham he became an imitator in many other things too, in faith and meekness and love toward God, but above all in flight from the world, as Abraham exchanged his own land and kindred for God's friendship; and in taking the sacrifice of the only son as the voluntary offering of his own body for God's sake, having put to death his members that are on earth. Of Isaac, in his willing and untroubled death, except that Isaac was offered by a father. For Ephrem, sacrificing himself at every moment as the Apostle did, was wholly burned in body as far as his purpose went, while in spirit he lived and lives to God through the pure offering of his body, as in the ram. Of Jacob, in supplanting the profane Esau, that is, the father of heresies, and taking the birthright, the right doctrines of the church; and in seeing, not a ladder set up from earth to heaven, but a pillar of fire reaching to heaven, which showed somehow more vividly the depth of a mystery; and further, in distributing his blessings to his disciples, as Jacob did to his sons, when he was about to depart from the body; anyone who studies them carefully will think they are those of the great Jacob himself. Of Joseph, especially in the purity and chastity of the body, but much more in the distribution of the word, as Joseph distributed grain. He was like Moses in all things or in most: for he too fled the sorcerer Pharaoh, lodged in the wilderness, saw God as far as is attainable in contemplation, worked wonders, and led a people as its teacher; he outwitted the Egyptians and carried off their wealth, capturing the books of the heretics and leading them in triumph; he split the sea, the salty and undrinkable unbelief, and brought the people through, the orthodox body; and he drowned the men of Pharaoh, the godless offspring of the heretics. And he routed Amalek (if you wish to give this name to one of the heretics); he received from God the law of orthodoxy and shared it with us all. He saw on the mountain the pattern of the tabernacle, not that of Moses' time, but that of the fearful judgment and state to come. He consecrated priests, giving laws about the priesthood. He made water spring from the rock, making stony hearts drip with tears.

### Scripture references

- Gen 4:8: allusion, high confidence
- Gen 4:26: allusion, high confidence
- Gen 5:24: allusion, high confidence
- Heb 11:5: allusion, medium confidence
- Gen 6:14: allusion, high confidence
- 1 Pet 3:20: allusion, medium confidence
- Gen 12:1: allusion, high confidence
- Jas 2:23: allusion, medium confidence
- Gen 22:2: allusion, high confidence
- Col 3:5: quotation, high confidence
- Gen 22:9: allusion, high confidence
- Gen 22:13: allusion, high confidence
- Rom 12:1: allusion, medium confidence
- Gal 2:19: allusion, medium confidence
- Gen 25:26: allusion, high confidence
- Gen 27:36: allusion, high confidence
- Heb 12:16: allusion, high confidence
- Gen 28:12: allusion, high confidence
- Gen 49:1: allusion, high confidence
- Gen 39:12: allusion, high confidence
- Gen 41:56: allusion, high confidence
- Exod 2:15: allusion, high confidence
- Exod 33:18: allusion, medium confidence
- Exod 12:36: allusion, high confidence
- Exod 14:21: allusion, high confidence
- Exod 14:28: allusion, high confidence
- Exod 17:13: allusion, high confidence
- Exod 24:12: allusion, high confidence
- Exod 25:40: allusion, high confidence
- Exod 29:9: allusion, medium confidence
- Exod 17:6: allusion, high confidence

### Translation notes

- “The hope of Enoch … called on the name of the Lord”: Gen 4:26 LXX says this of Enosh; the printed text names Enoch in both sentences.
- “A pillar of fire reaching to heaven”: a vision recorded in the lives of Ephrem.
- “Giving laws about the priesthood”: probably the Greek discourse On the Priesthood ascribed to Ephrem.
- “The father of heresies”, “the godless offspring of the heretics”: the author's polemic, translated as written.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Eph. 843 (PG 46:843–844; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/843).

## Encomium on Ephraim, Migne cols. 845–846

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/839/#p-845
- Source: PG 46:845–846
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: Ephrem is further compared with Joshua, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, John the Baptist and Paul; then the preacher tells how, at Ephrem's death, a man who disobeyed his charge against a costly burial was struck by a demon.

### Greek text

παρασκευάσας. "Αρτον ἐψώμισεν ὡς ἐκεῖνος οὐράνιον, τοὺς τῆς ἀγάπης λόγους πᾶσι προθεὶς, δι' οὗ μάλιστα στηρίζεται πᾶσα ψυχή, καὶ τῷ θείῳ καὶ μυστικῷ προσέρχεται ἄρτῳ θαῤῥοῦσα, τῷ ἐκ τῶν κόλπων τοῦ Πατρὸς εἰς σωτηρίαν ἡμῶν παραγενομένῳ. Ορτυγομήτραν ἔδωκεν, κάτωθεν ἡμῖν τοῖς πιστοῖς τῇ περὶ Θεοῦ μνήμῃ οὐρανοπορεῖν ἐκδιδάσκων, καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖ φαντάζεσθαι κάλλη. Καὶ ἁπλῶς οἷς ἂν βούλῃ θεωρίας λόγοις τὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς τοῖς παλαιοῖς ἐξισοῦν σεμνολογήματα, οὐδ᾽ ὅλως εὐρήσεις καθυστεροῦντα. Ἐπεὶ καὶ Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναυΐτης Ἰορδάνην ἔσχισε, τὰς ἀποκεκλεισμένας εἰς μετάδοσιν τῶν πλουσίων χεῖρας, πρὸς εὐποιίαν διάρας, καὶ τῷ λαῷ τὴν γῆν, οὐ τῆς κάτω ἐπαγγελίας, ἀλλὰ τῆς οὐρανίου βασιλείας ἐκληροδότησεν. Ὡς Σαμουὴλ ἐκ βρέφους ἀνετέθη τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ φωνῆς θείας ἤκουσεν. Ὡς ὁ μέγας Ἠλίας, τοὺς τῆς αἰσχύνης παρεδειγμάτισεν ἱερεῖς, καὶ πῦρ νοητὸν ἐπὶ τῇ λογικῇ θυσίᾳ, οὐ μίαν, ἀλλὰ πολλάκις κατήγαγε καὶ πυρίνῳ τῶν ἀρετῶν ἅρματι, οὐκ αἰθέριος, ἀλλ' οὐράνιος ἁρματηλάτης ἀνήχθη. Ὡς Ελισσαῖος, διπλῆν τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν χάριν πεπλούτηκε καὶ ὡς οἱ προφῆται θεοφανείας πολλάκις ἠξίωται. Τολμᾷ τοῦτον ὁ λόγος καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν ἀνώτερον παραθεῖναι, τὸν μεσίτην τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῆς χάριτος. Ὡς πρόδρομος ἐν ἐρήμῳ ηὐλίσθη· καὶ ῥῆμα Θεοῦ γέγονε καὶ πρὸς τοῦτον, καὶ μετανοίας κήρυξ ἐχρημάτισε, καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἐξομολογεῖσθαι τοὺς προσερχομένους ἐδίδαξεν. Ὡς Παῦλος τὸ τῆς ἐκλογῆς σκεῦος, παντοίους ὑπέμεινε πειρασμοὺς, καὶ τὰ τῆς μετανοίας καταβαλεῖν σπέρματα, ὡς ἐκεῖνος τῆς πίστεως, οὐ κατενάρκησε. Καὶ τί δεῖ τοῖς κατὰ μέρος τοῦτον παραβάλλειν, ἔτι τῶν τούτου κατορθωμάτων πᾶσαν πληρούντων τὴν οἰκουμένην; Φαινομένων δὲ τῶν ἔργων, περιττόν ἐστι μακρολογία· τὸ τε τοῦ λόγου μῆκος εἰς ἀδοξίαν τῶν ἀρετῶν περιτρέπεται, ὡς οὐχ ἱκανῶν οὐσῶν ἑαυτὰς ἀρκούντως δι' ἔργων μηνύσαι, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐκ τῶν λόγων ἐπικουρίας δεομένων. Καλὸν δὲ οἷόν τι τερπνότατον ἥδυσμα, προσθεῖναι τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τὸ περὶ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν ἀδόμενον τερατούργημα. Μέλλων γὰρ ὁ θεοφόρος οὗτος ἀνὴρ ἀπαίρειν πρὸς τὰ οὐράνια, τοῖς παροῦσι παρηγγυᾶτο, ὡς οὐκ ἐξὸν αὐτοῖς ἐσθῆτι πολυτελεῖ τὸ τούτου σῶμα ἐνταφιάσαι. Εἰ δὲ καί τις φιλοπάτωρ ὢν τοιοῦτόν τι προνενόηκεν, ἢ παρητοίμασε, μηδαμῶς εἰς ἔργον τὴν βουλὴν ἀγαγεῖν, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὸ ἐκεῖνο τὸ ὁρισθὲν εἰς τὴν ἐκείνου ταφὴν δοθῆναι πτωχοῖς. Εἷς γοῦν τῶν παρεστώτων, καὶ οὗτος τῶν ἐπιφανῶν, ἐσθῆτα πολυτελή προευτρεπίσας, κἀκείνῃ συνθάπτειν τὸ τοῦ θείου πρεσβύτου σῶμα προβουλευθεὶς, ἀκούσας τῆς ἐπιτιμίας, ἤλγησε, καὶ δοῦναι πτωχοῖς τὸ προετοιμασθὲν ἱμάτιον ὑπερέθετο, ἄξιον τίμημα δοῦναι μᾶλλον τοῖς δεομένοις κατὰ νοῦν ὁσιώτερον κρίνας. Ὃς αὐτίκα πληγεὶς ὑπὸ δαίμονος πονηροῦ, τῆς ἀνηκοΐας ἐτρύγα τὰ πικρότατα

### English translation (Claude)

He fed them with heavenly bread, like Moses, setting before all the words of love, by which above all every soul is strengthened and approaches with confidence the divine and mystical bread, which came from the bosom of the Father for our salvation. He gave quail, teaching us the faithful, who are below, to walk in heaven by remembering God and to picture the beauties there. In short, by whatever principles of contemplation you wish to compare the father's glories with those of the ancients, you will find him not at all behind. For as Joshua son of Nun split the Jordan, so he split open the hands of the rich that were closed to giving, opening them to good works, and gave the people as an inheritance the land, not of the earthly promise, but of the heavenly kingdom. Like Samuel, he was dedicated to God from infancy and heard a divine voice. Like the great Elijah, he exposed the priests of shame and brought down spiritual fire on the rational sacrifice, not once but many times; and in a fiery chariot of virtues he was carried up, a charioteer not of the air but of heaven. Like Elisha, he was enriched with a double grace of the Spirit; and like the prophets, he was often deemed worthy of divine appearances. Our speech dares to set him even beside the one who is greater among those born of women, the mediator between the law and grace. Like the forerunner, he lodged in the wilderness; the word of God came to him too; he became a herald of repentance and taught those who came to confess their sins. Like Paul, the chosen vessel, he endured all kinds of trials, and as Paul did not grow weary of sowing the seeds of faith, so he did not grow weary of sowing those of repentance. And why compare him with individuals, when his achievements fill the whole world? When the deeds are manifest, long speech is superfluous, and the length of a speech turns to the discredit of the virtues, as though they could not show themselves sufficiently by deeds but needed the help of words. But it is good to add to the speech, like a most delightful seasoning, the wonder celebrated about his death. When this God-bearing man was about to depart to heaven, he charged those present that they were not permitted to bury his body in costly clothing; and if anyone, out of love for his father, had planned or prepared anything of the kind, he was by no means to carry out his intention, but to give to the poor what had been set aside for his burial. Now one of those present, a man of distinction, had prepared costly clothing and had resolved to bury the divine old man's body in it. Hearing the charge, he was grieved, and put off giving the prepared garment to the poor, judging in his own mind that it would be holier to give its value to the needy instead. At once he was struck by an evil demon, and reaped the bitterest

### Scripture references

- John 6:32: allusion, high confidence
- John 6:51: allusion, medium confidence
- John 1:18: allusion, high confidence
- Exod 16:13: allusion, high confidence
- Josh 3:16: allusion, high confidence
- Deut 15:7: allusion, medium confidence
- 1 Sam 1:28: allusion, high confidence
- 1 Sam 3:4: allusion, high confidence
- 1 Kgs 18:38: allusion, high confidence
- 1 Kgs 18:40: allusion, high confidence
- 2 Kgs 2:11: allusion, high confidence
- 2 Kgs 2:9: allusion, high confidence
- Matt 11:11: allusion, high confidence
- Luke 1:80: allusion, high confidence
- Luke 3:2: allusion, high confidence
- Matt 3:2: allusion, high confidence
- Matt 3:6: allusion, high confidence
- Acts 9:15: allusion, high confidence
- 2 Cor 11:26: allusion, medium confidence
- 2 Cor 12:13: allusion, low confidence

### Translation notes

- “As Joshua … so he split open”: the printed sentence is compressed; translated by sense.
- “The mediator between the law and grace”: John the Baptist (Matt 11:11).

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Eph. 845 (PG 46:845–846; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/845).

## Encomium on Ephraim, Migne cols. 847–848

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/839/#p-847
- Source: PG 46:847–848
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: Ephrem healed the disobedient man who confessed; then he died and his soul entered heaven, welcomed by his own virtues, so that his death is a cause of joy, not tears.

### Greek text

δράγματα, ἑαυτὸν πρὸ τῆς κλίνης τοῦ ὁσίου σπαράττων, καὶ τὸν ἀφρὸν ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ἀναβράσσων. Ὁ δὲ συμπαθέστατος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος λέγει τῷ πεπονθόντι· Ἐπειδὴ, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, τί σοι παράλογον πέπρακται, καὶ πρὸς τοῦτον τὸν κίνδυνον ἔῤῥιψεν Ὁ δὲ τῇ κελεύσει διαναστάς, καίπερ ὑπὸ τοῦ δαίμονος τὸν νοῦν σκοτωθεὶς, τὸν κεκρυμμένον ἐξεῖπε λογισμὸν, καὶ τὴν παρακοὴν ἐφανέρωσεν. "Ον ἐξομολογησάμενον ὁ συμπαθέστατος γέρων ὑγιῆ ἀποκατέστησεν, ἐπιθέσει ἁγίων χειρῶν καὶ εὐχῇ τοῦτον ἀπαλλάξας τοῦ πάθους εἶτα καὶ προσειπών Πλήρου σου τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν, ἄνθρωπε, ἣν πάλαι προενενόησας. Τοιοῦτο τεράστιον πρὸς [τὰ] τῷ τέλει τοῦ βίου κατεργασάμενος, πολλαῖς τε παραινέσεσι τοὺς συνόντας πρὸς τὸν τῆς ἀρετῆς ζῆλον διαναστήσας, ὡς ὁ τελευταῖος αὐτοῦ λόγος δηλοῖ, εἰς τὸν ἀκύμαντον λιμένα τῆς αἰωνίου βασιλείας ἐξέπνευσε καὶ εὐαπόδεκτος. Ποῦ δὲ τὴν ἐκείνου ψυχὴν ἀλλαχοῦ εἰκάζειν χρὴ καταλῦσαι, ἢ δῆλον ἐν σκηναῖς οὐρανίοις, ὅπου τάξεις ἀγγέλων, ὅπου χοροὶ προφητῶν, ὅπου θρόνοι ἀποστόλων, ὅπου χαρὰ τῶν μαρτύρων, ὅπου ὁσίων εὐφροσύνη, ὅπου διδασκάλων λαμπρότης, ὅπου πρωτοτόκων πανήγυρις, καὶ ἦχος καθαρὸς τῶν ἐκεῖθεν ἑορταζόντων. Εἰς ἐκεῖνα τὰ ἀγαθὰ, ἃ ἐπιθυμοῦσιν ἄγγελοι παρακύψαι, εἰς ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἱερὸν ἐφοίτησε χῶρον ἡ τοῦ μακαρίου καὶ ἀοιδίμου Πατρὸς ἡμῶν πολυμακάριστος καὶ ἁγία ψυχή. Ἡγοῦμαι δὲ τῇ πρὸς οὐρανὸν αὐτῆς ἀναβάσει ἡγεῖσθαι τὰς παρὰ τὸν βίον αὐτοῦ ἀρετὰς, καὶ δεικνύειν αὐτῇ ἑκάστην τὰ ἄῤῥητα ἐκεῖνα καὶ ἀθέατα κάλλη, καὶ προσελθοῦσαν τάχα τὴν μείζονα πάντων τῶν ἀρετῶν ἀγάπην, οὕτως εἰπεῖν· Ὅρα, φιλτάτη ψυχή, οἷόν σοι προεξένησα κάλλος· καὶ σὺν τῷ λόγῳ καθυποδεῖξαι τὸ ἐντρύφημα. Καὶ τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην ἐπιδραμοῦσαν φράσαι· Σκόπει, πεποθημένη Θεῷ ψυχὴ, οἷον καγώ σοι τόπον ἀναπαύσεως ἡτοίμασα. Καὶ κατὰ μέρος τὰς πάσας εἰπεῖν τε καὶ καθυποδείξαι, οἴας αὐτῇ τὰς ἀντιδόσεις πρότερον φιλοπονηθεῖσαι προεξένησαν ὕστερον. Ὦ πολυυμνήτου καὶ ζηλωτῆς ἀποδημίας ὦ θανάτου δακρύων μὴ δεομένου ὦ χωρισμοῦ, τὴν ποθουμένην προξενοῦντος συνάφειαν ὦ μεταστάσεως οὐ παρεχούσης τῷ μεταστάντι μετάμελον ὦ κηδείας οὐ κεκτημένης μετάμελον! Ἐξ ὧν γὰρ τοὺς ἐκείνου τρόπους θαυμάζομεν, ἐκ τούτων τὴν παραμυθίαν λαμβάνομεν. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων, ὁ θάνατος αἴτιος δακρύων τοῖς περιλειπομένοις γνωρίζεται· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἁγίων, εὐφροσύνης καὶ πανηγύρεως καθίσταται πρόξενος· ὅτι οὐ θάνατος ὁ τοιοῦτος, ἀλλὰ μετάστασις μᾶλλον καὶ πρὸς τὰ κρείττω μετάβασις. Ταῦτά σοι παρ᾽ ἡμῶν, τῶν Πατέρων ἄριστε, καὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης διδάσκαλε, τολμηρὰ γλώσση, ὡς δῶρα παρ' ἀξίαν, προσάγεται τὰ ἐγκώμια οὐχ ὡς χρήζοντι (ποίαν γὰρ εὔκλειαν χαρίζεται λόγος, ὀπίσω τῆς ἀξίας

### English translation (Claude)

sheaves of disobedience, tearing at himself before the saint's bier and foaming at the mouth. The most compassionate man of God said to the sufferer: “Rise, O man: what unreasonable thing have you done, that has thrown you into this danger?” He got up at the command, though his mind was darkened by the demon, told the thought he had hidden, and revealed his disobedience. When he had confessed, the most compassionate old man restored him to health, freeing him from his affliction by the laying on of holy hands and by prayer, and then said to him: “Man, fulfil the promise you had planned long ago.” Having worked such a wonder at the very end of his life, and having roused those with him to zeal for virtue with many exhortations, as his last discourse shows, he breathed his last into the waveless harbor of the eternal kingdom, and was well received there. Where else must one suppose his soul to have come to rest but, clearly, in the heavenly tents, where are the ranks of angels, the choirs of prophets, the thrones of apostles, the joy of martyrs, the gladness of the holy, the splendor of teachers, the festal assembly of the firstborn, and the pure sound of those who keep festival there? To those good things into which angels long to look, to that sacred place, went the most blessed and holy soul of our blessed and celebrated father. I think that at its ascent to heaven the virtues of his life went before it and showed it each of those unspeakable and unseen beauties; that love, perhaps the greatest of all the virtues, came forward and said: “See, dearest soul, what beauty I have procured for you,” and with the word pointed out the delight; and that humility ran up and said: “Look, soul beloved by God, what a place of rest I too have prepared for you”; and that one by one they all spoke and showed what rewards, having labored earlier, they had procured for it afterward. O much-praised and enviable departure! O death that needs no tears! O separation that procures the longed-for union! O passing that brings no regret to the one who passes! O funeral that brings no regret! For the very things for which we admire his ways give us our consolation. For in the case of other people, death is known as a cause of tears to those left behind; but in the case of the saints it becomes the source of gladness and festival, because such a thing is not death but rather a passing and a change to better things. These praises, best of fathers and teacher of the world, are brought to you by us with a bold tongue, as gifts below your worth: not as though you needed them (for what renown does speech confer when it walks behind the worth

### Scripture references

- Jas 5:14: allusion, medium confidence
- Jas 5:15: allusion, medium confidence
- Mark 16:18: echo, low confidence
- Luke 16:9: allusion, medium confidence
- Heb 12:22: allusion, high confidence
- Heb 12:23: allusion, high confidence
- 1 Pet 1:12: quotation, high confidence
- 1 Cor 13:13: allusion, high confidence
- John 14:2: echo, medium confidence
- Phil 1:23: echo, medium confidence
- 1 Thess 4:13: echo, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- “Rise, O man”: the printed text begins the saying with “since” (Ἐπειδή), apparently a corruption; the following sentence (“he got up at the command”) shows that a command to rise is meant.
- The OCR had interleaved two passages (on the virtues welcoming his soul, and the exclamations on his death); they are restored to their order.
- “O funeral that brings no regret”: the printed text reads only “O fu-” (κη-), completed from the displaced line.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Eph. 847 (PG 46:847–848; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/847).

## Encomium on Ephraim, Migne cols. 849–850

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/839/#p-849
- Source: PG 46:849–850
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: The preacher explains that he was moved to speak by Ephrem's rescue of a namesake captured by the Ishmaelites, who called on Ephrem for help, and ends by asking Ephrem to pray for the hearers.

### Greek text

τοῦ ἐπαινουμένου βαδίζων), πρὸς ὄνησιν δὲ μᾶλλον τῶν ζώντων· ὅτι μεγίστη τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐπὶ τὰ βελτίω παράκλησίς τε καὶ προτροπή, ἡ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν εὐφημία. Ἐκίνησε δὲ πρὸς τούτους ἡμᾶς τοὺς λόγους καὶ τολμητίας εἰργάσατο, πολλὰ μὲν καὶ ἄλλα. Ἐῶ γὰρ ἐγὼ τὰ πολυειδή προτερήματα, καὶ τὸ τοῦ βίου καὶ λόγου κόσμῳ παντὶ διαλάλητον· τούτων δὲ πλέον ἡ θαυμαστή σου ἐπιστασία, καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις ἡ εἰς τὸν σοὶ γεγενημένον ὁμώνυμον, τὸν καὶ πρὸς τούτους ἡμᾶς ἀποδύσασθαι τοὺς ἀγῶνας προτρεψάμενον, ὃς ὑπὸ βαρβάρων ἐκγόνων τοῦ Ἰσμαὴλ δορυάλωτος ἀπαχθεὶς, καὶ τῆς ἐνεγκαμένης οὐ μικρὸν χρόνον χωρισθεὶς, πρὸς τὰ οἰκεῖα παλινοστῶν, καὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ τὴν λυσιτέλειαν ἀγνοῶν, τῆς σῆς ἔτυχε παραδόξου ἐπιστασίας, καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν ἐδιδάχθη τὴν πρὸς διάσωσιν μᾶλλον ἐπιτηδείαν, καὶ τοῦ σκοποῦ ὡς ἀληθῶς οὐ διήμαρτε. Ναὶ μὴν καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ καταντήσας τῶν κινδύνων τὸ ἄκρον, καὶ θάνατον ἐκδεχόμενος, ὑπὸ ἐπηρείας κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν βαρβαρικῆς στενωθεὶς, ὡς μόνον τῆς σῆς ἐπεμνήσθη προσηγορίας, ἐπειπών· ῞Αγιε Ἐφραίμ, βοήθει μοι. Καὶ τὴν πλάνην τῶν κινδύνων ἀβλαβῶς ὑπερέβη, καὶ τοῦ φόβου κατεφρόνησε, καὶ σωτηρίας ὑπὲρ νοῦν τετύχηκε, καὶ τῇ πατρίδι παρ' ἐλπίδα ὑπὸ τῆς σῆς προνοίας φρουρούμενος ἀποδέδοται. Διὰ τοῦτο, εἰς τὰ προειρημένα προτεῖναι ἐκτατικώτερον ἐτολμήσαμεν, καὶ τῶν ἐπαίνων ἐφάψασθαι ἀκαθάρτοις ἐτολμήσαμεν χείλεσιν. Καὶ εἰ μὲν παρὰ πολὺ τοῦ δέοντος ἤλθομεν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις, αἴτιον σὲ γεγενῆσθαι τῆς ἐπιτυχίας στηλογραφήσομεν, καὶ σοὶ τὴν χάριν ὁμολογήσομεν. Εἰ δὲ παρὰ πολὺ τῆς ἀξίας οἱ ἔπαινοι, καὶ οὕτως πάλιν αἴτιον σὲ τῆς ἀποτυχίας καταιτιασόμεθα, κἂν τολμηρός πως ὁ λόγος. Σὺ γὰρ φεύγειν τοὺς ἐπαίνους βουλόμενος, καὶ ὡς ζῶν ἐν βίῳ, οὕτω καὶ μεταστὰς ταπεινοφρονεῖν ἀσπαζόμενος, παρεμποδίζεις τοὺς ἐγκωμιάζειν σε θέλοντας. Πλὴν κἄν τε τοῦτο, κἄν τε τὸ πρὸ αὐτῶν, ἡμεῖς τὸ χρέος, ὅσον εἰς δύναμιν, ἀφοσιούμεθα, καὶ πιστεύομεν, ὡς οὐδ᾽ ἀποστραφήσῃ ἡμᾶς τοὺς θερμοὺς φιλοπάτορας· ἀλλ' ὡς παίδων προσφιλῆ γονεῦσι δέξῃ ψελλίσματα. Σὺ δὲ τῷ θείῳ παριστάμενος θυσιαστηρίῳ, καὶ τῇ ζωαρχικῇ καὶ ὑπεραγίᾳ λειτουργῶν͵ σὺν ἀγγέλοις Τριάδι, μέμνησο πάντων ἡμῶν, αἰτούμενος ἡμῖν ἁμαρτημάτων ἄφεσιν, αἰωνίου τε βασιλείας ἀπόλαυσιν, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα σὺν τῷ ἀνάρχῳ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ θείῳ καὶ ζωοποιῷ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Αμήν.

### English translation (Claude)

of the one praised?), but rather for the benefit of the living; for the praise of good men is the greatest encouragement and incitement for the many toward better things. Many other things moved us to these words and made us bold (I pass over your manifold excellences, and the fame of your life and words throughout the whole world), but more than these your wonderful protection and the deliverance granted to your namesake, who urged us to strip for these contests too. He was carried off captive by barbarians, descendants of Ishmael, and separated from his homeland for no short time; returning home, and not knowing the safe way, he received your wonderful protection and was taught the road best suited for safety, and truly did not miss his goal. Indeed, when he came to the very height of danger and expected death, hemmed in on the road by barbarian violence, as soon as he remembered your name and said, “Saint Ephrem, help me,” he passed unharmed through the maze of dangers, despised fear, obtained salvation beyond understanding, and, guarded by your providence, was restored beyond hope to his homeland. For this reason we dared to stretch out more at length on what was said before, and dared to touch the praises with unclean lips. And if our words have reached what was due, we will inscribe you as the cause of our success and confess our thanks to you; but if the praises fall far short of your worth, then too we will blame you as the cause of our failure, bold though the word may be. For wishing to flee praises, and embracing humility after your passing as you did while you lived, you hinder those who wish to praise you. But whether this be so or the former, we discharge our debt as far as we can, and we trust that you will not turn away from us, warm lovers of our father, but will receive our words as parents receive the dear lisping of their children. And you, standing at the divine altar and ministering with the angels to the life-giving and all-holy Trinity, remember us all, asking for us forgiveness of sins and the enjoyment of the eternal kingdom, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory with the Father who is without beginning and the divine and life-giving Spirit, now and always and to the ages of ages. Amen.

### Scripture references

- Gen 16:15: allusion, low confidence
- Isa 6:5: allusion, high confidence
- Rev 8:3: echo, medium confidence

### Translation notes

- The invocation of Ephrem (“Saint Ephrem, help me”) and the closing request for his prayers are the author's own, translated as written.
- “Descendants of Ishmael”: Arab raiders; the story suggests a date for this encomium later than Gregory of Nyssa.
- “If our words have reached what was due”: the phrase παρὰ πολὺ τοῦ δέοντος is ambiguous; translated by the contrast with the next clause.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Eph. 849 (PG 46:849–850; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-ephraem/849).