P Paul h (;H\ll

la luxure. 1\ l1lourut n()tre llJuIHk dans notre meme, P()ur que nOlls
viviuns il "on lllonde it lui dans SOil prnpre corps. Et il mortifia la vie de la
dJair. afin qlle nous ne vivion..., pas dans la chair d'unc fw.;on charnelle. II
l'St deVCllll Ie maitre, non p,1'-, gr,\cl' aux des autres, mais parses
propre" soullrances. Et il a lui-mt;me goutc Ie premier a I'arnertume, car
il nOllS a l'Xpliquc qu'o!] Ill' devient pas son disciple plr des titres, mais
par Ia "ollllrallce )'.
( 'ondusion
Telle' fllt notre (killarche ell compagnie de Samt Ephrern dans
I\'xt:gc"e hihlique. tne l'()I1lHlis",lI1ce de nomhrcuses oeuvres en
"yriaqllc, l'n aramcnicll, dans d'<lutn:" langues. Et nous n'avons pas
cpllisc tout l'e qu'il a pruduit, ()U ce qui s\'st attache a son nom. Car nOllS
a\'(ms Iilissl de C{Hl; les tl'XtcS ell latin, en copte, en cthiopien.,. Cc perc de
r Fglise 1t)IlC a Ltisse til'" trace" parlout : soit que les oeuvres furent
tradlliLL'", "oil qU'(H] ,,'eI1l'st inspire;. une ligne nuuvellt' fut Ullvert suu..., Ie
patTonnagc de L'dtc PlTsOllllalitl; riche que les Peres om dccrite dans plus
d'une hiographie.
.\pn:s ccla. lIl1e cOllllais"atlct' de la ll]15thode e.\cgC:tique chez celui qui
fut Ie maitre :-.Jisih(' ('Oll1ll1e blesst'. Apres "a mort, ses commentaires
dell1eurl'rel1t les 11l'llllll'ls. jusqu'au moment OLI I'un traduisit Ies oeuvres
de Thc()dore de MOpslIl'...,te, Ix'S l'xl;getcs cuntimh:'l1l a 'i'inspirer aussi de
lui jllsqu'au XIII' Sil'l'k. Ishodad de Merv, Bar Haehreus. Sa methode
prend son point de depart dan..., Ie " lilteral n. Ie reeL I'historique. ("est
factudlc Iphrl'lll lit Ie tt'xte, dccollvre scs prolongements dans
I'Al1ciell Testamel1t. II relie les textt's, ks uns aux. autres, avec line
l'oncision que ll()llS troUVUI1S plus dan:, la tradition syriaqut'. LI"; second
...,ells l'...,l Ie sell'. spiritlleL 0/011S liS(ll1S Ie Livre la lumiere de l'Esprit-
Samt. >.Jous par/om, de \' .\nl'il'n Tl'stalllent pour ahoutir au Nouveau.
\lou..., fai"(lns la l'(lllllais"ance til' lVlol ..... e, de David ... pour arriver ,ksus
qui l'sl la fin de Ia loi, c'l It' compler de I' Ancien Testament.
Au ni\I,'<lu de la Tilrah l'l de" pruphetes, accolllplissement partiel. A,u
I1lh'aU des l:\ ilngiles. ilccomplis"l'111ent lutll. On a dit d'(:phrem qu'it
l;(ait dc I'Lc()k d'Antio,:lll', SallS d()llte, si nUlls demclIrons all niYcali de
la lettn:. Mai" il flit C111SS1 prIll'he de r Ecole d' Alexandrie, "ans la
(Onna)tll'dirl'ctellll'nt : illkpa...,...,a la kUre dll texte d sun historicite pour
lkcou\ rir la persollile de .ksus( 'hrist 1..'1 "on Hglise. Dt puur donner aux
clm;rien" till l'''pace qui Ie" l"l'lld llne partie d'un Livre devt'nue dans la
hOllcl1t' d' (phrl.'lll Ull chant qUI Ill' pa.".
Ephrem's prayers for rain taken from
(;erman history of researC)l and
what they might teach
Martin TUICKE
j(nK-19K] at the Pnljl'ct
S) llcrelism m (\?l1tral Asia ! ')lllllkr lur
.,dlllngshereid1 13 del I
1()KI \,si\tant
at the Faculty uf fht?lllogv uf the (ielll).!
t\ugu'>t- {!l1lver',ity ill (;<lttrngell/(
(Eastern I I.l'llun:r ;It the
Faculty uf of the Cicllrg _\ut!ust
Cniversity (Eastcrn
Churches) 1 <)g'i Dr. Ihl'O\. at the Fanrit y
rheology ur the Philipps-l'lll\ersity VlarhllIY
(Del' Katholikos-Patrimch Sabrischu I und cia"
\rl<)m:htum)_ I ] <NC) Professor for ('hurd1
and hiqory 1n Hl.'rl1ldnIbbuf&/
(iefm<lllY. I q(n Dr. thcol. h,lbiL at the Facult\
()f at the ;niversity \;1arbun!
,\r,pnlch uml WlIklichkert
,:lI1es AugcIllellgen)_ jlj()i) tUl
rheol(lgv at the rheuloglCal
Faculty the
the
FaL'ulty of of the (,eurg .-\ugll"t-
[1 nier"ity/( Jenllany
Many centuries have past since Ephrem' s time. The wurld changed.
Our norms are not those of Ephrem' s. uur Vvorld from the nIlturaL
religious and political perspective is no longer that uf hphrem' s. And
yet people have transmitted Ephrern's reflections fur centuries and they
have heen speaking to the people ever ...,ince. Of course, not all s
writings and reflections had an equal influence. Some writ ings influenct'd
more than others. Liturgical texts have heen differently from
those texts which were not preserved as active in the cultural memory
Patrimoine Syriaqlle Ju colloque Xl (20()61
Martin
But how adequately do we approach nowadays the historical texts? How
pertinently do we assess them? How do they prove their effect? These are
hermeneutical which deliberately or non-deliberately must have
moved earlier while they were transmitting Ephrem's texts.
t-<nn,""tn is a teacher for all the churches, from the Protestant Churches
T?'f'tn",nu to the Orthodox Church in Korea. But beside the Christian
Ephrem's influence reaches up to the secular scientists and to
the Muslim thinking tradition as well. The reception and the transmission
of Ephrem are subject to the laws of the particular Churches and to their
cultural and historical contexts. Without the interaction between the
context and Ephrem, he would stay unknown for that particular time.
Hereinafter I will try to exploit an element from the Gennan context
It is puzzle which could be
panoramic picture of the Ephrem' s interpretation and
research, in the voluminous German literature on Ephrem. For the time
being it is the of this for the hermeneutics of
Ephrem's uJr,t .. "H'
The texts whose reception in the German science is here emphasised
are prayers for rain 1. The basic theological significance and
contents of the is the following: Ephrem teaches to see in the rain
absence the God, who calls the people to return, while
them to sins away. His punishment, whose painful
get to know, is explicitly understood as part of
admonitions, time and again criticism of the listeners and of their lifestyle,
lVDiOIOlnes of the Old Testament who meant to prove the listeners that already in
forth salvation and distress.
from the Old Testament, the biblical
recI.l!!I1ize, Ephrem incorporated the biblical accounts in
nlllst appropriate. Thus he considerahly
100
for rain
his goodness
2
. Instead of showing its essence in a particular two
attitudes should be illustrated and let explain the issue we deal with.
The first example is therefore that of Orientalist
Brockelmann, who was a significant figure at that
Already at the beginning of his Brockelmann
generally the "rigidly theological character" of the Syrian literature
opposite to the insights "in the religious views of the Yet on
that calamitously arid territory "no organized could avoid
"adapting to popular beliefs"s. "When the lasting aridity threatens
deprive the farmer of his harvest, the recollection of the rites with which
his ancestors tried to control the evil is awaked anew, and he carries them
out even if he lost their original significance . This 1J\],'HUIUl,,",
Brockelmann's, which can be completely
instances, becomes for him, in the history of
understanding an excerpt of Ephrem' s
the ecclesiastical behaviour in general
hymns for such fragments relevant for
spirituality has endeavoured always and to assimilate such
rites which it couldn't eliminate, and to attribute to them
possible beliefs that corresponded to the very
controversy is evident. It is about the popular
the ecclesiastical theology and about the
of this enterprise regarding its legitimacy in the
meanings. Anyway, Brockelmann can refer to a series of related
in the Islamic literature which clearly show that the rain
practiced in a corresponding form - in the
. Accordingly, the Syrian Church also
urgent necessity" 10. With it also Whereas Brockelmann
dismisses the theological and contents with
Ibid,
h Ibid,
Brockelrnann approached this text not a theologIcal
interesting religious-historical source for the sul1,im!!HIH.H1
Ibid.
Ibid.
rituals.
III C. BROCKELMANN. "Ein syrischer Re)L;en1.atlber"
101
p.
Martin TAMCKE
senten.ce "All these orations refer in the first place to the aridity as a
sent by God for the improvement of the sinning humanity"ll -
he IS to that the heathen religion is present in one of
Ephrem's texts as well: "Although Ephrem brilliantly managed to
the typical thoughts for that situation in the flood of his biblical
in the seventh oration he reaches tones which are rather
, ., to an old heathen rainmaker than to a Christian preacher"l2
Even has to submissively admit that Ephrem could hardly carry
on that strong prayers could compel God even against his will
to hstemng. yet he is left for a moment the joy of a discoverer. Ephrem
cannot do with pure spiritual means in defending
but. as a heathen priest would have done in the same
he to the approved procedures of analogical magic." In
conclusIOn, could be followed by an examination which
still waits to ?e. of the relationship between theology and
ongmatmg from a heathen religious past. Anyway,
Brockelmann's anti-theological affect had the effect that this tension
became obvious tn this respect, on the one hand there should be
emphasised theological contribution in his prayers, and one the
other hand approach as historian of religions should be
deepened.
II
Let us mourn, so that heavens may darken with rain.
Let us cry out our dull so that the thunder may shake the
[clouds.
Let the sound of prayer so that lightning and rain may be released.
the earth stream tears, so that it may be washed with rain.
Let us unlock our and cry, so that the clouds may unlock as well.
The sounds of our prayer will compel the Most High to listen to our
fcalL
Since he didn't hear our call, his voice ceased to sound among us,
And the thunder of his clouds died out. '
Since the tears ebbed away in our crying,
His voice has faded away from our fields.
Because he is for our words, just like the field for his rain.
tIe does not wish that we fall, for he washes our debts with our tears.
",""",IVIA,I'J'" ,in Regenzauber", art. cit., p. 519.
Here the following He begins the 4uotation with a clearly disqualifying
tone agamst .. theologIcal endeavour: "After he furthermore urged to repentance
With a ", btbhcal and after he made the sins of the world responsible for
the ["Nachdem er des brelteren durch Vorftihrung biblischer Beispieie wr
und nachdem er die Stinden der Welt filr die Dlirre verantwortlich
102
prayers for rain
Let us sweat in prayer, so that the clouds may pour with rain.
Let us thirst a little, so that the seed may be sated
Let us fast little, so that the clouds may sate us
Brockelmann had no doubt that in this case the rain broke
through Ephrem's theology. However, what he
If this were proof for the assumed rain
was completely integrated in Ephrem' s and Christianised.
Brockelmann considered his discovery so important, that he L'tIInT",nrt,,,1
even later
Against Brockelmann's attempt to reconstruct a
of Ephrem's prayers for rain objected especially Paul
part study I S At the beginning he out that
"initially to certain
incorporated into the precisely
collected texts from the literary tradition of prayers for rain \." .. 1,1<1<:'1.11<:';
the various Syrian Churches, but he the
literary tradition of the texts before the
Unlike the liturgical tradition, the literary tradition
value" and moreover it stands "independent the
Already Philoxenos quotes these . Unlike
presents at first Ephrern' s theological intention and
pedagogy. The "main feature of Clod's essence",
Ephrem's prayers for rain, is not Ciod' s wrath, but
order to better explain his approach,
prayers for rain as well. his
Kegerlbltten Aphrems
Martin 'L\MCKE
vague. "Lamy does not always reach precisely the
It is no wonder that the fragment chosen by Kruger didn't
to the part which could have possibly been understood as heathen
tradition, but to a theologically marked one:
Come, brothers, let LIS see how deeply the seeds suffer. Come and let
us observe where this evil might come from. If the sin is the
cause of all sorrow, then how could the seeds have sinned? If freedom
itself leads to sinning, then how could that nature which was not
endowed with freedom sin? If only the soul can do the wrong, then
are our field punished? Now, is the judge unjust? The seeds have
done no wrong. There is nothing wrong in this, brothers, but solely
Even if the man indulges in sin, he is still an image of God. Yet
hOLlse and yard are not created according to the of God. Now,
when he who was created to God's indulges in sin,
he is punished through his belongings, so that his dignity may seem all
the more so great. See how honoured the man is because he is an
of God! Although he is the one who deserves punishment,
is punished for him [ .. 1 God backed away from Adam
and he doomed the earth because of him to confirm that Adam is his
creation, . he had fallen in sin deegly. Therefore God spares
our souls and pllmshes LIS through our
Where Brockelmann saw the matter he was interested in drowned in
biblical that the Scriptures played "a
. Yet as far as the contents is
the first part analysis does not manage any
controversy with Brockelmann' s work, if one the brief hint to
Brockelmann's "hard and unjust jUdgement" in his history of the Syrian
Instead he brings forward the whole literary diversity of the
tradition, as if he wanted to make out of the mass of
tradition as sllch an argument against the discovery of heathen
prayers for rain. This changes drastically in the
second part of the As if with a beat of the drum, Kruger starts
with the reference to Brockelmann's work. Already in the first sentence
1[ P
"Die Aphrems Syrers", art. cit.. p. note I.
Aphrems des Syrers" art. cit., p. 21-22. Kruger's
putlllcatltHl contains the entire text.
Regenzauber", art. cit., p. 519.
des , art. cit., p.
des 22, note 1. KrUger refers
Litteratur, Leipzig
104
prayers for rain
Kruger lltterly points that when analysing these texts, one should start
with Brockelmann's "remark" "who thinks to have discovered traces of
heathen magic beliefs in Ephrem's prayers for The protest which
can already be identified in the word choice becomes more substantial
through the still fine, yet already obvious distortion of Brockelmann' s
discovery, who attributed to Ephrem his to
procedures" "as if he were [ ... J a heathen priest".
According to Brockelrnann, Ephrem made use of "tones" which
rather "to an old ,rainmaker. than t,o a Christian
preacher' 7. Kruger proceeds alIke wIth Brockelmann s
arguments., for instance with the fact that God's will could be
influenced, a fact which is already denied by Ephrem' s
man's power and rule over nature,,28. God does not
compelled, "hut moved at the most", KrUger retorts. does not
mean "compulsion,,29, Without considerable reasons Brockelmann
transfers the knowledge of the rain magic in Islam "to the Christian
Syrians" and "believes that he can simply break through the
theological character' of the Syrian literature,,::lO account is
absorbed now and then by a clearly polemical undertone. "He claims"
Kruger says, "that there is one field where no
avoid adapting to the popular beliefs (namely the heathen of the
people), and that is the field of the prayers for
herewith to what is factual and experimental in Brockelmann's
and does not hesitate to plainly slash him. "Brockelmann runs too
in this manner introduces Kruger Brockelmann' s attempt to draw out of
the Islamic tradition conclusions regarding the tradition the
Christians
J2
But Brockelmann had referred at the same time to the older
heathen traditions, considering the Islamic practice as their continuity".
Regarding the fragment quoted by Brockelmann, he that what
Brockelmann translated with "compel" could also be as
or "beset,,34. Brockelmann is said "to have violated" the translation. But
this fragment should prove "that through insistent prayers God could also
P. KROUER, "Die Regenbitten Aphrems des Syrers", art. cit.,
e. BROCKELMANN, "Ein syrischer Regenzauber", art. cit..
P. KROGER, "Die Regenbitten Aphrems des . art.
P. KROGER, "Die Regenbitten Aphrems des
1O See above.
II P. KROGER, "Die Regenbitten Aphrems des . art. dt.,
P. KROGER, "Die Regenbitten Aphrems des , art. cit.,
U e. BROCKELMANN, "Ein syrischer Regenzauber", art. cit., p.
P. KROGER, "Die Regenbiuen Aphrems des Syrers". art.
criticism of Lamy's translation KrUger refers here to Lamy's tralrlSlllOn
order to support his own translation.
105
Martin
be compelled to listening against His Will",5. Where Brockelmann
presumed the uncommon exception, Kruger sees in Brockelmann's thesis
simply the offence Ephrem's concept of GOd
I6
. The quoted
contains "no magic, but an intensive plea on behalf of the
people for the answer to their prayers"'? Recalling Ephrem's rejection
"of all and all heathen intluence" and his fight "against the false
tew:,:hers", Kruger comes now to the less surprising conclusion:
"Therefore it is totally off the beam to imagine that Ephrem's prayers for
rain bOlTowed elements from the paganism or to see any similarity
whatsoever between two; it is simply and solely" that the prayer is
"the of . Yet now, instead of dealing with "the significance
of of Ephrem's prayers for rain, as Kruger
in title of his essay, he ended the analysis with details
the paradigm of in for rain, that with the
l1elllbt!ra'te recourse to the blbhcal tradItIOn' The first part ot Kruger's
second section was the sub-head "Rejection of C.
Brockelmann's thesis"
to the age he lived in, the Protestant Brockelmann had toyed
the between the Christian poets and the "heathen"
rc"',',,,r!;.,,n the conversion of "the analogical magic" and
was driven into the conflict between the Catholic priest and the
Orientalist. One with little understanding for Ephrem, the other
with too much understanding for Ephrem. But it didn't do any
harm. One brought all his diligence in order to gather everything he could
conclude from the discussed texts on the topic of tradition. The other
dared to take a courageous spring from what was proved for long as valid
to new shores. Both works speak a lot about their authors' originality and,
to some e.xtent, about Ephrem's originality, too. Paul Kruger had been
ordained as priest in 1929; in 1932 he was awarded in MUnster the
Doctor's in Philosophy by Anton Baumstark and in 1936 the
Doctor's by Adolph Rucker. Like his professors
Baumstark and Kruger belonged to the German Syrioiogists
tradition and to its Catholic branch40. Carl Brockelmann had taught
between 1890 and 1892, before the beginning of his career, at the
Protestant School in Strasbourg as pedagogue and supply. But this
des , art. cit., p. 145.
des , art. cit., p. 146.
Aphrems des Syrers", art. cit., 146-151.
KROGER, Kleines Wiirterbuch Christlichen Orients,
p. IX (Note concerning KrUger by Julius
106
for
was his stage of intensive contact with a Chun:h. What
studied was classical and oriental philology. Brockelmann
therefore to those non-theologians who
Orientalists, mostly from a distance
41
Both works await
continuation. But they also underline how decisive it is the aD10n)(lCn
we choose to Ephrem. One chose it influenced the
which was fashionable in his time, the other influenced
tradition. One chose the of the outsider, who
with Ephrem's matter concern, the other
deliberately inasmuch much from inside, at
conviction, trying to understand him from the of
tradition and consequently obliged to Ephrem. For
the approach detennined the result. But it hard to if the
religions or the church tradition was decisive the
hoth of them leave out Ephrem' s existential concern to
tormented drought in this very situation
understanding. Ephrem's words could be invoked
contradiction and challenging new . 'The
fallow". This is not an invitation to Cf',,:.nt',t",t' c1on:";ldenng
hermeneutics cannot lead to the true content.s, but an
to Ephrem's texts with the awareness that one's bias
contributes to the texts of the one who does the research and
places him in the stream those who look for un4:1erstandlI1g
understand. The successors will
were suhject to the age they lived in. Yet
important is the one for the sake of whom they
despite all the constraints due also to the m2ldequ,ate II1terr)reILatl.ons,
recognizable as the source towards which
Ephrem. Today we not even know, if hymns like LJ ...... U'-'."
rain really have a connection to the historical Ephrem.
Learning from the attempts made by our who ranked
among scientists does not mean our
descendents, but our becoming members in the C01TIIllUl1llty
sought to understand Ephrem and to bring light upon him.
41 http://www.catalogus-professorum-halensis.delbrockelmannkarL html ,
with Brockelmann, Carl Becker for instance who, unlike the philologist Bro1ckc'l!mmn.
situated himself in the scientists spectre on the other side,
the contemporary Orient had also tense rel<ltJo
l
nshlp
Alexander HARIDl, Das Paradigma
H,,"'YIH11I'llJl'1!J der deutschen lslamwissenschaft durch Carl Heinrich
1933), wissenschaftsgeschichtliche Mittelungen zur
Kulturgeschichte der Islamischen Welt 19, WUrzburg
107
P A TRIMOINE SYRIAQtJF:
ACTES DU COLLOQUE XI
ALEP 2006
-'
SAINT EPHREM
UN P(lETE POUR NOTRE TEl\;IPS
I
CER()
AntcJias - I jban
2007
Collel:tif
Format .
Misl! Rita Tohme
Professional
E:diteur Centre d'f:tudes
B. P.
TeL
LS.B.N. 9953-0-0800-0
CERO
961-+--+02073
http://www.moncero.org
AVl'C la 11!lrtkipation de Missiologie - Missio. AixlaChapelle
PREFACE
Ce livre sur saint Ephrem est Ie fruit d'un colloque qui s'est tenll
Alep en Syrie en mai 2006. Plusieurs specialistes d'Ephrem, on dira
plutot ses admirateurs, s'y sont reunis pour lui rendre
I' occasion du 17
e
centenaire de sa naissance non loin de
306.
Le Conseil Culturel de la ville d' Alep accueillait les conferenciers.
invites par Ie Centre d'Etudes et Recherches Orientales (Ie base
au Liban a Antelias, qui organise tous les deux ans un sur Ie
patrimoine syriaque, en l' occurrence Ie x(, consacre saint I-< n n r ' ~ r Y I
Le choix d' Alep n' aurait pas ete desavoue par ce
theologien car il s'y serait trouve au milieu des siens, de nombreux
Chretiens de langue syriaque vivent en effet dans ceUe ville d'Orient
a ete de tout temps un important carrefour commercial et culturd. De
belles eglises situees dans Ie quartier chretien d' Alep Ie
quartier de Ia Croix, temoignent de 1a vocation multi-religieuse de
qui accueillait ce coUoque sur saint Ephrem au cours d'une annee 01:1 elk
ctait consacrce capitale de ta culture islamique.
Saint Ephrem se trouvait parmi nous au cours de ce colloque
etait consacre d' autant plus que les deux viBes OU it a vccu,
Edesse (Urfa de nos jours) situees de part et d'autre de la frontiere turque,
ne comptent plus de Chrctiens. Sa modestie aurait probablement mise
a rude epreuve par Ies hommages appuyes qu'il dans cet ouvrage.
Ephrem poete et theologien est de plus en plus de
grace a des publications de ses ceuvres en syriaque plus accessibles au
grand public et de traductions en plusieurs langues, or la
auteurs pub lies ci-apres ont grandement contribu(; 1<1
d'Ephrem dans Ie monde, particuliercment en milieu
arabophone.
Ce livre ne peut malheureusement pas rendre compte de
musicale de chants syriaques et arabes qui a admirablcment
colloque, seance qu'Ephrem aurait surement lui qui aimait tant
toucher les cceurs par ses compositions.
Ray JABRE-MOlIA \\AU
Patrinl()ine