Wednesday 15 June 2011

Elena Narinskaya: The Shepherd who became a Lamb: The Eucharistic Theology in Ephrem the Syrian's Poetic Hymns

     Ephrem's thought is revealed to us through the language of symbols and allusions, and his legacy as a theologian lies in his commitment to the Scriptural narrative. Ephrem’s theological approach is also a representative demonstration of the tradition of Syriac Christian theology and symbolic poetry at the time. This thesis explores Ephrem's Eucharistic theology as it is expressed in his poetic Hymns. The aim of the study is to look into various definitions of Eucharist that Ephrem offers in his writings, including his presentation of the Eucharist as the Medicine of Life or as a manifestation of Fire and Spirit.

This study looks into the way Ephrem describes the ‘physicality’ of sacraments, and into extensive use of Scriptural types in his theology. The attempt is made to discern the means of the successful relationship between the Old and the New Testaments in Ephrem’s theology. This research aims to offer a study of Ephrem's appropriation of the sacrament of the Eucharist in the light of the Incarnation.

The study presents an analysis of specific Hymns of Ephrem, which are selected for their affiliation to the Eucharist. This exercise allows us to gather enough textual evidence to identify the main aspects of Ephrem’s Eucharistic theology, while giving credit to his unique way of expressing his theology.

As an outcome of the research there is an attempt to present the reasons behind Ephrem's theological understanding and appropriation of the mystery of the Eucharist by means of highly poetic and symbolic language. The poetic framework of Ephrem's Eucharistic theology contributes to an independent and a freer theological expression of Ephrem's thought. Hence, poetry becomes Ephrem’s vehicle in expressing his often daring and, to his audience, challenging presentation of the Eucharist as an expression of God's love for humanity.

No comments:

Post a Comment