St. Ephrem the Syrian
Time Period:
306-373
Feast Day:
June 9
Title/Attributes:
Deacon, Doctor of the Church
Location of Relic:
Main Reliquary - Right Section
Type of Relic:
Bones
St. Ephrem the Syrian is a Doctor of the Church and called “The Harp of the Holy Spirit.” He was born in Nisibis, in Mesopotamia, about 306. Ephrem headed the local catechetical school, served under St. James of Nisibis, and accompanied St. James to the Council of Nicaea in 325.
When the city of Nisibis came under control of the Persians, Ephraem went to Edesa (modern Turkey), where he became a deacon and composed commentaries on the Scriptures and hymns.
After visiting St. Basil at Caesarea in 370, Ephrem returned to Edessa to serve the poor and needy in a period of famine. He died on June 9 at Edessa. Ephrem is venerated both in the East and West. He wrote in the Syriac language and was an opponent of the Arians and Gnostics. His writings support the Immaculate Conception, and he is credited with introducing hymns into public worship.
St. Ephrem is declared a Doctor of the Church which are certain men and women who are revered by the Church for the special value of their writings and preaching and the sanctity of their lives. They each made important and lasting contributions to the faith and are to be recognized for their great merits.
To be declared a Doctor of the Church, you have to meet three basic requirements:
First, you must have lived a life of exemplary holiness, or insignis vitae sanctitas (outstanding sanctity). In short, you have to be a saint.
Second, to be a Doctor of the Church you must have deepened the whole Church's understanding of the Catholic Faith with emins doctrina (eminent teaching). Which is to say, sanctity isn't enough. There are thousands of saints, but only 37 Doctors of the Church. To be a Doctor one must do more than just live the Faith. Rather, one must significantly and profoundly contribute to our understanding of Divine Revelation, helping us to know more deeply some truth about God and His actions in the World.
And third, a pope must officially declare you a Doctor. That being said, as the Church understands it, when a pope declares someone a Doctor of the Church, he's not so much making someone a Doctor as he is recognizing what the Holy Spirit has already done - that He has conferred the charism of Doctor upon them.