Saint Ephrem

Ephrem the Syrian (c. 306 – 373), also known as Ephraem the Deacon, was a prominent Christian theologian and writer who served as a deacon in Nisibis and later resided in Edessa. He is revered as one of the most notable hymnographers and authors of Syriac literature in Eastern Christianity. Born in Nisibis, he dedicated his life to writing a wide variety of hymns, poems, sermons, and prose exegesis. His works were instrumental in practical theology for the edification of the Church during troubled times. Ephrem is especially revered in Syriac Christianity, both in East Syriac tradition and West Syriac tradition, and is counted as a Holy and Venerable Father (sainted monk) in the Eastern Orthodox Church, particularly in the Slovak tradition. He was declared a Doctor of the Church by the Catholic Church in 1920. Ephrem's legacy includes his founding of the School of Nisibis, which became a center of learning for the Church of the East. His all-women choirs singing his madrāšê (teaching hymns) were particularly notable and led to the Syriac Christian tradition of 'deaconess' choir members.