Anthropology in the hymns of St. Ephraim the Syrian
Anthropology in the hymns of St. Ephraim the Syrian

Summary/Abstract: Church music is one of the most dynamic and generous (from the perspective of the scientific approach) parts of Church theology. Its location at the confluence of liturgy, art, dogma, history, and tradition gives it a unique characteristic that foresees a paradox: the difficulty of approach combined with the pleasure of study. The reason why this topic was chosen is that this theme is the rich theological and poetic experience of Saint Ephrem's "hymns" which proves to be extremely current and generous. If the specific genius of the Latin West lies in the sphere of law, and of the Greek East in that of philosophy, then that of the Syrian East lies in the sphere of poetry. The theology that is present in the writings of Saint Ephraim have influenced worship, liturgical music, the most important connections being related to the biblical and exegetical field. The object of the work is, therefore, to present the theological-symbolic depth of the thought of Saint Ephraim. The hymns of the saint obviously express the amazing synthesis of the symbolic elements most specific to Semitic-Aramaic Christianity. At the conclusion of this work, in which we have attempted to develop the ideas present in the Ephraimian hymns, it is preferable to find ourselves in front of a transformative reading, in which the ancient texts do not remain simple pseudoscientific speculations, but also help us in the spiritual sphere, as Saint Ephraim the Syrian says: "This Jesus made so many symbols, that I fell completely into their ocean.”

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