Aphrahat the Sage – A Lesser-Known Church Father
Aphrahat the Sage – A Lesser-Known Church Father
Typically depicted with a turban and a thin and grave bearded face, Aphrahat is not high in most people’s list of Christian authors. Scholars, however, find him interesting for several reasons. For one, he lived in the Persian Empire where he faced different challenges than the most renowned church fathers. Besides, his writings, being in Syriac (a semitic language similar to the Aramaic spoken by Jesus), are considered free of the Greek influences that permeated western churches.
Aphrahat (a version of today’s name Farhad) was born around the year 270, most likely around ancient Niniveh, in today’s Iraq. The region, ruled by the Sassanian Emperor Shapur II, stood as a rival to the power of Rome.
Many Christians in that region endorsed an ascetic-monastic life, and Aphrahat was not different. He became known as “the Sage” for the wisdom of his teachings. Today, we have a collection of these teachings in 23 homilies, called Demonstrations. Little is known of his life. He was probably leading a monastery and might have been ordained bishop.
The Demonstrations are divided into subjects, such as faith, humility, love, prayer, monastic life, and wars. His language is simple and his writings are impregnated with Scriptures.
In the conclusion to his book, he describes himself as “a disciple of the Holy Scriptures.”[1]
The Unique Position of Christians in the Persian Empire
I first became interested in Aphrahat while reading Mark W. Graham’s 30 Key Moments in the History of Christianity. Graham sees Aphrarat as a representative of a key moment most church history books omit: the uncomfortable position of Christians in an empire where ties with western churches were viewed as treason. This position became more precarious when Emperor Constantine called himself as a patron of Christians everywhere, including those in the Persian Empire. This provoked a series of persecutions (particularly intense between the years 340 and 372) where many Persian Christians lost their lives.
First-hand records show that Christians in the Persian Empire were not always united in their political views and actions. The first and most famous Persian martyr, Simeon bar Sabbae, urged his flock to refrain from paying a tax meant to support Emperor Shapur’s war against Rome. Some Persian bishops were also implicated in the conveyance of crucial communications across the frontier. On the other hand, there is an account of a Persian Christian condemning this kind of behavior, and he was probably not the only one. The persecution ended with the death of Shapur II in 379.
In this context, Aphrahat wrote of the Roman Empire as the Kingdom of the Messiah and Shapur II as the last wicked king. He based his views on his interpretation of the Book of Daniel. Graham, however, points out that Aphrahat was humble, acknowledging that he might be wrong and that his writings were not the final word on this matter.
In fact, Aphrahat concludes his homily on wars with a warning: “Know that, as concerning the word of God no man has reached or will reach its end. …. But hear these things from me, and also enquire about them of our brethren, children of our faith.” In other words, compare different views.
“But whosoever shall mock at the words of his brother, even if he say, mine are wise, yet hearken not to his words. And concerning what I wrote to you about these forces that are being stirred up to war, it is not as though anything has been revealed to me that I have made known these things to you, but attend to the words at the head of the letter: ‘Every one who exalts himself shall be humbled.’”
Most importantly, he wanted his readers to remember: “For even if the forces shall go up and conquer, yet know that it is a chastisement of God; and though they conquer, they shall be condemned in a righteous judgment. But yet be assured of this, that the beast shall be slain at its (appointed) time. But, my brother, be earnest at this time in imploring mercy, that there may be peace upon the people of God.”[2]
Pastoral Writings
Most of Aphrahat’s writings aim at encouraging fellow believers. His collection aptly starts with a homily on faith, which Aphrahat sees as the starting point of the Christian life.
“Faith is composed of many things, and by many kinds is it brought to perfection. For it is like a building that is made up of many pieces of handicraft and rises to the top. And know, my beloved, that stones are laid in the foundations of the building, and resting upon these stones the whole building rises until it is perfected. In the same way, the true Stone, our Lord Jesus Christ, is the foundation of all our faith. And on Him, on this Stone faith is based. And resting on faith all the structure rises until it is completed. For it is the foundation that is the beginning of all the building. …. And this building cannot be shaken by the waves, nor can it be injured by the winds. By the stormy blasts it does not fall, because its structure is reared upon the rock of the true Stone.”[3]
For Aphrahat, faith is the first to rest on the Foundation, which is Christ. Obedience follows: “For first a man believes, and when he believes, he loves.”[4] Everything else, Aphrahat says, springs from faith: prayer, love, charity, meekness, humility, holiness, wisdom, hospitality, patience, and much more.
Aphrahat’s Demonstrations reflect his pastoral heart and his humble reverence of the Scriptures. While his language might not always have the theological precision we expect to find in this type of writings, it is direct and to the point. And he constantly reminds his readers that the Christian virtues they desire are solidly founded on Christ and never an end to themselves. They are, in fact, always checked with their higher goal of love for God and neighbor.
[1] Aphrahat, Demonstrations, 22:26, New Advent https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3701.htm.
[2] Aphrahat, Demonstrations, 5:25.
[3] Aphrahat, Demonstrations, 1:2
[4] Aphrahat, Demonstrations, 1:3
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