Aphrahat

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Aphrahat ( Syr. ܐܦܪܗܛ, Greek Ἀφραάτης ), the Persian sage (* probably between 260 and 275; † shortly after 345), is the oldest Syrian church father . He was an ascetic , a member of the Covenant Sons , possibly a bishop at the time of the Sassanid persecution of Christians .

Works

We have received 23 homilies from Aphrahat in Syrian. Homilies 1–10 ( demonstrations ) are addressed to the federal sons and deal with ascetic questions such as faith, fasting, prayer, penance, humility, etc. The other homilies of the thinker, who was strongly influenced by rabbinic Judaism, are mostly directed against the numerous Jews in the western Persian Empire and their criticism of Christianity. He polemicizes against their ideas of the holidays, circumcision, virginity of Mary and the divinity of Jesus. He quotes the Gospel according to Diatessaron , Catholic letters and the Apocalypse are not part of the Bible for him.

theology

What is remarkable about his work is that he developed his own Christology , independently of the dispute over the doctrine of Christ on two natures that was rampant in the Roman Empire . Influences like the Council of Nicea and its offshoots did not reach Eastern Syria until over 100 years later. Aphrahat is also not yet influenced by the ideas of Greek philosophy. Apharahat's Christology is strongly based on the Old Testament Adam and sees him like Jesus as perfect beings, since they were created directly by God. In Christ, Aphrahat recognizes the perfect human being, since he let God dwell in him like a temple. His being thus carried out a metaphysical change towards perfection, which was lost through Adam . One can emulate this perfection in a life of asceticism and complete devotion to God.

At Aphrahat one can find a detailed account of the descent of Christ into the underworld , which was of great importance for the Syrian Christology of his time (cf. Homily 22).

literature

Translations

  • Demonstrationes / instructions, Fontes Christiani 5 / volume 1 + 2 (translated and introduced by Peter Bruns ), Freiburg / Basel a. a. 1991, ISBN 3-451-22206-X and ISBN 3-451-22111-X
  • Apharat's, the Persian sage's homily (translated and approved by Georg Bert), Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1888.
  • Selected writings of the Syrian church fathers Aphraates, Rabulas and Isaak v. Nineveh . (Translated and incorporated by Gustav Bickell , BKV 38), Kempten 1874.

Secondary literature

  • Diana Juhl: The asceticism in the Liber graduum and Afrahat: a comparative study on early Syrian piety. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1996
  • Peter Bruns : Aphrahat's Christ image of the Persian Wise , Bonn: Borengässer 1990.
  • Leo Haefeli: Stylistic devices at Afrahat , Zurich 1932.
  • Ignatius Ortiz de Urbina: The deity of Christ at Aphrahat , Rome 1933.

Web links

Wikisource: Aphrahat  - Sources and full texts