Aphraate le Sage Persan (vers 260-345)
Aphrahat was one of the first Syriac Church Fathers. He grew up and lived in the region of Nineveh-Mosul, probably in the monastery of Mar Mattai. Today this region is in Iraq and is the focus of current political concerns in relation to the devastation caused by the Islamic State and the expulsion of the Christians. This violence recalls the persecution of Christians under Sapor II, the Sassanid, King of Persia (310-379) in the time of Aphrahat.
The name “Aphrahat” occurs frequently in Syriac nomenclature, however we do not know much about this individual's life, except that his parents were pagans and he came to occupy a senior position in the local ecclesiastical hierarchy.
He is described as Persian because he lived in the Persian Sassanid Empire, and the title of Sage is based on the fact that he was the author of 33 treatises variously described by the experts as Demonstrations, Revelations, Homilies, or Chapters .They are elegantly organised in parts of equal length, ordered according to the Syriac alphabet, and divided into two groups. The first consists of 10 treatises, the second 13, the 13th being a conclusion. Aphrahat expresses himself in a didactic way, in line with his probable role as a bishop, evidenced in Demonstration 16, which is apparently a synodal letter[1] . He respects the freedom of spiritual conscience of each of the faithful, without going so far as to propose positive ecclesiastical law susceptible to giving false guarantees in relation to salvation.
Here we are studying the sixth Demonstration, dedicated to the “Bnay Qeyama”, that is to say the Sons and Daughters of the Covenant, to whom the treatise seems to be directed (Demonstration 22, 25).
Many specialists, in particular during the Orientalist revival in Europe in the 19th century and notably the historians of monachism, have taken an interest in the “Bnay Qeyama”.Their origins are obscure, but their way of life resembles that of certain Jewish organisations, notably the Essenians[2] . Sébastien Brock sees in this phenomenon an original “proto-monachism” representing a fledgling Syriac monachism. However he rejects the idea of any foreign, including Egyptian, influence.
Marie-Joseph Pierre suggests a more audacious hypothesis which throws more light on the make up of this collective. She speaks of an Order which brought together men and women entirely dedicated to the service of the Church and engaging in the rigorous practice of aesthetic traditions. The word “Order” suggests something stronger than the descriptions “covenant” or “alliance” which are more generally used, and describes an organisation or, rather, a body subject to regulation. These regulations governed recognised members united by a solemn decision to belong. The tenets of this body recall the order of doctors subject to the Hippocratic oath; or a religious Order whose members make vows. These people lived alone or in twos or threes in buildings tied to the Church. Thus they formed a sort of brotherhood, a class of “voluntary devotees” who worked to ensure the continuation of local liturgy. They acted as guardians to the church, singing psalms, supervising the reading of scripture, giving the catechism.
Aphrahat's sixth Demonstration, moreover, offers guidance on the life of this group. One can discern in it the characteristic traits of Syriac asceticism, even the constituents of monachism which prepare the way to mysticism. Monachism presupposes the gift of faith. This is acceptance of the mystery of salvation conceived by God for man. It is true that this gift is given to all Christians. But the monk must bear witness to it in all areas of life. The monk must always be ready for martyrdom, and if this does not happen, he must live his daily life according to the words of St Paul “exposed to death” (1Cor. 15, 31).
Faith is the foundation,“it is the base of the whole edifice. If a person accedes to faith, he is placed on the stone, that is Lord Jesus the Messiah. His edifice will not be destroyed by floods, nor damaged by winds, it will not fall down in tempests, for his edifice is raised on the rock of the true stone” says Aphrahat. Monachism is founded on that indestructible faith.
According to Aphrahat, love consolidates faith and strengthens the consecrated life. Christ shows us this in superabundance, and his miracles prove it. As it is the accomplishment of the Law of the Prophets, it is also the accomplishment of the word of the gospels which guide the path of monks. It feeds their commitment. The monk feels the force of the love given to the apostles over all evil and all sickness. This love is transmitted to them “through their hands”. It triumphs over every obstacle.
Monachism consists in following Christ, imitating Him and separating oneself from the world, for He is “the way, the truth, and life” (John 14: 6). The “sequela Christi” constitutes at once a condition of and a mark of Christian monachism. Aphrahat insists on this in many places in his Demonstrations, affirming that: “Let us be strangers to the world as the Messiah was” (John 17: 14). He also adds: “Let us leave the world, which is not of us, to arrive where we are invited”. Christ commanded this, saying: “Leave the world and turn towards Him” (Matt. 19: 16-22). This appeal by Jesus opens the way to the vocation of a disciple: “Anyone wishes to be a follower of mine must leave self behind, he must take up his cross, and come with me.” (Matt. 16: 24).
A monk is someone who freely consents to take up the cross and accept all sacrifices. On many occasions Aphrahat uses the term Yoke of Sanctity to signify ascesis, sacrifice and monastic rules. The monk is compared to a hero; he is an athlete who readies himself for combat. “It is solitary men,” he says “who must fight, because they have their face turned to what is in front of them.”
All subsequent monastic rules use the term 'combat'. Aphrahat employs it because of the struggle that the ascetic must undergo in order to acquire virtue and become a new man. Its use is appropriate to the context of the persecution he lived through and the martyrdom it engendered. To engage in this hard struggle the ascetic must fortify himself and commit to practices such as fasting, prayer, penitence, humility, reading and meditation. Aphrahat sees these ascetic practices in a gentle and measured way and emphasises the dispositions of the heart over outward show.
Fasting is a gateway to ascesis. It aids in the mastery of bad bodily habits and in the purification of the soul. In the Old Testament, the prophets and Moses practised it before undertaking important action. In the gospels, Jesus practised it before beginning his ministry. “Pure fasting is precious before God and it is guarded as treasure in Heaven. It is armour against Evil[3] , a buckler which repels the deeds of the Adversary[3]” adds Aphrahat, referring to Saint Paul (Eph 6, 14-16).
Aphrahat recommends continuous prayer. It establishes a dialogue with the Saviour. It should be meditative and performed with concentration supported by permanent alertness. He addresses the ascetic, saying: “Above all, be assiduous in your prayers without cease....be assiduous in remaining alert, shake off somnolence and heaviness, be alert day and night without discouragement” (Luke 18, 1). This prayer unveils 'mysteries' and brings the ascetic to an angelic state[4] reserved for mystics. He ordains prayer according to three modes: “There is intersession, action of grace, and praise”. The ascetic practices penitence and asks for pardon for his sins. He should live in a state of perpetual conversion. This is the remedy for all evils and heals the wounds of combat. The ascetic remains celibate and lives in chastity. He awaits the arrival of the Bridegroom.
Permeated by his reading of the Bible, Aphrahat uses gentle, simple but instructive and expressive language. He coins the term “Ihidoyo, Ihidoyo” in the singular and plural, meaning solitary. These live in the midst of people, there are no longer any monasteries to retire to where they can live in a community. They are divided into two categories: the celibates who must maintain their celibacy, and if they cannot, it is better that they marry, and the married who should abstain from conjugal relations, and if they cannot, it is better that they live a conjugal life. These solitaries serve the church, principally in teaching and liturgy.
While it is difficult to be sure that these solitaries who maintain celibacy or continence and who practice asceticism are monks, they truly represent the most ancient form of monachism and through their ascetic practices, though reading and contemplation, they open the way to a type of mysticism.
