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The Church Fathers

Aphrahat the Persian Sage

Syriac & Oriental Theology · 345

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67 passages of commentary across 23 books.

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A few passages

For the name of Divinity is given for the highest honor in the world, and with whomsoever God is well pleased, he applies it to him. But however, the names of God are many and are venerable, as he delivered his names to Moses, saying to him, "I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. This is my name…

And when the holy One called Moses from the bush he said thus to him: "I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob." When Death heard this utterance, he trembled and feared and was terrified and perturbed and knew that he had not become king forever over the children of Adam. From the hour that he heard God saying to Moses, "I am the God of Abraham, of…

Furthermore, we must prove that this Jesus was beforehand promised from ancient times in the prophets and was called the Son of God. David said, "You are my son; today I have begotten you." Again he said, "In the glories of holiness, from the womb, from of old, I have begotten you, a child." And Isaiah said, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is…

Now we see that Tyre was inhabited and was opulent after it had "wandered seventy years," and after it had received the reward of its prostitutions.

Moses wished by his priestly power to absolve Reuben from his transgression and sin, in that he had lain with Bilhah, his father's concubine, so that when his brothers should rise, he might not be cut off from their number. So he said in the beginning of his blessing, "Reuben shall live and not die and shall be in the number."

In petition one asks for mercy for one's sins, in thanksgiving you give thanks to your Father who is in heaven, while in praise you praise him for his works. At a time when you are in trouble, offer up petition, and when you are well supplied with good things, you should give thanks to the Giver, and when your mind rejoices, offer up praise. Make all…

And with regard to Babylon Jeremiah said, Babylon shall fall and shall not rise. And behold! To this day it continues in desolation and will do so forever.

For if the days of a man should be as many as all the days of the world from Adam to the end of the ages and he should sit and meditate upon the holy Scriptures, he would not comprehend all the force of the depth of the words. And man cannot rise up to the wisdom of God.

Daniel said, "The saints of the most High shall receive the kingdom." What shall we say concerning this? Have the children of Israel received the kingdom of the most High? God forbid. Or has that people come on the clouds of heaven? This has passed away from them. For Jeremiah said concerning them, "Call them rejected silver, for the Lord has rejected…

For the rain and the snow do not return to heaven but accomplish in the earth the will of him that sends them. So the word that he shall send through his Christ, who is himself the Word and the Message, shall return to him with great power. For when he shall come and bring it, he shall come down like rain and snow, and through him all that is sown shall…

No one should suppose that there is another God, either before or afterwards. He said, "From age to age," just as Isaiah said, "I am the first and I am the last." And after God had brought forth Adam from within his thought, he fashioned him, and breathed into him of his Spirit and gave him the knowledge of discernment so that he might discern good from…

Purity of heart constitutes prayer more than do all the prayers that are uttered out loud, and silence united to a mind that is sincere is better than a loud voice of someone crying out. My beloved, give me now your heart and your thought, and hear about the power of pure prayer; see how our righteous ancestors excelled in their prayer before God and how…