January 28 (February 10). Ephraim the Syrian
Saint Ephraim the Syrian lived in the 4th century. He was born in Nisibis to poor but pious parents. When he was still a child, God revealed to his parents his future greatness. They saw as if a grapevine grew from Ephraim’s mouth, spread out, and filled the whole earth with its branches and fruit. Birds came and ate the fruit. In his youth, Ephraim did not live entirely piously and doubted God’s Providence. Finally, admonished by a vision, he left the world and withdrew to the desert. There, under the guidance of St. Jacob, who later became Bishop of Nisibis, he practiced the ascetic life and studied Holy Scripture. Jacob took St. Ephraim with him to the First Ecumenical Council. After Jacob’s death, he moved to Edessa in Syria, where he labored in the desert, from which he received the name “the Syrian.” Approaching the city, St. Ephraim asked God to send him a person from whom he could learn, and he met a harlot woman. The woman stared intently at him. “Why are you looking not at the ground, as a woman should, but at me?” asked Ephraim. “I am looking at you,” the woman replied, “because woman was taken from man; but you look not at me, but at the ground from which man was taken.” St. Ephraim was convinced and understood that the Lord was admonishing him through the mouth of a sinner not to despise sinners. To one discerning elder in the desert, a vision was granted that an angel placed a scroll in the mouth of St. Ephraim. This vision revealed in St. Ephraim a God-illumined teacher and prompted him to labors for the common good. A multitude of people began gathering at his solitary cave, desiring to hear instruction from him. In addition to oral conversations, St. Ephraim taught in writing as well. He began to be burdened by fame and wanted to hide in a dense forest, but a holy angel appeared to him and stopped him. After this, St. Ephraim began going to the city and instructing the people. With his wise speeches, he converted many heretics to the truth. Stubborn heretics were irritated by St. Ephraim’s reproving words and once nearly killed him to death with stones. No matter how spiritually great St. Ephraim was, he considered himself the least of all and traveled to various places to learn from great desert dwellers and renowned teachers. For this purpose, he visited St. Basil the Great. Basil wanted to ordain Ephraim as a presbyter, but he in no way agreed to accept this highly responsible rank; however, Basil nevertheless ordained him a deacon. Later, St. Basil invited Ephraim to an episcopal see, but he took upon himself the role of a fool-for-Christ and thereby declined the great rank, which he considered himself unworthy of due to humility. St. Ephraim possessed the gift of working miracles. He reposed in 373. St. Ephraim left behind many works—both theological, exegetical, and moral. But he spoke and wrote most of all about heartfelt compunction. Constantly remembering death and the terrible Day of Judgment, he himself shed bitter tears. The moving Lenten prayer: “O Lord and Master of my life,” was composed by St. Ephraim.
Saint Isaac the Syrian was born in eastern Syria approximately at the beginning of the 6th century. In his youth, he entered the monastery of Mar Mattai together with his own brother. At one time, this monastery numbered up to seven thousand monks. Having attained the proper degree of perfection, Saint Isaac withdrew to the desert for the sake of silence, while his brother became the abbot of that monastery and in his letters constantly urged his brother to return to the monastery for the benefit of the other monks.
When the fame of the ascetic reached Nineveh, the inhabitants of that city desired that St. Isaac become their bishop. After much persuasion, against his own will, he submitted to the will of God and accepted the sacred rank. Once, two men who had a serious dispute between them came to the venerable one with a request to resolve their quarrel concerning the repayment of a debt. However, they did not accept his advice to forgive one another, as the holy Gospel teaches. To this, St. Isaac replied: “If there is no place for the Gospel here, then what am I to do here?” Leaving the see, he secretly withdrew to the desert, returning to the labors of his beloved silence. The venerable father reposed in the 7th century.
Saint Ephraim of Novy Torg (also known as Novotorzhsky), a Hungarian by birth (Ugrin), was the equerry to St. Prince Boris. After the murder of Boris and of his servant, Boris’s brother George, Ephraim accepted monasticism. He built a cell near Torzhok in the Tver province, along with a hospice for travelers. When the Lord glorified the relics of the holy martyr-princes Boris and Gleb, he built a church in their honor and founded a monastery attached to it. Later, people began to settle around the church for trade, and the place was called the New Market: thus Novy Torg (Torzhok) was formed. St. Ephraim reposed in 1053; the head of his brother George, which he had kept with him until his death, was placed in the coffin with him. The relics of St. Ephraim were found incorrupt in 1572.
Saint Palladius labored near Syrian Antioch; he lived in the late 4th century. Near his cell, the body of a murdered merchant was discovered; robbers had robbed and killed him, then thrown the body by the saint’s cell to accuse him of the murder. But through the prayer of St. Palladius, the dead man was raised to life to testify to his innocence and reveal the guilty party. St. Palladius worked many other miracles as well.