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APHRAHAT (early 4th cent.), the first of the Syriac Church Fathers. He was an ascetic, evidently holding some important ecclesiastical office, and lived through the persecution of the Sasanid king, Shapur II (310–79). Our knowledge of him comes from 23 ‘Demonstrations’ (inaccurately known as his ‘Homilies’), the first 10 of which were completed in 337, the next 12 in 344, and the final one in 345. The first 22 are arranged on an acrostic plan, each beginning with a different letter of the alphabet, and give a survey of the Christian faith. The 23rd, in the nature of an appendix, is a short treatise ‘On the berry’ (Is. 65:8). His writings show that he attached importance to asceticism, esp. celibacy, and that, at least in intention, he was orthodox in his theology. His works throw valuable light on early Christianity in Persia and on the text of the NT. He was known as ‘the Persian Sage’ and at an early date was confused with Jacob of Nisibis, to whom the early Armenian translation of his works is attributed.
Syr. text of Homilies ed. by W. Wright (London, 1869) and, with Lat. tr., by J. Parisot, OSB (Patrologia Syriaca, Pars I, vols. 1–2; 1894–1907). Fr. tr., with introd. and notes, by M.-J. Pierre (SC 349 and 359; 1988–89); Eng. tr. of Homm. by K. Valavanolickal (Catholic Theological Studies of India, 3; Changanassery, Kerala; 1999 ff.). Eng. tr. of eight Homm. by J. Gwynn in NPNCF, 2nd ser., 13 (1898), pp. 345–412, and of nine (mainly different) Homm. and some fragments by J. Neusner, Aphrahat and Judaism (Studia Post-Biblica, 19; Leiden, 1971), pp. 19–119. E. J. Duncan, Baptism in the Demonstrations of Aphraates the Persian Sage (Catholic University of America Studies in Christian Antiquity, 8; 1945). T. Baarda, The Gospel Quotations of Aphrahat the Persian Sage, 1: Aphrahat’s Text of the Fourth Gospel (Amsterdam diss., 2 vols., 1975). P. Bruns, Das Christusbild Aphrahats des persischen Weisen (Hereditas, 4; Bonn, 1990). Bardenhewer, 4, pp. 327–40; I. Ortiz de Urbina, SJ, Patrologia Syriaca (2nd edn., Rome, 1965), pp. 46–51, with full bibl. I. Hausherr in Dict. Sp.. 1 (1937), cols. 746–52, s.v.; R. W. Owen in E. Ferguson (ed.), Encyclopedia of Early Christianity (2nd edn., 1997), pp. 71 f., with bibl.; A. Vööbus, in RAC, Suppl. 1 (2001), cols. 497–506, s.v., with biblThis Webpage was created for a workshop held at Saint Andrew's Abbey, Valyermo, California in 1990