Hymns on Abraham Kidunaya and Julianos Saba

Title

Hymns on Abraham Kidunaya and Julianos Saba

Creator

Mor Ephrem the Syrian

Date

c. 306-373 AD

Description

Saint Ephrem the Syrian sang the praises of Aram. He prized her even above ‘her companion’ land, as Ephraem calls the historical ‘Holy Land’, and he addressed Aram directly as he spoke of the glories of her saints whose festivals were resounding within her as he wrote. He said,

"May myriads of tongues give thanks for our country,
in which Abraham and his son Jacob walked,
Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel too,
even the eleven chiefs of the tribes.

It was out of your treasury Zion grew rich in the sons of Jacob.
Our country’s name is greater than her companion’s name,
for in her Levi, the chief of the priests, was born,
Judah too, the chief of the royals,
and Joseph, the child who went on to become
the lord of Egypt; in light from you the whole world is alight.

For the new sun which has arisen in creation,
from Judah, who was born in our country, has also risen
and been reflected within our country, albeit he made his light shine from Bethlehem. Since from you the beginning
shone forth, in you too is the end enriched."

Language

Syriac-Aramaic & English translation.

Publisher

Des Heiligen Ephraem des Syrers Hymnen auf Abraham Kidunaya und Julianos Saba [Translation]

Volume 2 of the Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium series, published in Louvain, 1972.

Syriac Manuscript Witnesses
et (2): ms Londres, British Library, Add. 14592, f. 80v-81 1

ms Dar‘un-Harissa, Dayr al-Sharfeh, Résidence patriarcale syrienne catholique, Rahmani 118 = Sony 205

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