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St. Aphraates lived during the early 4th century and was the first of the Syriac Church fathers. This means that he wrote, not in Greek like the New Testament authors and nearly all of the Church fathers before him, but in a dialect of the Aramaic language that was the native tongue of Jesus and the apostles. He was a celibate monk and attached great importance to prayer and self-denial. Ironically, at the time that the Roman emperor had finally legalized Christianity, St. Aphraates found himself within the boundaries of the Persian empire which undertook in his lifetime a fierce persecution of Christians. The writings of St. Aphraates throw great light on the early Christian community in Persia, and he is often known as the "Persian Sage."
The Fathers of the Church - Who They Are and Why They Matter
In a single, upbeat talk, full of examples and fascinating stories about some of the Church's most intriguing personalities, Marcellino D'Ambrosio explains who people are talking about when they refer to the "Fathers of the Church" or "Early Church Fathers. Though the ranks of the fathers include a tremendous variety of cultures, locales, and personalities, there is surprising consensus that emerges from them on a variety of the most pressing questions of our day. In this dynamic talk, available on CD or audiocassette, Marcellino makes clear just how much these figures have to teach us.
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