The Pneumatology of Ephrem the Syrian
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Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Dissertations, Theses, and Professional Dissertations (2009 -) Projects Fire in the Bread, Life in the Body: The Pneumatology of Ephrem the Syrian David Kiger Marquette University Follow this and additional works at: https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Kiger, David, "Fire in the Bread, Life in the Body: The Pneumatology of Ephrem the Syrian" (2020). Dissertations (2009 -). 913. https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu/913 FIRE IN THE BREAD, LIFE IN THE BODY: THE PNEUMATOLOGY OF EPHREM THE SYRIAN by David Wesley Kiger, B.C.M, B.Th., M.Div. A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Milwaukee, Wisconsin May 2020 ABSTRACT FIRE IN THE BREAD, LIFE IN THE BODY: THE PNEUMATOLOGY OF EPHREM THE SYRIAN David Wesley Kiger, B.C.M., B.Th., M.Div. Marquette University, 2020 The fourth century debates about the status and personhood of the Son later expanded to reflections on the status and person of the Holy Spirit. In this dissertation I examine the pneumatology of Ephrem the Syrian, who is often over-looked in discussions about fourth century pneumatology. I argue that Ephrem displays a high pneumatology that fits within the broad contours of the pro-Nicene movement. I begin with a discussion of Ephrem’s Syriac heritage and focus on the themes and language surrounding the Holy Spirit in pre-Nicene Syriac texts. Pre-Nicene Syriac authors speak about the Spirit’s role in liturgical practices, often using feminine or maternal language to describe the Spirit’s work. I proceed then to a discussion of the grounding principle of Ephrem’s theology, the concept of true and borrowed names. Ephrem’s focus on divine names shows a clear concern for and response to the theology of Eunomius and Aetius. The logic that Ephrem uses to combat Eunomius’s understanding of divine names bears a marked similarity to Basil’s logic in Contra Eunomium. Next, I assert that Ephrem affirms the unity of divine operations in the Trinity because of his assertion that the Holy Spirit participates in the act of creation. Ephrem does not believe that the Holy Spirit is the “wind/spirit” that hovers of the primordial waters in Gen. 1:2b, because creation does not proceed from those waters. In addition, he does affirm the Spirit’s creative action in the waters of baptism. Because Jesus left the Spirit to his followers after his ascension, Ephrem believes that the locus of the Holy Spirit’s activity is the life of the church. In the sacraments the Holy Spirit forgives sin and creates new believers, thus performing the same actions as the Father and Son. Lastly, in his most vivid image of the Trinity, Ephrem affirms that God is the undiminished giver, who is present to all without suffering loss in God’s self. God’s presence is evident in the life of Christians by the presence of the Holy Spirit who is present everywhere without diminishing. Ephrem’s pneumatology affirms several key pro-Nicene commitments without recourse to the same exegetical traditions. Such an affirmation highlights that the transmission of orthodox theological ideas, based upon the common sources of the Bible and sacraments, integrated into the contexts beyond the traditional Latin and Greek divide. i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS David Kiger, B.C.M., B.Th., M.Div. Arriving at the end of this process feels more surreal than I had imagined. The writing process is lonely and difficult. Even though the end has felt beyond my capacity for understanding, my thanks for those who have helped and encouraged me along the way is ever present. How can words do justice to the depth of gratitude I have for the many, many people who have made this project possible? My thankfulness to those who have helped me on my journey through the dissertation process and throughout my academic career reaches beyond what I can articulate in words. I would like to first thank Marquette University for giving me the opportunity to study theology at the doctoral level. The theology department at Marquette has been a source of continual intellectual inquiry, spiritual comradery, and career development. Upon arriving in Milwaukee, it was a joy to discover not only colleagues, but friends. I thank my dissertation committee Dr. Michel Barnes, Dr. Jeanne-Nicole Mellon Saint- Laurent, Dr. Deirdre Dempsey, and Dr. Marcus Plested for their reading of this dissertation, their guidance of my academic journey, and their instructive comments on writing and scholarship. My writing is stronger because of their persistence, my scholarship is better because of their questions, and, I hope I am a better person because of their guidance. From my directors Drs. Barnes and Saint-Laurent I have learned that the hard work of scholarship bears intellectual fruit that outweighs the many unforeseen burdens of academic life. I am most grateful for their passing on a passion for the study of the early church and its theology. I am grateful to my colleagues at Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan, their graciousness toward me as I finished this project was an undeserved kindness. It has been a tremendous joy to return and work with my M.Div. thesis directors and professors, but now as colleagues. I want to thank Dr. Miriam Perkins for her consistent encouragement, her mentorship, and friendship. Without her gracious prodding I may not have finished writing. I also wish to thank Dr. Paul Blowers for his listening ear and passion for the early church; Mr. Gary Daught and the rest of the Milligan Libraries staff for their patience with me as I navigate balancing scholarship and theological librarianship. I am grateful to my predecessor at Emmanuel, Mr. John Mark Wade, for his support of my work as a scholar and librarian. I also wish to thank Dr. David Marwede for his kindness and support during our cherished lunch time conversations. Hannah, my wife, has been a source of continual optimism amidst the flurries of doubt. She is the person who helps translate my garbled thoughts into English, without her not much of what I want to say would be readable. I thank God for bringing her into my life and for the love and care she shows to every task to which she sets herself. She has carried the weight of my struggles and been my confidant and companion, without her, there is no way I could have finished. I want to thank my family, especially my parents, who have been a consistent source of encouragement to me in my academic pursuits. Lastly, my grandpa died while I began this dissertation. In many ways his life is the reason I am on the path of theology ii that I find myself. When I wrote my statement of purpose as I applied to Marquette, I began with a reference to him and his ministry as a holiness movement preacher. It seems only fitting that as I close out my time at Marquette I thank my grandpa for always reminding me of the grandeur and goodness of God, for inspiring me to hope for the best in people, and for his consistent repetition of the words from St. John, “Greater is the One that is in you, than the one that is in the world.” iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................ i TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................... iii TABLE OF ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 Present Status of the Problem .............................................................................. 9 Ephrem’s Life and Works .................................................................................. 13 Outline of the Dissertation ................................................................................. 18 CHAPTER ONE: PRE-NICENE SYRIAC SPIRIT LANGUAGE................................. 24 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 24 The Sources and Origins of Pre-Nicene Syriac Theology ................................... 28 Themes in Pre-Nicene Syriac Spirit-Language ................................................... 37 Feminine and Maternal Language.......................................................... 37 Hovering and Bird Imagery.................................................................... 45 Liturgical Language ............................................................................... 49 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 55 CHAPTER TWO: EPHREM’S THEOLOGY OF DIVINE NAMES AS ARTICULATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT’S DIVINITY ............................................ 57 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 57 Ephrem on the Reality Behind Names................................................................ 59 Divine Names as Essential for Faith .................................................................. 65 Divine Names and the Persons of the Trinity ..................................................... 75 iv Proverbs 8:22 and the Hiddenness of God ............................................. 75 True Names for Father and Son ............................................................