St. Ephrem Icon 5x7

ICON TITLE:                                   “St. Ephrem the Syrian”

ICONOGRAPHER                           Kathleen Bordo Crombie

SYNOPSIS:                                     

This icon is based on a 16th-century drawing of a Russian icon. St. Ephrem the Syrian was a monk who was a great teacher, preacher, writer, and submitted himself to pious living and the study of Sacred Scripture.  He was a deacon during his lifetime and proclaimed a Doctor  of the Church by in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV.

As a monk, he  was called by God to pray for the world.  As a Deacon of  the Church, a writer of poetic hymns, a teacher and preacher of the  faith, he was called to bring Christ’s message to all people.  Tradition tells us that Deacon Ephrem was known to have been the custodian and “keeper” of the Chair of Peter -- the symbol of St. Peter’s authority, which is traditionally encased in the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter in St. Peter’s Basilica.

While writing this image the iconographer prayerfully discerned the following:   In this icon, St. Ephrem does not try to divert his gaze from ours – the direction is very deliberate.  He looks us directly in the eye calmly, yet authoritatively, conveying that he knows the truth and  proclaims it unabashedly. 

The monk’s habit symbolizes poverty, humility and simplicity.  The hood, worn up in this image, symbolizes St. Ephrem’s separation from the world and his desire to serve God. The scroll symbolizes scholarly knowledge.  The words written on the scroll are those of St. Ephrem  himself – he understands he is a sinner who begs for God’s love and  mercy with a contrite heart.  

The variations of the color brown symbolize poverty and the aesthetic life.  The variations of the color black represents sin and death. Earth reds point to spiritual purification.   Gold symbolizes divinity and all that is holy. White is light and glory.  Green represents hope.  St. Ephrem the Syrian, pray for us.  Amen.