is unlikely that this institution existed so early.
The homilies of Aphraates are intended to form, as Professor Burkitt has
shown, "a full and ordered exposition of the Christian faith." The
standpoint is that of the Syriac-speaking church, before it was touched
by the Arian controversy. Beginning with faith as the foundation, the
writer proceeds to build up the Structure of doctrine and duty. The
first ten homilies, which form one division completed in 337, are
without polemical reference; their subjects are faith, love, fasting,
prayer, wars (a somewhat mysterious setting forth of the conflict
between Rome and Persia under the imagery of Daniel), the sons of the
covenant (monks or ascetics), penitents, the resurrection, humility,
pastors. Those numbered 11-22, written in 344, are almost all directed
against the Jews; the subjects are circumcision, passover, the sabbath,
persuasion (the encyclical letter referred to above), distinction of
meats, the substitution of the Gentiles for the Jews, that Christ is the
Son of God, virginity and holiness, whether the Jews have been finally
rejected or are yet to be restored, provision for the poor, persecution,
death and the last times. The 23rd homily, on the "grape kernel" (Is.
lxv. 8), written in 344, forms an appendix on the Messianic fulfilment
of prophecy, together with a treatment of the chronology from Adam to
Christ. Aphraates impresses a reader favourably by his moral
earnestness, his guilelessness, his moderation in controversy, the
simplicity of his style and language, his saturation with the ideas and
words of Scripture. On the other hand, he is full of cumbrous
repetition, he lacks precision in argument and is prone to digression,
his quotations from Scripture are often inappropriate, and he is greatly
influenced by Jewish exegesis. He is particularly fond of arguments
about numbers. How wholly he and his surroundings were untouched by the
Arian conflict may be judged from the 17th homily--"that Christ is the
Son of God." He argues that, as the name "God" or "Son of God" was given
in the O.T. to men who were worthy, and as God does not withhold from
men a share in His attributes--such as sovereignty and fatherhood--it
was fitting that Christ who has wrought salvation for mankind should
obtain this highest name. From the frequency of his quotations,
Aphraates is a specially important witness to the form in which the
Gospels were read in the Syriac church in his day;