Saint Ephraim, Patriarch of Antioch

Life

In the time of the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius, Ephraim was the military governor of the eastern territories. Known to all for his great piety and mercy, and therefore greatly esteemed. When it was necessary to rebuild Antioch, which had been destroyed by earthquake and fire, the emperor appointed Governor Ephraim to oversee this work. Ephraim fulfilled his duty with diligence and love. Among the ordinary workers and masons there was a certain bishop who, for unknown reasons, had left his episcopacy and was working as an ordinary laborer, and no one knew that this man was a bishop. One day this man lay down to rest from heavy labor with the other workers and fell asleep. And Governor Ephraim looked and saw a pillar of fire extending from that man up to the heavens. Amazed and awestruck, Ephraim then summoned that man and made him swear to tell who he was. The man long hesitated but finally confessed that he was a bishop and prophesied to Ephraim that he would soon be consecrated as Patriarch of Antioch (the patriarchal see was vacant, as the old Patriarch Euphrasius had perished in the earthquake). And indeed, in those days Ephraim was elected and consecrated as patriarch. Because of his goodness, purity, and zeal for Orthodoxy, God gave him a great gift of wonderworking. Once, in order to convince a heretic that Orthodoxy is true, he placed his omophorion in the fire and prayed to God. And the omophorion stood in the fire for three hours and remained unharmed. Seeing this, the heretic was horrified and rejected his heresy. Saint Ephraim ended his life in peace in the year 540 and departed to the Kingdom of God.

From the Hymn of Praise

Saint Ephraim, full of piety,Was a soldier against impiety,Against sinful heresies and follies,But for the Church that Christ redeemed