Jobi Patteruparampil: Regula Fidei in St. Ephrem's Sermones de Fide IV and Hymni de Fide VI

In search for the particularity of the “creedal expressions” (Regula fidei) in Syriac tradition (cf. our doctoral dissertation: Early Syriac Creeds: From Rule of Faith to Creed in Early Syriac Tradition), it is necessary to turn our attention to the sermons and Hymns of St. Ephrem. Though there have been many studies done on the historical and theological aspects of these Sermons and Hymns, we find hardly any study on “creedal expressions” in recent scholarship. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to examine the elements of regula fidei in Ephrem’s works, especially in the Sermones de Fide IV and in the Hymni de Fide VI, which provide us with knowledge of expressions of faith in Syriac tradition of the fourth century. We try to achieve this, first of all, by situating the homily and hymn in their historical and theological context, secondly, by exploring the formulation of the rule of faith and finally, by exposing the uniqueness of this rule of faith and its implications for Syriac tradition.