On Wednesday of the First Week of Lent our Church invites us to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of Exodus (10:21---11:10) entitled "The plague of darkness and the warning of the plague to be visited upon the firstborn". Our treasure, which follows, is from a demonstration by Aphraates, bishop.
Among the early Syriac Christian authors, Aphraates, known as the "Persian Sage," stands at the head of the tradition. What little we know about his life comes largely from his own writings. He appears to have been born to pagan parents in the late third century, likely near the frontier of the Persian Empire. After converting to Christianity, he embraced the ascetical life and was eventually raised to the episcopate, at which time he took the Christian name Jacob.
A later manuscript describes him as bishop of the Monastery of Mar Mattai, situated near modern Mosul. The surviving ruins of this ancient monastery testify to its long historical significance. Aphraates seems to have spent most of his life there. While the date of his death is unknown, the historian Barhebræus places him in the era of Papas I, which aligns well with internal evidence dating his literary activity to roughly A.D. 337–345.
Aphraates' legacy consists of twenty-three works known as the Demonstrations. These writings, presented as responses to a friend's inquiries, combine moral instruction with theological reflection. They are of exceptional importance as the earliest surviving documents of the Syriac Church. Beyond their linguistic value, they provide rich insight into doctrine, liturgical practice, and ecclesial life in the fourth century.
Theologically, the Demonstrations are deeply significant. Aphraates clearly affirms beliefs recognizable within Catholic tradition, including the Divine Motherhood of Mary, her perpetual virginity, the primacy of Peter, and the reality of the sacraments (with matrimony notably absent from explicit mention). His teaching on the Holy Eucharist is unmistakable: it is the true Body and Blood of Christ. In treating penance, he portrays the priest as a spiritual physician, emphasizing the necessity of confessing sins and the priest's obligation to confidentiality. Because his works are saturated with scriptural citations, they also serve as valuable witnesses to the early canon of Scripture and the methods of biblical interpretation in the Mesopotamian Church.
The Book of Exodus, the second book of the Pentateuch, takes its name from a Greek word meaning "departure," highlighting the defining event of Israel's history: the Lord's deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt. Its Hebrew title, Shemoth — "Names" — comes from its opening line, reminding us that God's saving work unfolds within real history, among real persons whom He knows and calls.
Exodus continues the sacred story where Genesis ends. The descendants of Jacob, once welcomed in Egypt, find themselves oppressed and enslaved. Into this suffering, God reveals Himself not as distant, but as the One who hears the cry of His people. Through Moses, He performs mighty works, freeing Israel and leading them through the Red Sea — an event the Church has long recognized as a powerful foreshadowing of Baptism and redemption.
Yet liberation is only the beginning. At Mount Sinai, God establishes His covenant with Israel. The Law (torah) given through Moses is not merely a set of rules but the framework of a relationship. God saves first; then He teaches His people how to live in the freedom He has given. The moral, civil, and ritual laws form Israel into a holy nation, called to reflect God's own holiness before the world.
