MAR NARSAI OF EDESSA, THE HARP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (FEB. 13TH)

Mar Narsai of Edessa, a Harp of the Holy Spirit

By Bp. Joseph (Ancient Church of the West)

In the golden age of the Church of the East, a figure arose whose words resonated like the strings of a harp touched by the hand of God. Mar Narsai, the fifth-century theologian, poet, and bishop, remains one of the most celebrated teachers and hymnographers of the Church of the East. Born around AD 399 in the region of Ma‘alta in the northern Persian Empire, he lived during an era of great theological ferment, marked by the Councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon and the rising tensions between the Eastern and Western Churches that resulted in schism and division. Into this confusion and distress, Narsai sang hymns of praise to God and encouraged those around him to take refuge in the Mystery of Christ’s Incarnation!

Orphaned at a young age, Narsai was brought to Edessa, the jewel of Syriac Christianity, where he immersed himself in the study of Scripture, theology, and Greek philosophy at the famed School of the Persians. There, he encountered the works of the expositor and interpreter, Theodore of Mopsuestia, best friend of St. John Chrysostom, whose exegesis would profoundly shape his own theological outlook. Under the influence of the Antiochene tradition, Narsai developed a Christology that emphasized the distinction between Christ’s two natures, divine and human, united in one complete and indivisible person, at once taking Chalcedon seriously and on the other hand, making the return of Monophysites theologically possible. 

When political and theological conflicts in Edessa forced the closure of its school in AD 489, Narsai fled eastward into the Persian Empire. Under his leadership, the relocated School of Nisibis became the intellectual and spiritual heart of the Eastern Church, earning its place as the Eastern equivalent of Alexandria and Constantinople. As its principal, Narsai established a rigorous curriculum grounded in biblical exegesis, liturgical theology, and pastoral instruction. His students would go on to fill the ranks of the Church of the East’s clergy, ensuring that his influence endured long after his death.

Mar Narsai was as much a poet as he was a theologian. His writings, which number hundreds of metrical homilies and hymns, earned him the title "Harp of the Holy Spirit." In these compositions, he explored the mysteries of creation, salvation, and the sacraments, weaving together a vision of divine grace and human response. His meditations on the Eucharist, baptism, and the Incarnation reflect the profound liturgical piety of the ancient Syriac tradition. He saw the sacraments as the means by which Christ’s redemptive work continues in the life of the Church, a theme that resonated deeply in the worship of the faithful.

A staunch defender of the Antiochene tradition of St. John Chrysostom, Mar Narsai’s theology set him apart from both Leontius of Constantinople’s political compromise of Neo-Chalcedonian theology and the innate Monophysitism of Alexandrian Christology. He opposed the fundamentalist reception of the teachings of St. Cyril of Alexandria and upheld the formulations of the ancient School of Antioch, emphasizing that the humanity of Christ must be fully preserved if the Incarnation is to be meaningful and salvific for humankind, the only way that we could partake of the Divine Nature in our human bodies and have a resurrected, enfleshed and fully human eternity with God. While this placed the Eastern Church at odds with some of the Western world, it also solidified its distinct identity, rooted in the Persian Empire, the canonical reality of being excluded from the Roman “Oikumen,” and turned its focus beyond these boundaries to the rest of the unevangelized world.

In his later years, Mar Narsai was consecrated as a bishop, though his pastoral labors were eclipsed by his monumental contributions as a teacher and writer. He died around AD 502, leaving behind a Church strengthened by his theological clarity and enriched by his poetic legacy, which still shines in the East Syriac liturgical inheritance. His writings continue to inspire, not only for their intellectual depth but for their beauty and devotion.

Today, Mar Narsai is remembered as one of the great lights of the Christian East, a harp whose strings still sing the praises of the Incarnate Word. His feast day, celebrated in the Church of the East, the Chaldean Church, and the various Indian Apostolic Churches, is a testament to his enduring significance as a theologian, poet, and shepherd of souls. 

COLLECT 

O Almighty God, Who didst fill Thy servant Mar Narsai with wisdom and eloquence to proclaim the mysteries of Thy power and grace: Grant that we, following his holy example, may rejoice in the knowledge of Thy Truth, and be led by Thy Spirit into the fullness of Thy love through the Mystery of the Holy Incarnation and the Blessed Humanity of Thy Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord, who is ever One Person in the fullness of both the Divine and Human Natures - inseparable, indivisible, without confusion, and fully present for the salvation of Adam’s race; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.