Hymns on paradise cover

Hymns on paradise

by Saint Ephraem Syrus

In his cycle of 15 Hymns on Paradise, St Ephrem the Syrian weaves a profound theological synthesis around the Biblical narrative in Genesis 2 and 3. In this fine Christian poetry, the author expresses his awareness of the sacramental character of the created world, and of the potential of everything in it to act as a witness and pointer to the Creator. God's two witnesses, says Ephrem, are, "Nature, through man's use of it, [and] Scripture, through his reading it." In his writing, Ephrem posits an inherent link between the material and spiritual worlds.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?