Saint Ephrem the Great of Matskveri (IX)
Saint Ephrem the Great of Matskveri was a disciple and fellow-struggler of Saint Grigol of Khandzta (commemorated 5 October).
Travelling to Abkhazia on church business, Grigol “by the will of God… found in Kartli the boy Ephrem, a worthy youth, who in worthiness was seen to have attained perfect manhood in holiness, and in holiness to be bishop of Atskuri, a wonderworker”. On his way back Grigol took the boy Ephrem with him to Khandzta together with Arsenius (commemorated 25 September) and entrusted them to his fellow labourers Christopher and Theodore (commemorated 5 October) to be brought up.
The appearance of the boys in the house of Khandzta caused discontent among the brethren, because this was forbidden by the rule of the monastery. The monks said to the Venerable Grigol: “All thy deeds are beyond reproach save this, that thou hast brought these boys; and the rule established by thee will be turned against thee in times to come, to our condemnation. Though our heart is without fear for the present, yet this thing is outside the rule; and now this is our word, O holy one of God.” The Venerable Grigol told the brethren that he had done everything by divine revelation: “Christ God made known to me by the mouth of a holy angel all that concerns them: that as Ephrem the Syrian and Arsenius the Roman, withdrawn from men and drawn near to God, so shall these worthy boys be brought up without blemish at Khandzta until the time of their honour.”
The Venerable Ephrem was installed as bishop of Atskuri. He was the greatest labourer of the Church of Georgia of that time. At the church council gathered in Javakheti, which was to decide whether Arsenius should remain on the throne of the catholicos or step down, one of the foremost bishops, whose word carried decisive weight, was none other than Ephrem of Matskveri. Ephrem was the leader of that party of bishops and clergy which demanded the deposition of Arsenius, who had been unlawfully enthroned as catholicos. The members of the council expected a true judgement from him, and so they asked him to speak first: “Give answer, what is fitting.” The Venerable Ephrem said in obedience: “Where Father Grigol is, there I will not presume to speak.” Grigol of Khandzta explained to the fathers of the Church and to the organiser of the council, Guaram the Mampali, that Arsenius had become catholicos of Georgia by the will of God, “but Mirian his father made it blameworthy by untimely haste, as Adam ate that fruit which was not yet ripe”. After the council the love between Ephrem and Arsenius was renewed.
Saint Ephrem made the greatest contribution to the final establishment of the autocephaly of the Church of Georgia. Through his help the Church of Georgia received the right to consecrate the holy chrism at Mtskheta. Before this the primates of the Church of Georgia received the holy chrism from the Church of Antioch (according to the research and conjecture of Archbishop Anania Japaridze, the Georgian Church was already boiling and consecrating the chrism at Mtskheta in the fourth century, and only the aromatic substances of “the holy chrism” were brought from Antioch).
For forty years Saint Ephrem governed the see of Atskuri. He had been granted by God the gifts of foresight, of working miracles and of healing.
Saint Ephrem the Great of Matskveri reposed in deep old age. Those who came to his holy relics with faith were healed of many kinds of sickness.
