Harmonius
Antioch & Syriawriter
Who he was
- He was Bardaisan’s son, who continued the work of his father. He introduced Platonist concepts.
- St. Ephraem when perceived that the Syrians were charmed with the melodious versification of Harmonius,
he composed similar poems in accordance with the doctrines of the Church, and sacred hymns in praises of holy men. From that time, the Syrians sang the odes of St. Ephraem according to the method indicated by Harmonius.
What he wrote
- He was the first to compose verses in his vernacular language, he delivered them to choirs, and even now the Syrians frequently sing, not the precise verses written byHarmonius,but others of the same meter.
- He was not free from the errors of his father concerning the soul, the generation and destruction of the body, and the doctrine of transmigration. He introduced some of them into the lyrical songs which he composed.