Circumcision of the Heart

Treasures of Our Faith with Deacon Richard Vehige · Feb 25, 2026 · 6m

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…