▁Part icular ly ▁influ ential ▁were ▁his ▁H ym ns ▁Again st ▁Her es ies . ▁E ph rem ▁used ▁these ▁to ▁warn ▁his ▁f lock ▁of ▁the ▁her es ies ▁that ▁threatened ▁to ▁divide ▁the ▁early ▁church . ▁He ▁l ament ed ▁that ▁the ▁faithful ▁were ▁" t oss ed ▁to ▁and ▁fro ▁and ▁carried ▁around ▁with ▁every ▁wind ▁of ▁doctrine , ▁by ▁the ▁c unning ▁of ▁men , ▁by ▁their ▁craft iness ▁and ▁dece it ful ▁w iles ." ▁He ▁de vised ▁h ym ns ▁l aden ▁with ▁do ctr inal ▁details ▁to ▁in oc ulate ▁right - th inking ▁Christians ▁against ▁her es ies ▁such ▁as ▁doc et ism . ▁The ▁H ym ns ▁Again st ▁Her es ies ▁employ ▁colour ful ▁met aph ors ▁to ▁describe ▁the ▁Inc arn ation ▁of ▁Christ ▁as ▁fully ▁human ▁and ▁divine . ▁E ph rem ▁as ser ts ▁that ▁Christ ' s ▁unity ▁of ▁human ity ▁and ▁div inity ▁represents ▁peace , ▁per fection ▁and ▁salv ation ; ▁in ▁contrast , ▁doc et ism ▁and ▁other ▁her es ies ▁sought ▁to ▁divide ▁or ▁reduce ▁Christ ' s ▁nature ▁and , ▁in ▁doing ▁so , ▁rend ▁and ▁de value ▁Christ ' s ▁follow ers ▁with ▁their ▁false ▁teach ings . ▁ ▁E ph rem ▁also ▁wrote ▁verse ▁hom il ies ▁( , ▁m êm r ê ). ▁These ▁ser m ons ▁in ▁poetry ▁are ▁far ▁fewer ▁in ▁number ▁than ▁the ▁m adr ā š ê . ▁The ▁m êm r ê ▁were ▁written ▁in