ination ▁of ▁these ▁works , ▁and ▁many ▁are ▁still ▁tre as ured ▁by ▁some ▁churches ▁as ▁authentic . ▁ ▁The ▁best ▁known ▁of ▁these ▁writ ings ▁is ▁the ▁P ray er ▁of ▁Saint ▁E ph rem , ▁which ▁is ▁rec ited ▁at ▁every ▁service ▁during ▁Great ▁L ent ▁and ▁other ▁fast ing ▁periods ▁in ▁Eastern ▁Christian ity . ▁ ▁V ener ation ▁as ▁a ▁saint ▁ ▁So on ▁after ▁E ph rem ' s ▁death , ▁legend ary ▁accounts ▁of ▁his ▁life ▁began ▁to ▁circul ate . ▁One ▁of ▁the ▁earlier ▁" mod ifications " ▁is ▁the ▁statement ▁that ▁E ph rem ' s ▁father ▁was ▁a ▁pag an ▁priest ▁of ▁Ab nil ▁or ▁Ab iz al . ▁However , ▁internal ▁evidence ▁from ▁his ▁authentic ▁writ ings ▁suggest ▁that ▁he ▁was ▁raised ▁by ▁Christian ▁parents . ▁▁ ▁The ▁second ▁legend ▁attached ▁to ▁E ph rem ▁is ▁that ▁he ▁was ▁a ▁mon k . ▁In ▁E ph rem ' s ▁day , ▁mon astic ism ▁was ▁in ▁its ▁inf ancy ▁in ▁Egypt . ▁He ▁seems ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁a ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁members ▁of ▁the ▁c oven ant , ▁a ▁close - kn it , ▁urban ▁community ▁of ▁Christians ▁that ▁had ▁" c oven anted " ▁themselves ▁to ▁service ▁and ▁had ▁ref rained ▁from ▁sexual ▁activity . ▁Some ▁of ▁the ▁Sy ri ac ▁terms ▁that ▁E ph rem ▁used ▁to ▁describe ▁his ▁community ▁were ▁later ▁used ▁to ▁describe ▁mon astic ▁communities , ▁but ▁the ▁assertion ▁that ▁he ▁was ▁a ▁mon k ▁is ▁an ach