raph al ▁works ▁in ▁his ▁name . ▁He ▁has ▁been ▁called ▁the ▁most ▁significant ▁of ▁all ▁of ▁the ▁f athers ▁of ▁the ▁Sy ri ac - spe aking ▁church ▁tradition . ▁ ▁Life ▁E ph rem ▁was ▁born ▁around ▁the ▁year ▁ 3 0 6 ▁in ▁the ▁city ▁of ▁N is ib is , ▁Mes op ot am ia ▁( mod ern ▁N us ay bin , ▁Turkey ), ▁then - re cent ly ▁acquired ▁by ▁Rome . ▁▁ ▁In ternal ▁evidence ▁from ▁E ph rem ' s ▁h ymn ody ▁suggests ▁that ▁both ▁his ▁parents ▁were ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁growing ▁Christian ▁community ▁in ▁the ▁city , ▁although ▁later ▁h agi ograph ers ▁wrote ▁that ▁his ▁father ▁was ▁a ▁pag an ▁priest . ▁N umer ous ▁languages ▁were ▁spoken ▁in ▁the ▁N is ib is ▁of ▁E ph rem ' s ▁day , ▁mostly ▁dialect s ▁of ▁Ar ama ic . ▁The ▁Christian ▁community ▁used ▁the ▁Sy ri ac ▁dialect . ▁The ▁culture ▁included ▁pag an ▁relig ions , ▁J uda ism ▁and ▁early ▁Christian ▁sect s . ▁ ▁Jacob , ▁the ▁second ▁bishop ▁of ▁N is ib is , ▁was ▁appointed ▁in ▁ 3 0 8 , ▁and ▁E ph rem ▁grew ▁up ▁under ▁his ▁leadership ▁of ▁the ▁community . ▁Jacob ▁of ▁N is ib is ▁is ▁recorded ▁as ▁a ▁sign atory ▁at ▁the ▁First ▁Council ▁of ▁Nice a ▁in ▁ 3 2 5 . ▁E ph rem ▁was ▁bapt ized ▁as ▁a ▁youth ▁and ▁almost ▁certainly ▁became ▁a ▁son ▁of ▁the