研究敘利亞基督宗教苦修主義的著名學者Arthur Vööbus曾指出，第四世紀敘利亞基督宗教的獨身苦修風潮受到摩尼教的二元論影響。然而，重新檢視當時教父亞弗拉哈特與厄弗冷的作品，卻顯示出與Arthur Vööbus假說不同之風貌。由亞弗拉哈特的作品《證道》可知，獨身乃依循希伯來先知傳統，是效法基督之最佳生活方式。獨身的誓願在洗禮時許下，亞弗拉哈特以希伯來聖經中的「聖戰」意象來闡釋洗禮，指出獨身修行者應與世俗分判，並時時為神備戰。獨身修行者藉著洗禮恢復貞潔，在現世即表徵出末世復活的生命－如天使一般，不娶不嫁。厄弗冷的詩文亦讚揚獨身是效法基督，而獨身修行者接受洗禮、穿上基督，即是恢復亞當未墮落之前的狀態(亦即，貞潔)。在亞弗拉哈特與厄弗冷的作品中，獨身修行者皆被表徵為將聖經的典範體現在其肉身上，獨身修行非但沒有貶低身體，反而是舉揚身體，並無摩尼教二元論式對物質世界的鄙棄意味。

Arthur Vööbus assumed that the extreme ascetic practices of the fourth century Syriac Christian tradition, including celibacy, were influenced by Manichean dualism. Yet a close reading of the work of Aphrahat and Ephrem, two of the most prominent church fathers at the time, will demonstrate otherwise. In Aphrahat's Demonstrations celibacy was presented, in line with the Hebrew prophetic tradition, as the best lifestyle for following Christ (or, ihidaya, a singular form in Syriac, meaning ＂the single one,＂ and in particular ＂the only begotten Son of the Father＂). In imitating Christ and Christ's ascetic lifestyle, ihidaye (the plural) or convenanters whole-heartedly dedicated themselves to Christ with the baptismal vow. Aphrahat employed the image of ＂holy war＂ from the Hebrew Bible to speak of baptism, which aimed at reminding ihidaye to separate themselves from the world and remain on alert as God's warriors. Being restored to the virginal state of Adam before the Fall through baptism, ihidaye prefigured the angelic life of the eschatological time in which there will be no marriage. Ephrem likewise praised celibacy as imitation of Christ. Ephrem's poetry also depicted that at baptism ihidaye were ＂clothed with Christ,＂ a symbolic event which represented their return to the prelapsarian Adamic state (i.e., virginity). Both Aphrahat and Ephrem believed that ihidaye embodied the biblical ideal of the elevation of the body. This view shows no influence of Manichean dualism.