The most important poet-theologian of the ancient Syriac Church, St. Ephrem wrote many works that are still in use today. While many of his theological and poetic works are widely available in translation, finding some of his works in the original Syriac has hitherto been difficult for the non-specialist. In this handsome volume, twenty of Ephrem the Syrian’s poems are arranged in compliance with the saint’s understanding of salvation history. These poems, starting with paradise and running through the sacramental life of the church, are a proficuous introduction to the thought of Ephrem. After the general introduction to the saint and his writings, the poems are presented in Syriac with updated English translations on facing pages. The translations are annotated, providing the reader with additional information on the meaning of the poems. For more scholarly readers, an index of the main editions of Ephrem’s work and a substantial bibliography are provided. For anyone interested in the history of early Christianity, or in the life and work of one its important early figures, this book will be heartily welcomed.

Sebastian P. Brock was born in 1938 and studied Classics (Greek and Latin) and Oriental Studies (Hebrew and Aramaic) at Cambridge University before doing a DPhil. at Oxford University on the text of the Septuagint. He has taught at the Universities of Birmingham, Cambridge, and (from 1974 until his retirement in 2003) Oxford, where he was Reader in Syriac Studies. He has published extensively in the field of Syriac and has edited a number of new texts.

George A. Kiraz is the founder and director of Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute, and the president of Gorgias Press. He earned an MSt in Syriac Studies from Oxford University, and an MPhil and PhD from Cambridge University. He has an extensive list of publications in Syriac studies.