Bar Hebraeus’s Book of the Pupils of the Eye is a "compendium of logic dealing with the essential points of Aristotle’s Organon" (from the introduction). It is essentially a textbook for beginners, a precursor to the more thorough work Book of the Cream of Wisdom, often called the Book of the Wisdom of Wisdom . Herman Janssens’s introduction provides the reader with insight into the history of the use of classical literature in later medieval Syriac literature and education. It also includes a careful discussion of the extant texts for this work. The critical reproduction of the Syriac text makes this work available to Syriac students and scholars. The philosopher and the historian will be intrigued by the status and use of Aristotle’s work at this time as well as Bar Hebraeus’s treatment of the material.

Herman F. Janssens was one time professor at the University of Liége in Belgium. He is known for his study of Bar Hebraeus’s philosophical thought and a work on Ibn Batuta, both appearing in French.