In the world of Syriac literature theology is often framed in the form of poetry. In this volume of TeCLA, a set of anonymous dialogue poems, is presented in both the original Syriac and in English translation. Dialogue poems, as the name implies, are poetic conversations between literary characters, often historical personages. Four poems are included in this collection, the first three dating from late fourth or early fifth centuries, and the final one likely from the medieval period. Besides being works of liturgical artistry, these poems were also intended as teaching tools. In the namesake piece of this volume the dialogue is between Mary and Gabriel, the angel of the annunciation. The second dialogue occurs between Mary and Joseph, and the third between Mary and the Magi. These three poems are grouped around the events of the annunciation and nativity. The fourth poem, Mary and the Gardener, is situated at the opposite end of Jesus’ ministry, namely, the resurrection. These poems are here translated and introduced by Sebastian Brock, a leading authority on the Syriac language. Useful for students interested in the poetry of early Christianity or for scholars of Syriac, this set of poems will be a welcome addition to this important series.

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.