A fitting contribution to Gorgias Liturgical Studies, Sebastian Brock’s Holy Spirit in the Syrian Baptismal Tradition is a sensitive and evocative treatment of an issue key to any liturgical tradition—that of the role of the Holy Spirit in worship. With a keen awareness of the tradition of Syrian Christianity, Brock begins his exploration with the concept of ruha d-qudsha and the role of the Holy Spirit in the Syriac Bible.A striking aspect of this ancient liturgical tradition is the imagery used for the Spirit, including that of a compassionate mother, fire, and olive oil (myron, used for anointing), as well as the more common image of a dove. Next Brock considers the various sources of the imagery including the East Syrian/Chaldean; Syrian Orthodox and Catholic; Maronite and Melkite traditions. He also summarizes commentaries and other Syriac literature on the rite of baptism, touching on Syriac literature from Late Antiquity and works translated from the Greek that bear on the issue. Considering the vehicle and nature of the gifts of the Spirit, Brock provides the distinctive fullness of this concept for readers in these traditions. The study includes a discussion of the invocation over the water and oil, and their symbolism of the Spirit, as well as the Holy Spirit in the Eucharistic setting and in regard to the Virgin Mary. Baptism and Pentecost are compared, and the study concludes with the role of anointing in the post-baptismal life of the Christian.

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.