This book is a collection of articles written by the eminent scholar and Syrian Orthodox Patriarch Ephrem Barsaum. The “Lighthouse” in the book is meant to refer to the thought of Patriarch Barsaum: like a lighthouse, every researcher, scholar, or reader of Syriac must turn towards it for guidance. The articles in this volume display Barsoum’s characteristic erudition and scholarly thoroughness and cover a wide variety of topics, all related to the history of the various Syriac-speaking churches and the churches of Antioch, in addition to other Middle Eastern Churches. Included are articles on the following topics: the Eastern Churches and their traces in Middle Eastern culture, the spread of Christianity and its geographical expansion, Christianity among the Arabs, the election of Dionysios of Tell Mahre, the issue of sun worshippers, the discovery of the Girdle of the Virgin Mary in Hims, and the discovery of an East Syrian monastic inscription near Jericho. Barsoum’s deep familiarity with Syriac sources and history make his work an extremely useful resource for contemporary scholars and this volume has done the tremendous service of assembling articles in one place which otherwise would be nearly impossible to access. The volume is also valuable to the layperson with an interest in the history of Middle Eastern Christianity. An introduction by Bishop Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim provides detailed information about the life and times of Patriarch Barsoum and includes a table which lists, village by village, the losses experienced by the Syrian Orthodox community in the massacres which took place during the First World War.