This volume, intended for general readers, but especially Catholic Americans and for Americans of Syrian descent, covers the history and characteristics of the Maronite Church. Introductory chapters touch on the regions of its birthplace, Syria and Mt. Lebanon, on Aramaic, and on early Syrian liturgies. Subsequent parts of the work trace the Maronites’ interaction with other Christian denominations and with Muslims. The period of the Crusades and into the 16th century are also discussed in particular, before the last half of the book covers in some detail more recent centuries, with a final chapter on relations with Rome. A number of photographs of personalities are included. There are not a great number of works in English dealing with Maronite history, but this volume, now made easily available, can be added to that number.

• Series Foreword (page 5)
• PREFACE (page 8)
• CONTENTS (page 14)
• CHAPTER I : SYRIA AND MOUNT LEBANON (page 17)
• CHAPTER II : ARAMEAN, THE LANGUAGE OF SYRIA (page 30)
• CHAPTER III : EARLY SYRIAN LITURGIES (page 34)
• CHAPTER IV : GREEK VS. SYRIAN INFLUENCE IN ST. MARON'S TIME (page 37)
• CHAPTER V : CONVENT OF ST. MARON (page 46)
• CHAPTER VI : THE ROMAN EMPIRE BEFORE THE MOHAMMEDAN INVASION (page 51)
• CHAPTER VII : THE MOHAMMEDAN INVASION (page 54)
• CHAPTER VIII : MARONITES AND MELCHITES (page 59)
• CHAPTER IX : ST.JOHN MARON (page 62)
• CHAPTER X : THE MARONITES BEFORE THE COMING OF THE CRUSADERS-700 TO 1096 A.D. (page 69)
• CHAPTER XI : MONOPHYSITISM AND MONOTHELITISM AND THE MARONITE CHRUCH (page 75)
• CHAPTER XII : MARONITES AND CRUSADERS (page 80)
• CHAPTER XIII : MARONITE-MOHAMMEDAN WARS AFTER CRUSADERS' DEPARTURE (page 86)
• CHAPTER XIV : THE MARONITES OF THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY (page 92)
• CHAPTER XV : MARONITES OF THE FIFTEENTH AND SIXTEENTH CENTURIES (page 96)
• CHAPTER XVI : SIXTEENTH CENTURY-CIVIL AND POLITICAL CONDITION OF THE MARONITES (page 108)
• CHAPTER XVII : THE MARONITES OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY (page 111)
• CHAPTER XVIII : STEPHEN DOUITHEE. PATRIARCH (page 114)
• CHAPTER XIX : PROMINENT MEN AND WRITERS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY (page 118)
• CHAPTER XX : POLITICAL CONDITIONS IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY (page 120)
• CHAPTER XXI : LITERARY REVIVAL IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY (page 125)
• CHAPTER XXII : THE LEBANESE COUNCIL 1736 (page 134)
• CHAPTER XXIII : PATRIARCHS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY (page 137)
• CHAPTER XXIV : FIRST HALF OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY EMIL BECHIR (page 142)
• CHAPTER XXV : THE SEMINARY OF AIN-WARKA (page 150)
• CHAPTER XXVI : REVIVAL OF LITERATURE IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY (page 160)
• CHAPTER XXVII : POLITICAL REVIVAL-JOSEPH BEY (page 182)
• CHAPTER XXVIII : JOHN HAJ, PATRIARCH (page 188)
• CHAPTER XXIX : RELIGIOUS CONGREGATIONS, NATIVE SEMINARIES, COLLEGES (page 190)
• XHAPTER XXX : FOREIGN SEMINARIES AND COLLEGES (page 194)
• CHAPTER XXXI : ELIAS HOYEK, PATRIARCH (page 196)
• CHAPTER XXXII : RELATIONS WITH HOLY SEE (page 201)
• ERRATA (page 211)