Despite having been written over a century ago, the 3rd edition of Rubens Duval's History of Syriac Literature remains one of the best - and most readable - introductions to Syriac literature. This edition provides the first English translation of the work, translated by Olivier Holmey.

Syriac literature is first and foremost an ecclesiastical literature, and most of the works that have come down to us were penned by clergymen and theologians. Its origins are closely tied to the evangelisation of Mesopotamia, which began at Edessa, and would eventually place the city at the center of an intellectual movement that encompassed both religious and scientific study. The Bible was soon translated into Syriac, the language of Edessa, and Syriac then spread as an ecclesiastical literary language. Syriac literature includes poetry and chronicles documenting the dissensions, polemics and religious controversies of the Christian world, as well as compositions on the lives of biblical figures and hagiographical works on the acts of martyrs. Syriac translations preserved a number of works of which the originals are - in part or in full - lost. Greek works on philosophy, medicine, grammar and lexicography were transmitted in Syriac translations, as well as Pahlavi adventure and romance narratives.

Part I deals with Syriac literature by genre, and Part II provides a chronological overview of Syriac authors. This English edition also benefits from an index of names.