Near East Collections: Syriac Studies

Syriac is a language which once flourished on the Mesopotamian plateau. A dialect of Aramaic, Syriac was widely used during much of the first millenium of the common era. Syriac speaking communities could be found in what today would be Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, India, Central Asia, China, and Mongolia. Sources in Syriac hold immense value for increasing our historical understanding of the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Asia. In particular, Syriac sources document key moments in the development and interaction of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and other religions of Late Antiquity. - from Syriaca.org

Today, Syriac is the liturgical language of a few Christian communities: The Syriac Orthodox Church, The Assyrian Church of the East, The Maronite Syriac Church, The Chaldean Catholic Church, The Syriac Catholic Church, and the various churches of the St. Thomas Christians in India. Syriac is also witnessing an expansion in Western universities. Since the late 1980s, the University of Oxford has offered a Master’s Degree in Syriac studies, and the University of Birmingham is following suit. Additionally, a Ph.D. in the language is obtainable at Mahatma Gandhi University in Kerala, India. In most major universities where it is taught, Syriac is classified in either the Semitic or religious studies departments. - from bethmardutho.org