Monumenta Syriaca. Volume 1

The Monumenta Syriaca set offers collections of Syriac texts edited from Vatican manuscripts. Vol. 1 contains homilies from Ephrem, Isaac of Antioch, Jacob of Sarug, Isaac of Nineveh, John Saba (i.e. of Dalyatha), John of Dara, a brief commentary on the Lord’s prayer by Gregory Nazianzen, and a sermon by John Chrysostom on poverty and riches. Brief annotations to the texts are given at the beginning of the volume. Vol. 2 presents a variety of Syriac texts, including fragments on the lives of Julian, Damasus, Irenaeus; a commentary on Song of Songs; exegetical fragments of Mar Marutha; fragments from Ephrem on various biblical passages; Jacob of Sarug on Mar Sharbil; a martyrdom from Karka d-Bet Slok; and finally, Jacob of Sarug's memra on the chariot that Ezekiel saw, which the editor gives in Syriac as well as in an Arabic translation on facing pages. G. Bickell, in the preface to vol. 2, includes some brief remarks on Mösinger’s life and work and also gives a modest number of annotations to the Syriac texts published in the book. The set will provide Syriac readers with a number of texts unavailable elsewhere