A grammar, reader, and glossary ÒSyriac, the language of the Christian Aramaeans, who had their headquarters in Edessa in northern Mesopotamia, is, in the first place, historically important, since it was through the medium of Syriac literature that Christian and philosophic learning passed to the Arabs and Persians, and even to India and China. In the second place, as a member of the North-Semitic group of languages, Syriac has a certain linguistic importance . . . [with regard to] the relation of Aramaic to Hebrew and Phoenician.Ó --from the Introduction

Classical Syriac is the third language of early Christian literature after Greek and Latin, and as a dialect of Aramaic it has a special relationship with the words of Jesus. This sixth edition of the classic textbook continues to provide a clear introduction to the language, with larger text and improved explanations.