A selection of articles by Martin van Bruinessen on the role of religion, religious organisations and figures in the social and political life of the Kurdish society.

Does God take into account only the physical act, or does He also consider intention? Does inward motivation truly matter in the areas of criminal or cultic law? Were there differences between the biblical, hellenistic and rabbinic views on intention? This book explores what the Old Testament, Philo, and the early Rabbis thought about human intentionality in a legal context.

The dating of some Archaic Biblical Hebrew poems to the late second millennium – early first millennium BCE on the basis of a handful of linguistic forms in common with second millennium Ugaritic and Amarna-Canaanite texts is brought into question. This critique highlights the problems with the arguments and hypotheses presented in the literature, and concludes that there is no compelling evidence to support the use of linguistic data for dating purposes.

Severus of Antioch was the Patriarch of Antioch and a moderate Miaphysite. Sergius the Grammarian is a lesser-known figure, but the content of his letters demonstrates that he was a more extreme Miaphysite. The early 6th century correspondence between the two consists of a set of three letters apiece and an apology by Sergius. Made available in Syriac along with Torrance’s translation, these letters are an important part of the working out of concerns associated with the Council of Chalecedon.

This book speaks of the internal struggle that arose within the Syrian Orthodox Church in the twentieth century.

Linked by a common geography and claim to the true religion, Christians and Muslims had a long history of interreligious discourse up to the Crusades. These faith communities composed texts in the form of dialogues in light of their encounters with one another. This book surveys the development of the genre and how dialogues determined he patterns of conversation. Each chapter highlights a thematic feature of the literary form, demonstrating that Christian and Muslim authors did not part ways in the first century of Islamic rule, but rather continued a dialogue commending God’s faithful believers.

This is a brief history of the life of the School of Nisibis, its teachings, traditions, and influence.

An essay expounding the historical rise and decline of the Theological School of Antioch.

A summary of the difficulties of the conversion of Islam and a seven-point program to overcome them.

This work is a lifetime’s collection by Edward Carpenter, resigned Anglican clergyman, socialist, and sexual reformer, on the history of pagan cults and Christianity.

An account of the Crusades from the Syrian perspective as detailed by the priest Isaac Armala. A non-Western account of the epic battle perfect for students of history.

The present work is a brief essay that provides a basic introduction to the Syrian Orthodox Church. This volume includes the essay in five languages: Arabic, German, Dutch, Turkish, and English.

Daniel of Salah’s Commentary on the Psalms was one of the foundational exegetical and theological works of the developing Syriac miaphysite tradition. The present volume presents the Syriac text of Daniel’s commentary in vocalized Serto script.

The “Nestorian Monument” or “Nestorian Stele” is a fascinating attestation of the work of Syriac-speaking missionaries in sixth-century China. Commemorating the diffusion of Christianity in China from 635-781, the inscription was erected in the latter year as a public monument. The inscription in Chinese, supplemented with some Syriac, provides a brief outline of Christian doctrine and provides an account of how Christianity came to China. This book offers an English translation of the monument along with the original language text.

One of the first great popular presentations of geology; presents geology as consistent with and supporting revelation.

The history of the Reformation, from its roots in medieval reform movements to the Counter-Reformation. Clear, opinionated, and detailed. Lengthy bibliographic appendix