Giving a Voice to Mary in Syriac Liturgical Tradition

About the speaker:

Sebastian Brock is Emeritus Reader in Syriac Studies in Oxford University; having taught previously at Birmingham (UK) and Cambridge Universities, he moved to Oxford in 1974, where he taught Aramaic and Syriac for the following thirty years, retiring in 2003. He has written extensively on Syriac literature and on the history and theology of the different Syriac Churches. Among his publications are The Syriac Fathers on Prayer and the Spiritual Life, The Luminous Eye: the Spiritual World Vision of St Ephrem, Bride of Light: Hymns on Mary from the Syriac Churches, Fire from Heaven: Studies in Syriac Theology and Liturgy, St Ephrem: Hymns on Paradise, The Bible in the Syriac Tradition, Treasure-House of Mysteries: Explorations of the Sacred Text through Poetry in the Syriac Tradition, and Isaac of Nineveh (Isaac the Syrian), Headings on Spiritual Knowledge; he was also editor and main author of The Hidden Pearl. The Syrian Orthodox Church and its Ancient Aramaic Heritage (three volumes with a Documentary). He has worked closely with the St Ephrem Ecumenical Research Institute (SEERI) in Kottayam (Kerala, India), and served as an academic advisor for PRO ORIENTE's Syriac Dialogue. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, and was awarded the Medal of St Ephrem by the late Syrian Orthodox Patriarch, HH Moran Ignatius Zakka Iwas. He is the recipient of Honorary Doctorates from several different Universities.