A historical dictionary between two Semitic languages, Cardahi’s Syriac-Arabic dictionary was among the first attempts to bring together the classical languages of Eastern Christianity and Islam. Consistently referred to by subsequent Arabists, this lexicon has become a well-known reference book.
Among the major contributions made by Gabriel Cardahi to Syriac studies was his massive Syriac-Arabic Dictionary, published in two volumes. A standard reference work for any scholar working in comparative linguistics between Syriac and Arabic, this historic dictionary will prove invaluable. A resource not easily located outside the Arabic world, this lexicon illuminates the relationship between two Semitic languages from an overlapping historical period. For the Arabic reader wanting to move into Syriac study, this dictionary will become a frequently-used tool.
Gabriel Cardahi (al-Qardahi, 1845-1931) was a priest and abbot in Lebanon. He produced three other reference works for the study of Syriac during his tenure.
