History of the Syrian Nation and the Old Evangelical-Apostolic Church of the East is the first account written in English on the history of the Church of the East by one of its own adherents. The basis of the book is a history that was written in Assyrian (Neo-Aramaic) by Shamasha George David Malech (1837-1909). The present English version had its provenance in an intermediate Norwegian translation, augmented by material in the form of texts and illustrations by the author’s son, the Rev. Nestorius George Malech (1865-1927) and his Norwegian Lutheran friend, the Rev. Anders Haldorsen Gjevre (1852-1930).

The book is devoted to the history of the Church of the East and current condition of the Assyrians. It provides one of the only known accounts of the efforts of a group of Assyrians to preserve the independence and integrity of their church in the face of foreign missions who sought to eliminate it by converting its followers. The book contains 122 illustrations.

The new introduction by David Malech gives brief but insightful account of the author, his village of Supurgan in Urmia, and missionary activities among the Assyrians.

George David Malech (1837-1909) studied theology at the Mission College in Seeri, Urmia (graduated 1855), and became a professor of oriental languages and literature at the Presbyterian Mission College in Urmia. Intending to publish his works in America, he left Urmia in 1909, but met with a serious accident on the Persian-Russian border and died there.