Le livre des lois des pays

The writings of the early Syriac author Bardaisan (154-222) are unfortunately lost, but the text published here, the Book of the Laws of Countries, is a dialogue, probably by his pupil Philip, in which Bardaisan plays the major role. This fascinating text, which has been very well studied, is here given in Syriac (Estrangela) and a French translation by a well known editor and translator of Syriac texts. Nau’s introduction covers the text itself, especially with respect to its cosmological details, as well as other testimonia to Bardaisan and his teaching. This standard Syriac text belongs on the shelf of every student and scholar of Syriac, and there is also much of interest in it for readers of ancient philosophy.