The present volume is the travelogue of Eduard Sachau, who visited various sites throughout the Middle East in 1879-80. Sachau focuses primarily on issues pertaining to topography and geography.

J. P. N. Land provides here an introduction to John of Edessa, an early leader of the non-Chalcedonian, miaphysite Christian tradition and the first church historian of the Syriac tradition.

T. J. Lamy publishes here the Syriac text of the canons of the Synod of Mar Isaac that met in Seleucia-Ctesiphon in 410 CE at which the Syriac bishops officially accepted the canons of the Council of Nicaea.

Albrecht Götze presents here a study of the transmission history of the text known as the “Cave of Treasures” and the sources used in its compilation.

Arthur Vööbus presents here a study of charitable giving among the monks of the Syriac tradition and compares these practices with the monks of the Western tradition.

Relying on a comparison of Scripture citations in Rabbula’s translation of Cyril with the corresponding texts in the Syriac Peshitta, Arthur Vööbus argues that Rabbula of Edessa was not responsible for the creation of the Peshitta.