In The Book of Common Prayer of the Syrian Church, Bede Griffiths, a monk of the Kurisumala Ashram in Kerala, India, presents a rich tradition of biblically based theology articulated through “a wealth of poetic beauty which has never been equaled.” Providing an English translation of the daily prayers based on the West Syrian liturgy and approved for use in the Syrian Orthodox and the Catholic Syro-Malankara Churches of South India, Griffiths carefully attends to the rich complexity of the Syriac liturgical tradition. The result is unparalleled access to a distinctively Asian tradition of Christian prayer and theology, prayer and practice, suffused with awe and wonder before the divine mysteries.

Originally printed in India, and available only in very limited circulation, Gorgias Press is pleased to introduce Western and worldwide audiences to this rare treasure of the Christian East, presenting Bede Griffiths’ The Book of Common Prayer of the Syrian Church to a wide English-language readership of students, scholars, clergy, and laity.