What Do Scholars Say About eBeth Arké?

"With each new undertaking, the Syriac Institute becomes an increasingly indispensable component in the continuation of Syriac studies... The Syriac Digital Library Project speaks to needs shared by an entire spectrum, from scholar to interested reader, from student to one whose heritage this is. It is a worthy undertaking indeed."
— Susan Ashbrook Harvey, Harvard University

"Scholarly literature in this field is much dispersed and not easily available. Even the major European and American collections have considerable lacunae. For younger universities, especially in the United States, where the interest in Syriac is growing considerably, it is almost impossible to build up an appropriate library... The idea of making the older publications available in digital form is, therefore, a most felicitous one, which will greatly facilitate study and research for students and scholars... [This project] will give new life to old books and create unprecedented opportunities for further study of the rich Syrian Christian tradition."
— Luk Van Rompay, Duke University

"I can confirm, from long experience, how frustrating it is that important literature on Syriac studies is scattered over so many periodicals and books, with the result that even a good library like Oxford University's Bodleian Library does not cover anything like the whole range... To have all this material that is out of copyright collected together and made available in this way would be an immensely valuable service, not only to scholars working in this and the many related academic fields, but also to the wider public and above all, to people belonging to the different Churches of Syriac tradition."
— Sebastian Brock, University of Oxford

"As we enter the twenty-first century, many of us have a greater awareness of the importance of cultural diversity in all aspects of life. Correspondingly, the importance of Syriac literature to the history of Christianity and to the history of the Middle East has been more widely recognized in recent decades... [The] current plan to create an online library of Syriac studies is an excellent idea. Scholars and lay persons with an interest in this area are scattered throughout the world. The older literature, much of it extremely valuable, is difficult to obtain... I support this project with enthusiasm."
— Kathleen E. McVey, Princeton Theological Seminary

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