Encyclopedia of the Syriac Heritage

This is one of the long-term projects of Beth Mardutho. A team of reputable Syriac scholars have begun writing the first Syriac encyclopedia titled Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage, under the General Editorship of Dr. George Anton Kiraz.

The Encyclopedia will cover the Syriac heritage in its entirety from the dawn of Christianity until the modern day. It will be an illustrative encyclopedia containing hundreds of pictures.

The importance of such an encyclopedia need not be emphasized. Until this day, encyclopedic knowledge about the Syriac heritage has been obscured in various other encyclopedias on related topics. Further, this century has witnessed the birth of numerous specialized encyclopedias, e.g., The Catholic Encyclopedia, The Jewish Encyclopedia, The Coptic Encyclopedia, etc. A cursory Internet search yields over 10,000 encyclopedias on almost every topic under the sun.

As we enter the Third Millenium, the production of the Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage cannot be timelier. As of January 2000, over 1,200 articles have been drafted and are now under revision. The Encyclopedia will contain well over 2,000 articles.

The editors envisage translating the work into Syriac, Arabic, and Malayalam pending the availability of support and volunteers.

Continue to the Editorial Committee