ABSTRACT

This paper traces the emergence of Syriac as a significant regional language in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire in Late Antiquity. It describes the mixed culture that grew up in the Edessa region, the beginnings of a Syriac literary tradition and its maturation in the fourth century against the backdrop of the Roman-Persian wars. An overview is also offered of the process by which Syriac Christianity first superseded other forms of religious life, developed its own distinctive characteristics, and then split into its own warring factions. It then moves into the 6th and 7th centuries, outlining the geopolitical background to the ongoing life of the Syriac community in the Roman and Persian empires as well as under the emerging Arab rule.