The Harp is the scholarly journal of Syriac, Oriental, and Ecumenical studies published by the St. Ephrem Ecumenical Research Institute (SEERI) in Kottayam, India.

Joining the Dots is a programme in spiritual renewal for all involved in the school system. Originally designed for teachers in the Catholic setting, through piloting it has since evolved beyond teaching staff to include special needs assistants, administrative staff, parents, members of boards of management, parish educators, pastoral ministers, and indeed combinations of all these groups. Comprising a five-week programme of one evening per week, Joining the Dots is designed to address the challenge of linking one’s experience of life, personal spiritual quest and work in a Catholic school, attempting to give participants time and space to reflect on the personal reality of their own spirituality and how this integrates with their lives.

This book celebrates the gift of the senses and the way in which they allow us to appreciate the beauty of our landscape. In his evocative and moving passages, Patrick O’Sullivan draws our attention to the beauty and peace inherent in nature, renewing our sense of wonder, deepening our insight into our own place in the world, and helping us respect the generosity of the natural world around us.

These reflections on the Eucharist range from deep theological consideration to practical advice on the imperative of living the Mass through consistency between worship and daily living. Some given as homilies, others published in such journals as Irish Theological Quarterly, the reflections were prepared and refined over many years of Cardinal Daly’s life as a priest, bishop and cardinal. Cardinal Daly, who died in 2009, was a theological and spiritual giant whose published work included learned philosophical books, his thoughts on peace and violence in Ireland and his insights into moral issues. During the months before his death, an abiding desire of the Cardinal was that the theological reflections contained in this new book be published in advance of the Eucharistic Congress in Ireland in 2012.

This volume presents a summary catechism in Arabic for young students and includes a number of prayers and an overview of Christian beliefs, duties, and means of sanctification.

Alberto Bonus publishes here the first attempt at collating the variants of the two manuscripts containing the Old Syriac version of the Gospels with the Peshitta. The variants are presented in three parallel columns for easy reference.

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.

In this volume, Boré (1809-1878), who traveled in the Middle East, offers a study of religious life among the Chaldeans, with much attention given to religious communities and monasticism, especially the Rabban Hormizd Monastery.

Eberhard Nestle presents here a study of the story of the discovery of the true cross within the Syriac literature tradition.

Working from the book of Genesis, Johannes Hänel provides examples of variations from the Masoretic text attested by both the Septuagint and Peshitta and attempts to provide an explanation for the complex relationship between these texts.

Jakob Berlinger presents here the variant readings of the Syriac Peshitta version for the book of 1 Kings. Berlinger includes comparisons not only to the Masoretic Text, but also to the readings of the Septuagint and Targum.

Joseph Holtzmann presents a study of the Peshitta version of the Book of Wisdom (Wisdom of Solomon) and compares the text with other versions in order to understand the relationship between them.

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.

Rudolf Glück presents excerpts from Gregory Bar Hebraeus’s commentary on the Bible in order to compare his interpretation with that of various Jewish commentary sources. The excerpts are taken from Hebraeus’s comments on the Pentateuch and Joshua.

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.

Syrian Orthodox Patriarch and scholar Ignatius Aphram Barsoum (1887-1957) offers, in Arabic, a full history of the famous Saffron Monastery outside Mardin, where he was a monk.