This is an invitation to explore the Syriac tradition of Christianity. The Syriac communities form one of the three historic traditions of the Church, of which the others are the Greek and the Latin. The Syriac language is a branch of Aramaic, the Semitic language spoken by Jesus and then used in the Syrian Church of the East, which grew in what is now Iraq and eastern Turkey. At the height of its influence, the Church extended as far as India and China. Today, several church communities, mainly in Iraq, preserve the tradition.

There are 31 writers whose work is included. Most come from the "golden age" of Syrian literature from the fourth to sixth centuries, beginning with the hymn-writer Ephrem the Syrian, and then on to others who followed him; and there is one modern poet included. There are patriarchs, bishops, abbots of monasteries, ascetics, and teachers in the schools. There are short biographies of each writer, which introduce the poems and also the life of the Church.

These theologians also wrote works of doctrinal and ascetic theology and hymns that became part of the liturgy. But the works selected here are mostly shorter and belong within an oral tradition in which faith is remembered, recited, and passed on in the worship and life of the Church. Hymns are part of the worship of the Church, and poetry is improvised and recited. We are used to seeing theology as an area of study, taught at universities and written in books. But here, theology is a remembering and sharing of faith which belongs to the whole community.

This book gives us a glimpse into a different way of doing theology, through an oral tradition in which texts are memorised, knowledge is shared, poems are composed, and all seek the presence of God together.

Fountain of Living Water: Poetry, prayers, and hymns of the mystics of the Early Church of the East
Robert Ewan, editor and translator
Gracewing £12.99
(978-1-78182-201-2)

The Reverend Dr John Binns is Visiting Professor at the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge.