The Book of the Bee by Solomon, Bishop of Basra. Edited from Syriac MSS. with an English Translation and Notes by Ernest A. Wallis Budge.
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1886. (Anecdota Oxoniensia, Semitic Series, Part I.)
Reviewed by C. H. Toy, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
This is a very interesting work, which has been well edited and translated. The author was bishop of Beth Qoqaie in Adiabene, near Nineveh, about 1220-1222 A.D. He wrote this book at the request of his friend Rabban Joseph, who wished to have a compendium of sacred history. It contains accounts of the Creation, the Fall, the Flood, the Patriarchs, Moses, Joshua, Judges, Kings, Prophets, Exile, Return, Maccabees, Herod, Christ, Apostles, Martyrs, Councils, etc., down to the time of the author himself.
The text is based on two manuscripts, one in the British Museum (Add. 25875), dated 1582, and another in the Bodleian Library (Huntington 330), dated 1609. Both are written in Estrangela script. The editor has also consulted other sources, including Barhebraeus, Michael the Syrian, and various Arabic and Greek writers.
The translation is generally accurate and readable, though some passages could be improved. The notes are copious and informative, providing valuable insights into the historical and theological context of the work. The introduction gives a good overview of the author's life and times, as well as the structure and content of the book.
Overall, this is a significant contribution to the study of Syriac literature and early Christian historiography. It will be of interest to scholars of theology, history, and linguistics alike.