Brevis linguae Syriacae insitutio in usum tironum edita.Altona, Johann David Adam Eckhardt, 1784. 8vo. With a woodcut vignette on the title-page and typographical ornaments at the head of every page. The text is set in Roman and Syriac type. Early 19th-century blue marbled paper wrappers.

64, [1], [1 blank] pp.First edition of a Syriac grammar for beginners, written by Jakob Georg Christian Adler (1756-1834). It starts with a short introduction to Syriac grammar and is followed by excerpts from works by two important Syrian Christian authors: Gregory Bar Hebraeus (1226-1286), a prominent writer and church figure, and Jacob of Edessa (640-708), the bishop of Edessa and one of the most important scholars of the Christian-Aramean tradition.Adler was an Orientalist and Syriac language professor at the University of Copenhagen. He was also a Lutheran theologian and became the head of the Bible society in Schleswig-Holstein. He has written multiple works on Syriac and Arabic. With a paper label mounted at the head of the front wrapper and an annotation at the foot of page 17. The edges and corners of the wrapper show some signs of wear, with some loss of material at the foot of the spine. With a tear in the lower margin of page 43, without affecting the text. Overall in good condition.l VD18 1437708X.