Introduction to Syriac Online

Tuition: $875 per student per course
Dates: June 1 – 18, 2026

Students with no prior experience in Syriac will learn introductory reading, writing, and grammar using The New Syriac Primer, 2nd Edition and should be able to translate introductory texts by the end of the course using a dictionary. The structure has been specifically designed for online and has been divided into three sections:

Section A: Students will learn the alphabet, basic reading, and gender and number distinctions.

Section B: Students will be introduced to verbs, prefixes, and suffixes and will be able to analyze texts.

Section C: Students will focus on reading, comprehension, and translation of texts from the Church Fathers and the Peshitta. Texts read in previous years include extracts from the Doctrine of Addai, the Story of Ahiqar, and the writings of Philoxenus of Mabboug. This course includes team translation activities.

Syriac culture will also be introduced using modern recitations of liturgical and secular songs. Additionally, some features of the course have been added exclusively for the online course!

Classes are self-paced and are based off previously recorded lectures — however, to maintain a healthy pace, lectures will be disabled over time with advanced notice. We closely monitor class progress and will always be available for any questions that may arise from the lectures and/or readings.

The Fall 2026 course opens online September 14. Students will have until December 31 to complete all the lectures and assignments unless other arrangements have been made. Spring 2027: February 8 – May 31.

If you have additional questions, please email Shelby Loster (shelby@bethmardutho.org).

Register

To register for the online course, please use the PayPal button below. Afterwards, please inform Shelby via email of your completed registration!

Receive a 25% discount when you enroll in BOTH Introduction to Syriac Online during the spring semester and the summer Intermediate/Advanced Syriac intensive! See the Syriac Combo offer on our courses page.