Famed liturgist and orientalist Anton Baumstark (1872-1948) studied manuscripts in Jerusalem and Damascus and consulted the manuscript catalogs for the collections of Europe to get an understanding of the development of the Syrian Orthodox liturgy (Fenqitho). Part I of this work deals with the content of liturgical texts and how it got to be the way it is; part II covers the structure of the church year. Three indices conclude the study: manuscripts, names from church and literary history, liturgical subjects. In his typical fashion, Baumstark includes numerous important references to other Syriac literature and secondary studies. This volume is an essential resource for the study of the west Syriac liturgy, and so its readership includes all concerned with the general development and history of liturgy.