The Book of the Bee — A Sacred Chronicle of the Church of the East

The Syriac Text of Solomon of Akhlat

Translated by E. A. Wallis Budge

The Book of the Bee is one of the most remarkable theological and historiographical works to survive from the medieval Church of the East. Written around 1222 by Solomon of Akhlat, Bishop of Basra, this Syriac masterpiece gathers centuries of inherited tradition, scriptural interpretation, apocryphal memory, and ecclesiastical history into a single, luminous volume. Drawing from ancient teachers, biblical commentary, and the living oral tradition of his Church, Solomon offers a work at once devotional, instructional, and cosmic in scope.

Comprising sixty chapters, the text explores the mysteries of creation, the nature of angels and darkness, the formation of Paradise and Adam, the generations of the patriarchs, the life of Christ, the succession of kings and bishops, and the final day of resurrection. Though grounded in Scripture, The Book of the Bee moves confidently across the borders of canon and tradition, preserving voices and interpretations seldom found in Western Christianity. Solomon dedicated this manuscript to Bishop Narsai of Beth Waziq, lending the work a warmth and personal devotion that echoes throughout.

First brought to wider attention in 1866 through a Latin edition by Joseph Schönfelder, the book reached its most influential form when E. A. Wallis Budge published his English translation in 1886, presenting the Syriac text alongside a faithful rendering that remains the foundation for modern study.

To listen to The Book of the Bee is to enter the theological imagination of the Church of the East—heirs to ancient Mesopotamian Christianity and guardians of a rich mystical tradition. Whether approached as theology, sacred history, or spiritual literature, this work invites listeners into a lineage that spans continents and millennia. Let the wisdom of the East speak once more.