Written in the ancient desert margins of the Persian Empire, the Homilies of Aphrahat are among the oldest surviving works of Christian literature in any language. Around the year 340, a Syriac-speaking teacher known only as Aphrahat the Persian Sage composed twenty-three reflective homilies for a community of believers living between two worlds: followers of Christ in a Zoroastrian empire, aware of Jewish neighbors, Roman wars, and the threat of persecution. His voice is steady, biblical, and deeply humane, moving gently from faith, love, prayer, and fasting to repentance, humility, rivalry between church and synagogue, care for the poor, and the hope of the resurrection. This new edition renders Aphrahat's ancient Syriac thought into clear, present-day English while preserving the rhythm and reverence of the original. A full introduction, notes on names and terms, and selections of key passages make the world of the Persian Sage inviting to today's readers. Part of The World Scriptures Library.