Sebastian P. Brock | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1938 (age 86–87) London, England |
| Other names | Sebastian Paul Brock |
| Occupation | Syriacist |
| Spouse | Helen Hughes-Brock |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Eton College Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Syriac studies |
| Institutions | University of Oxford |
| Main interests | Classical Syriac |
Sebastian Paul BrockFBA (born 1938,London) is aBritish scholar, university professor, and specialist in the field of academic studies ofClassical Syriac language andClassical Syriac literature. His research also encompasses various aspects of cultural history ofSyriac Christianity. He is generally acknowledged as one of the foremostacademics in the field ofSyriac studies, and one of the most prominent scholars in the wider field ofAramaic studies.[1][2]
Brock studied atEton College, and completed his BA degree in Classics and Oriental Languages (Hebrew and Aramaic) atTrinity College,University of Cambridge. In 1966, he becameDoctor of Philosophy at theUniversity of Oxford.
Brock was Assistant Lecturer, and then Lecturer, at theUniversity of Birmingham (Department of Theology) from 1964 to 1967. He continued his academic career as Lecturer in Hebrew, and then Lecturer in Hebrew and Aramaic, at theUniversity of Cambridge, from 1967 to 1974. He was Lecturer in Aramaic and Syriac, and thenReader inSyriac Studies, at theUniversity of Oxford'sOriental Institute, from 1974 to 2003. Since 2003, he has been Emeritus Reader in Syriac Studies and Emeritus Fellow ofWolfson College, Oxford.[3][4]
Brock is one of the main reviewers of theAntioch Bible, a 21st-century English translation of thePeshitta.[5]
Brock is aFellow of theBritish Academy. He is the recipient of a number ofhonorary doctorates, holding thePhD Honoris Causa at theÉcole pratique des hautes études in Paris. Brock has been awarded the Medal of SaintEphrem the Syrian by theSyriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, and theLeverhulme Medal of theBritish Academy (2009).[6] He was awarded theEdward Ullendorff Medal in 2024.[7]
Brock is married toHelen Hughes-Brock, anarchaeologist specialising inMinoan Crete andMycenaean Greece. He is a patron of theFellowship of Saint Alban and Saint Sergius. He joined theSyriac Orthodox Church byChrismation in May 2024.[8]
