Severus, who was driven from the patriarchal throne of Antioch in 518 on the accession of Justin i, was an extraordinarily prolific writer. His correspondence alone has been calculated to have run to just over 3,750 letters, although only a small proportion of these has come down to us. Thanks to the condemnation of his works by Justinian in 536 and their relegation to the flames, only very little of his writings survives in Greek, and then usually disguised under another name. Fortunately many of these writings were very soon, and often in his own lifetime, translated into Syriac, and these – above all his cathedral homilies and correspondence – provide the historian of the early part of the sixth century (he died in Egypt in 538) with an astonishingly rich resource, although this has hitherto been little exploited. Alpi's two excellent volumes remedy this neglect in an admirable way. In the first volume, following a preliminary chapter on the course of Severus' life, there are four sections which concentrate on the years during which he sat on the patriarchal throne and illustrate the ways in which his writings illuminate, in turn, the ecclesiastical institutions, the bishop at work in his city, the nature of the patriarchate of the Orient and how it functioned, and finally, but more briefly, the opposition that he encountered (from Jews, Manichaeans and other Christians). The first section also includes Severus' dealings with secular authorities (a table conveniently listing civil and military personnel mentioned by him is included). These sections all provide a mine of information about life under, and events during, his patriarchate. At the end of this first volume are some good maps and a selection of illustrations. The second volume then provides an invaluable guide to the sources (in six different languages) for the patriarchate of Severus, followed by a selection of illustrative inscriptions, an annotated list of official documents from the period of his patriarchate, and a prosopography; the last two will prove to be especially valuable. Interspersed throughout the two volumes are a number of very helpful tables (such as that giving the precise dates and locations of his 125 cathedral homilies). The materials are presented throughout in an admirably clear way. Severus has indeed been supremely well served by Alpi, and his two splendidly produced volumes provide what will be an essential and immensely useful resource for all future study of Severus of Antioch and his historical setting.