This edited collection highlights recent research in the field of Syriac Christianity in Central Asia and China and consists primarily of papers presented in June, 2016, at the 5th Salzburg International Conference in that field. This represents the most recent publication of papers from this seminal series of conferences on Syriac Christianity, held triennially since 2003. The depth of scholarship within this collection is impressive, as is the exploration of terms, places, and concepts not covered previously.

The volume consists of fifteen essays and an introductory essay written by senior and emerging scholars of Syriac Christianity in China and Central Asia. Many essays are groundbreaking, such as R. Todd Godwin's article “Da Qin, Tajiks, and Their Doctors—East Syrian Scientists across the Courts of Early Medieval Persia, China, and Tibet,” which makes intriguing connections between East Syrian scientists in the Tang Dynasty and technical advancements in Central Asia. Samuel Lieu provides a nuanced examination of terms found on the Xi'an stele, and Mark Dickens offers insights into the use of the term tarsā among Central Asian Christians.

So excellent are these contributions, one can overlook the typographical and grammatical errors that are found throughout the volume (8, 56 fn.57, 65, 214, 222, and elsewhere). This shortcoming, which understandably occurs during the complicated editorial process of a project as sweeping as this one, might be addressed when the next volume of proceedings (presumably from the 6th conference held in Almaty in June, 2019) is published.