Sh’himo: Book of Common Prayer. A journey through the daily breviary of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch

The Sh’himo is the common breviary of the Syriac Orthodox Church, with offices of all 7 canonical hours for each day of the week, except Sunday. It is one of the oldest complied liturgical texts still in use, containing the works of fathers like St. Ephrem the Syrian and others of the early Syriac tradition. Within the Sh’himo, one will find the entire range of Orthodox theology, simplified for even the common man. The 12th century bishop Mor Dionysius Yac’ub bar Salibi says, “This book was prepared for chanting by the simple worshippers and monastics. This is why its compilers chose simple verses which would immediately be assimilated by the mind and would move the heart”.