2009: Dr Sebastian Brock FBA, Emeritus Reader in Syriac Studies, University of Oxford, nd Emeritus Fellow of Wolfson College, OxfordA well deserved honor indeed. Dr. Brock's web page is here.
The Aramaic language is attested over a period of some three thousand years. Already in the late pre-Christian centuries it began to develop into a number of separate dialects, some used especially by Jewish writers and others, in particular Syriac, by Christians. Sebastian Brock is the world’s leading expert in this whole vast field, although his most distinctive contribution has been in the world of the Syriac-speaking communities. In detailed and wide-ranging studies alike, he has opened up whole areas of the history of Syriac liturgy, poetry, theological writing and more. In addition, he has been at the forefront in the publication and evaluation of manuscripts in the monastery collections of Egypt, Turkey and the Levant. His deep sympathy with the traditions of these threatened and increasingly dispersed communities has helped keep these ancient forms of spirituality alive both academically and culturally on a worldwide basis.
(Via David G. K. Taylor on the Hugoye list.)