Ibn al-Ṭayyib's exegesis belongs to the traditions of the school of Antioch, emphasising literal, moral and historical interpretation. According to the introduction to his commentary on the Gospels, his goal was the preservation of the Syriac exegetical tradition in Arabic. This seems to have been a motivation in all his exegetical writing. To that end, he was a compiler and synthesist more than an original interpreter. When he relies on Greek fathers like Theodore of Mopsuestia and John Chrysostom, he appears to be drawing from other compilations.
