An Introduction to the Desert Fathers

John Wortley (University of Manitoba, Canada)

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English

Cambridge University Press
06 June 2019

Ancient history: to c 500 CE; The Early Church; Church history

Christian monasticism emerged in the Egyptian deserts in the fourth century AD. This introduction explores its origins and subsequent development and what it aimed to achieve, including the obstacles that it encountered; for the most part making use of the monks' own words as they are preserved (in Greek) primarily in the so-called Sayings of the Desert Fathers. Mainly focussing on monastic settlements in the Nitrian Desert (especially at Scêtê), it asks how the monks prayed, ate, drank and slept, as well as how they discharged their obligations both to earn their own living by handiwork and to exercise hospitality. It also discusses the monks' degree of literacy, as well as women in the desert and Pachomius and his monasteries in Upper Egypt. Written in straightforward language, the book is accessible to all students and scholars, and anyone with a general interest in this important and fascinating phenomenon.

By: John Wortley (University of Manitoba Canada)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 228mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 12mm
Weight: 310g
ISBN: 9781108703727
ISBN 10: 1108703720
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 06 June 2019
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , General/trade , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

1. Desert Fathers; 2. Beginnings; 3. Becoming a monk; 4. Impediments to progress; 5. The object of the exercise; 6. Prayer; 7. Discretion; 8. Work; 9. Eating and drinking; 10. Hospitality and neighbourliness; 11. Women in the desert; 12. Literacy; 13. Heresy; 14. The Pachomian experiment.

John Wortley is Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at the University of Manitoba, Canada. His publications include The Anonymous Sayings of the Desert Fathers (Cambridge, 2013) and More Sayings of the Desert Fathers (Cambridge, forthcoming).

Reviews for An Introduction to the Desert Fathers

'... a valuable introduction for anyone interested in what is one of the most influential literatures in the history of Christianity.' Samuel Rubenso, Journal of Ecclesiastical History '... I commend and recommend this book to anyone interested in discovering more about the early desert monastics.' Tim Vivian, The American Benedictine Review