Desert Fathers - Wikipedia

Desert Fathers - Wikipedia
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Early Christian hermits, ascetics, and monks, third century AD
Coptic
icon of
Anthony the Great
The
Desert Fathers
were early Christian
hermits
and
ascetics
, who lived primarily in the
Wadi El Natrun
, then known as
Skete
, in
Roman Egypt
, beginning around the
third century
. The
Sayings of the Desert Fathers
is a collection of sayings and other texts attributed to desert
monks
and
nuns
from this era.
The first Desert Father was
Paul of Thebes
. The most well-known was
Anthony the Great
, who moved to the desert in 270–271 and became known as both the father and founder of desert monasticism. By the time Anthony had died in 356, thousands of monks and nuns had been drawn to live in the desert following Anthony's example, leading his biographer,
Athanasius of Alexandria
, to write that "the desert had become a city."
The Desert Fathers significantly influenced the development of Christianity.
The desert monastic communities that grew out of the informal gathering of hermit monks became the model for
Christian monasticism
, first influencing the
Coptic communities
these monks were a part of and
preached
to.
Some were
monophysites
or believed in a similar idea.
The eastern monastic tradition at
Mount Athos
and the western
Rule of Saint Benedict
were both strongly influenced by the traditions that began in the desert. All of the monastic revivals of the Middle Ages looked to the desert for inspiration and guidance. Much of
Eastern Christian
spirituality, including the
Hesychast
movement, has its roots in the practices of the Desert Fathers. Even religious renewals such as the German evangelicals and
Pietists
in Pennsylvania, the
Devotio Moderna
movement, and the
Methodist Revival
in England are seen by modern scholars as being influenced by the Desert Fathers.
Early history
edit
See also:
Chronology of early Christian monasticism
"Saint
Macarius
and a Cherub" from
Saint Catherine's Monastery
, Sinai, Egypt
Paul of Thebes
is often credited with being the first hermit monk to go to the desert, but it was
Anthony the Great
who launched the movement that became the Desert Fathers.
Sometime around 270, Anthony heard a Sunday sermon stating that perfection could be achieved by selling all of one's possessions, giving the proceeds to the poor, and following Jesus.
He followed the advice and made the further step of moving deep into the desert to seek complete solitude.
Anthony lived in a time of transition for Christianity: the
Diocletianic Persecution
in 303 was the last great formal persecution of Christians in the
Roman Empire
. Only ten years later,
Christianity
was made legal in Egypt by
Diocletian
's successor,
Constantine the Great
. Those who left for the desert formed an alternate Christian society when becoming a Christian was no longer risky. Anthony saw the desert's solitude, austerity, and sacrifice as an alternative to martyrdom, which many Christians formerly saw as the highest form of sacrifice.
Anthony quickly gained followers eager to live their lives with solidarity and separation from material goods. From these prohibitions, Athanasius recorded that Anthony received special privileges from God, such as the ability to heal the sick, inspire others to have faith in healing through God, and even occasionally converse with God.
Around this time, desert monasticism appeared nearly simultaneously in several areas, including Egypt and
Roman Syria
and some of the Desert Fathers's
Coptic traditions
also spread to
Nubia
Fourth-century Desert Father from Ethiopia,
Saint Onuphrius
, lived in seclusion in the desert of
Upper Egypt
Over time, the model of Anthony and other hermits attracted many followers, who lived alone in the desert or small groups. They chose a life of extreme
asceticism
, renouncing all the pleasures of the senses, rich food, baths, rest, and anything that made them comfortable.
They instead focused on praying, singing psalms, fasting, giving alms to the needy, and preserving love and harmony with one another while keeping their thoughts and desires for God alone.
Thousands joined them in the desert, mostly men but also a handful of women. Religious seekers also began going to the desert seeking advice and counsel from the early Desert Fathers. By the time of Anthony's death, there were so many men and women living in the desert that it was described as "a city" by Anthony's biographer.
The Desert Fathers advocated three main approaches to monasticism. One was the austere life of the hermit, as practiced by Anthony and his followers in lower Egypt. Another was the
cenobitic life
, communities of monks and nuns in
Upper Egypt
formed by
Pachomius the Great
. The third was begun by
Saint Amun
as a semi-hermitic lifestyle seen primarily in
Nitria
Kellia
, and Scetis west of the Nile. The latter were small groups (two to six) of monks and nuns with a common spiritual elder—these separate groups would join in larger gatherings to worship on Saturdays and Sundays. This third form of monasticism was responsible for most of the sayings that were compiled as the
Sayings of the Desert Fathers
Development of monastic communities
edit
See also:
Pachomian monasteries
Icon of
Pachomius
The small communities founded by the Desert Fathers were the beginning of
Christian monasticism
. Initially Anthony and others lived as hermits, sometimes forming groups of two or three. Small informal communities began developing, until the monk
Pachomius
, seeing the need for a more formal structure, established a monastery with rules and organization. His regulations included discipline, obedience, manual labour, silence, fasting, and long periods of prayer—some historians view the rules as being inspired by Pachomius' experiences as a Roman soldier.
The first fully organized monastery with Pachomius included men and women living in separate quarters, up to three in a room. They supported themselves by weaving cloth and baskets, along with other tasks. Each new monk or nun had a three-year probationary period, concluding with admittance in full standing to the monastery. All property was held communally, meals were eaten together and in silence, twice a week they fasted, and they wore simple peasant clothing with a hood. Several times a day they came together for prayer and readings, and each person was expected to spend time alone meditating on the scriptures. Programs were created for educating those who came to the monastery unable to read.
Pachomius also formalized the establishment of an
abba
(father) or
amma
(mother) in charge of the spiritual welfare of their monks and nuns, with the implication that those joining the monastery were also joining a new family. Members also formed smaller groups, with different tasks in the community and the responsibility of looking after each other's welfare. The new approach grew to the point that there were tens of thousands of monks and nuns in these organized communities within decades of Pachomius' death.
One of the early pilgrims to the desert was
Basil of Caesarea
, who took the Rule of Pachomius into the Eastern Church. Basil expanded the idea of community by integrating the monks and nuns into the wider public community, with the monks and nuns under the authority of a bishop and serving the poor and needy.
As more pilgrims began visiting the monks in the desert, influence from the monastic communities began spreading. Latin versions of the original Greek stories and sayings of the Desert Fathers, along with the earliest monastic rules coming out of the desert, guided the early monastic development in the Byzantine world and eventually in the Western Christian world
10
and beyond its existing boundaries.
11
John Cassian
played an important role in mediating the influence of the Desert Fathers to the West.
12
This can be seen, for example, in the
Rule of Saint Benedict
, in which
Benedict of Nursia
urged his monks to read the writings of
John Cassian
on the Desert Fathers. The
Sayings of the Desert Fathers
was also widely read in the early Benedictine monasteries.
13
Notable Desert Fathers and Mothers
edit
Icon of
Arsenius the Great
, notable Desert Father
Many of the monks and nuns developed a reputation for holiness and wisdom, with the small communities following a particularly holy or wise elder, who was their spiritual father (
abba
) or mother (
amma
). The individual Desert Fathers and
Desert Mothers
are mostly known through
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers
, which included 1,202 sayings attributed to twenty-seven
abbas
and three
ammas
14
The largest number of sayings are attributed to Abba Poemen, Greek for "shepherd". Because of the wide disparity of dates for the sayings attributed to Abba Poemen, some scholars believe that "Poemen" was a generic name for a combination of different unnamed abbas.
15
Others conclude that the sayings attributed to Abba Poemen are accurate, based on a notable and historical Abba Poemen.
16
Among the notable Desert Fathers and Mothers with sayings in the book, in addition to
Anthony the Great
, were
Arsenius the Great
Poemen
Macarius of Egypt
Moses the Black
, and
Syncletica of Alexandria
17
Other notable Desert Fathers include Pachomius,
Or of Nitria
, and
Shenoute
. Many individuals spent part of their lives in the Egyptian desert, including
Athanasius of Alexandria
Evagrius Ponticus
, and
Hilarion
(later lived as a hermit in the area of
Gaza
).
John Cassian
's works brought the wisdom of the Desert Fathers into a wider arena.
Practices
edit
Part of
a series
on
Christian mysticism
Theology and philosophy
Apophatic
Ascetical
Cataphatic
Catholic spirituality
Hellenistic
Mystical theology
Neoplatonic
Henosis
Practices
Monasticism
Asceticism
Mendicant
Stylite
Eastern
New
Silence
Spiritual direction
Meditation
Meditation
Lectio Divina
Invoking of Mystic Saints
Active asceticism
Contemplation
Hesychasm
Jesus Prayer
Quietism
Stages of Christian perfection
Hesychia
Divinization
Catharsis
Theosis
Kenosis
Spiritual dryness
Religious ecstasy
Passive asceticism
Abstinence
Esoteric
Charismatic
Martinism
People
(by era or century)
Antiquity
Ancient African
Origen
Thomasines
Gregory of Nyssa
Pseudo-Dionysius
Desert Fathers
Paul of Thebes
Anthony the Great
Arsenius the Great
Poemen
Macarius of Egypt
Moses the Black
Syncletica
Athanasius
John Chrysostom
Hilarion
John Cassian
11th
12th
Bernard of Clairvaux
Guigo II
Hildegard of Bingen
Symeon the New Theologian
Saint Sava of Serbia
13th
14th
Dominican
Dominic de Guzmán
Franciscan
Francis of Assisi
Anthony of Padua
Bonaventure
Jacopone da Todi
Angela of Foligno
Richard Rolle
Walter Hilton
Julian of Norwich
Margery Kempe
Flemish
Beatrice of Nazareth
Lutgardis
Hadewijch
John van Ruysbroeck
German
Meister Eckhart
Johannes Tauler
Henry Suso
Female
Beatrice of Nazareth
Bridget of Sweden
Catherine of Siena
Gertrude the Great
Mechthild of Magdeburg
Marguerite Porete
15th
16th
Spanish
Ignatius of Loyola
Francisco de Osuna
John of Ávila
Teresa of Ávila
John of the Cross
Others
Catherine of Genoa
17th
18th
French
Margaret Mary Alacoque
Pierre de Bérulle
Jean-Jacques Olier
Louis de Montfort
Charles de Condren
John Eudes
John of St. Samson
Others
Mary of Jesus of Ágreda
Paul of the Cross
Anne Catherine Emmerich
Veronica Giuliani
Francis de Sales
19th
Dina Bélanger
Catherine Labouré
Mélanie Calvat
Maximin Giraud
Bernadette Soubirous
Conchita de Armida
Luisa Piccarreta
Mary of the Divine Heart
Thérèse of Lisieux
Gemma Galgani
20th
Padre Pio
Therese Neumann
Marthe Robin
Alexandrina of Balazar
Faustina Kowalska
Sister Lúcia of Fátima
Edgar Cayce
Simone Weil
Alfred Delp
Thomas Merton
Charles de Foucauld
Edvige Carboni
Elena Aiello
Contemporary papal views
Aspects of meditation
Orationis Formas
, 1989)
Reflection on the New Age
(2003)
Literature and media
Lingua ignota
Ordo Virtutum
Scivias
Ascent of Mount Carmel
Dark Night of the Soul
Spiritual Canticle
Way of Perfection
Book of the First Monks
The Interior Castle
Abbey of the Holy Ghost
A Dialogue of Comfort against Tribulation
From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart
The Glories of Mary
The Imitation of Christ
The Ladder of Divine Ascent
Philokalia
Revelations of Divine Love
The Story of a Soul
Theologia Germanica
Devotio Moderna
Fatima in Lucia's Own Words
Calls from the Message of Fatima
The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima
Sol de Fátima
The Cloud of Unknowing
On the Consolation of Philosophy
The Mirror of Simple Souls
Sister Catherine Treatise
Tractatus de Purgatorio Sancti Patricii
The Vision of Adamnán
Divine Comedy
Inferno
Purgatorio
Paradiso
Fatima
Withdrawal from society
edit
The legalization of Christianity by the Roman Empire in 313 gave Anthony a greater resolve to go out into the desert. Nostalgic for the tradition of martyrdom, he saw withdrawal and asceticism as an alternative. He insisted on selling all his material possessions—he left his younger sister a small amount of money to live her life in a convent, and donated the rest to the poor.
When members of the church began finding ways to work with the Roman state, the Desert Fathers saw that as a compromise between "the things of God and the things of Caesar." The monastic communities were essentially an alternate Christian society.
The hermits doubted that religion and politics could ever produce a truly Christian society. For them, the only Christian society was spiritual and not mundane.
18
Hesychasm
edit
Hesychasm
(from the
Greek
for "stillness, rest, quiet, silence")
19
is a mystical tradition and movement that originated with the Desert Fathers and was central to their practice of prayer.
20
Hesychasm
for the Desert Fathers was primarily the practice of "interior silence and continual prayer." It did not become a formal movement of specific practices until the fourteenth century Byzantine meditative prayer techniques, when it was more closely identified with the
Prayer of the Heart
, or "Jesus Prayer".
21
The prayer's origin is also traced back to the Desert Fathers—the Prayer of the Heart was found inscribed in the ruins of a cell from that period in the Egyptian desert.
22
The earliest written reference to the practice of the Prayer of the Heart may be in a discourse collected in the
Philokalia
on Abba Philimon, a Desert Father.
23
Hesychast
prayer was a meditative practice that was traditionally done in silence and with eyes closed—"empty of mental pictures" and visual concepts, but with the intense consciousness of God's presence.
24
The words
hesychast
and
hesychia
were frequently used in 4th and 5th century writings of Desert Fathers such as
Macarius of Egypt
Evagrius Ponticus
, and
Gregory of Nyssa
25
The title
hesychast
was used in early times synonymously with
hermit
, as compared to a
cenobite
who lived in community.
26
Hesychasm
can refer to inner or outer stillness, though in
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers
it referred to inner tranquility.
27
Charity and forgiveness
edit
The Desert Fathers gave a great deal of emphasis to living and practicing the teachings of Jesus, much more than theoretical knowledge. Their efforts to live the commandments were not seen as being easy—many of the stories from that time recount the struggle to overcome negative emotions such as anger and judgment of others. Helping a brother monk who was ill or struggling was seen as taking priority over any other consideration. Hermits were frequently seen to break a long fast when hosting visitors, as hospitality and kindness were more important than keeping the ascetic practices that were so dominant in the Desert Fathers' lives.
28
Recitation of scripture
edit
The lives of the Desert Fathers that were organized into communities included frequent recitation of the scriptures—during the week they chanted psalms while performing manual labour and during the weekends they held liturgies and group services. The monk's experience in the cell occurred in a variety of ways, including meditation on scripture.
29
Group practices were more prominent in the organized communities formed by Pachomius.
The purpose of these practices were explained by
John Cassian
, a Desert Father, who described the goal of psalmody (the outward recitation of scripture) and asceticism as the ascent to deep mystical prayer and mystical contemplation.
27
Selected excerpts from
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers
edit
Main article:
Sayings of the Desert Fathers
"A hermit said, 'Take care to be silent. Empty your mind. Attend to your meditation in the fear of God, whether you are resting or at work. If you do this, you will not fear the attacks of the demons.'"
Abba Moses, "Sit in thy cell and thy cell will teach thee all."
"Somebody asked Anthony, 'What shall I do in order to please God?' He replied, 'Do what I tell you, which is this: wherever you go, keep God in mind; whatever you do, follow the example of Holy Scripture; wherever you are, stay there and do not move away in a hurry. If you keep to these guide-lines, you will be saved.
"He (Evagrius) also said, 'A monk was told that his father had died. He said to the messenger, 'Do not blaspheme. My Father cannot die.
Abbot Pastor, "If someone does evil to you, you should do good to him, so that by your good work you may drive out his malice."
An Elder, "A man who keeps death before his eyes will at all times overcome his cowardliness."
Blessed Macarius said, "This is the truth, if a monk regards contempt as praise, poverty as riches, and hunger as a feast, he will never die."
"It happened that as Abba Arsenius was sitting in his cell that he was harassed by demons. His servants, on their return, stood outside his cell and heard him praying to God in these words, 'O God, do not leave me. I have done nothing good in your sight, but according to your goodness, let me now make a beginning of good.
When one desert father told another of his plans to "shut himself into his cell and refuse the face of men, that he might perfect himself," the second monk replied, "Unless thou first amend thy life going to and fro amongst men, thou shall not avail to amend it dwelling alone."
Abba Anthony
said, 'Whoever hammers a lump of iron, first decides what he is going to make of it, a scythe, a sword, or an axe. Even so we ought to make up our minds what kind of virtue we want to forge or we labour in vain.
He also said, "Obedience with abstinence gives men power over wild beasts."
30
"It was said of
Abba John the Dwarf
, that one day he said to his elder brother, 'I should like to be free of all care, like the angels, who do not work, but ceaselessly offer worship to God.' So he took off his cloak and went away into the desert. After a week he came back to his brother. When he knocked on the door, he heard his brother say, before he opened it 'Who are you?' He said, 'I am John, your brother.' But he replied, 'John has become an angel, and henceforth he is no longer among men.' Then the other begged him saying, 'It is I.' However, his brother did not let him in, but left him there in distress until morning. Then, opening the door, he said to him, 'You are a man and you must once again work in order to eat.' Then John made a prostration before him, saying, 'Forgive me.
31
Essential texts
edit
There are many different collections of sayings of the Desert Fathers. The earliest writings were simply ordered by the initial letter of the Abba's name in the order of the Greek alphabet, resulting in the editors starting with Anthony the Great, Arsenius and Agathon, and concluding with Cheremon, Psenthaisius and Or. These editors were the first to use the word
apophthegms
(meaning:
saying, maxim or aphorism
), resulting in this collection being known as
Apophthegmata Patrum Alphabetica
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Alphabetical Collection
). This collection contains about a thousand items.
32
The same editors also recognised a number of anonymous sayings and tales of the Desert Fathers and Mothers that were popularly circulated. This material was gathered into a collection now known as the
Anonymous Patrum Apophthegmata
Anonymous Sayings of the Desert Fathers
). These sayings were loosely ordered by subject (for instance: humility, charity etc.).
The collection now known as the
Systematic Collection
began to emerge a century later (
c.
500 AD
) and features sayings from the
Alphabetic Collection
and the
Anonymous Sayings
, combined and systematically ordered under twenty-one chapters. This collection contains about 1200 items and therefore does not completely combine the two older collections.
33
The various collections of sayings often overlap.
Partial list of traditional texts
edit
Sayings of the Desert Fathers
Apophthegmata Patrum
The Anonymous Sayings of the Desert Fathers
Anonymous Apophthegmata
34
The Alphabetical Sayings of the Desert Fathers
The Systematic Sayings of the Desert Fathers
(also known as the
Systematic Collection
The Book of the Elders
or the
Gerontikon
Ethiopic Collectio Monastica
which includes many sayings of the Desert Fathers not included in the
Apophthegmata Patrum
The Lives of the Desert Fathers
Historia Monachorum in Aegypto
35
36
The
Paradise of the Desert Fathers
(also known as
Bustan al-Rohbaan
or
Garden of the Monks)
The
Lausiac History
by
Palladius of Galatia
The
Vitae Patrum
by
Jerome
The
Evergetinos
by
Nicodemus the Hagiorite
and
Macarius of Corinth
The
Philokalia
by
Nicodemus the Hagiorite
and
Macarius of Corinth
The Conferences
and
The Institutes
by
John Cassian
The Life of Anthony
by
Serapion of Nitria
Life of Antony
by
Athanasius of Alexandria
The
Matericon
, collection of sayings of the
Desert Mothers
The
Asceticon
by
Isaiah of Scetis
A History of the Monks of Syria
by
Theodoret of Cyrrhus
The Life of Anthony
by
Serapion of Thmuis
(not to be confused with the
Life of Anthony
by
Athanasius
).
37
Partial list of modern published texts
edit
Agailby, Elizabeth.
The Arabic Life of Antony Attributed to Serapion of Thmuis: Cultural Memory Reinterpreted
ISBN
978-90-04-38327-2
Archbishop Chrysostomos of Etna.
The Ancient Fathers of the desert: Translated narratives from the Evergetinos on passions and perfection in Christ
ISBN
0-916586-78-2
Archbishop Chrysostomos of Etna.
The Evergetinos: A Complete Text
ISBN
9780911165777
Arras, Victor (translator).
Collectio monastica
ISBN
9042902787
Beasley-Topliffe, Keith, ed.
Seeking a Purer Christian Life: Sayings and Stories of the Desert Fathers and Mothers
ISBN
0-8358-0902-1
Budge, Sir E. A. Wallis.
Paradise of the Desert Fathers: Volumes 1 & 2.
ISBN
9780980517149
9780980517125
Cain, Andrew.
The Greek Historia Monachorum in Aegypto: Monastic Hagiography in the Late Fourth Century.
ISBN
0198758251
Carrigan, Henry L.
Eternal Wisdom from the Desert: Writings from the Desert Fathers
ISBN
1-55725-283-1
Chryssavgis, John; Ward, Benedicta.
In the Heart of the Desert: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers
ISBN
0-941532-51-8
Chryssavgis, John; Penkett, Robert (translators).
Abba Isaiah of Scetis: Ascetic Discourses
ISBN
0879077506
Cowan, James.
Desert Father: In the Desert with Saint Anthony
ISBN
1-59030-145-5
Gregg, Robert C.
Athanasius: The Life of Antony and the Letter to Marcellinus
ISBN
0809103095
Gruen, Anselm.
Heaven Begins Within You: Wisdom from the Desert Fathers
ISBN
0-8245-1818-7
Keller, David G. R.
Oasis Of Wisdom: The Worlds of the Desert Fathers and Mothers
Luibheid, Colm (translator).
John Cassian: Conferences
ISBN
080912694X
Matarazzo, Jon.
Vitae Patrum: The Life Of Abba Antony from the Book of the Vitae Patrum
ISBN
0595290191
Mayers, Gregory.
Listen to the Desert: Secrets of Spiritual Maturity from the Desert Fathers and Mothers
ISBN
0-89243-930-0
McGuckin, John Anthony.
The Book of Mystical Chapters: Meditations on the Soul's Ascent, from the Desert Fathers and Other Early Christian Contemplatives
ISBN
1-59030-007-6
Merton, Thomas.
The Wisdom of the Desert: Sayings from the Desert Fathers of the Fourth Century
ISBN
1-59030-039-4
0-85969-003-2
Merton, Thomas.
Wisdom of the Desert
ISBN
0-8112-0102-3
Merton, Thomas.
The Wisdom of the Desert
ISBN
0-87773-976-5
0-86012-276-X
0-8112-0313-1
Nomura, Yushi (translation and art); Nouwen, Henri J. M. (introduction).
Desert Wisdom: Sayings from the Desert Fathers
ISBN
1-57075-371-7
Nomura, Yushi.
Desert Wisdom: Sayings from the Desert Fathers
ISBN
0-385-18079-9
0-385-18078-0
Palmer, G. E. H; Sherrard, Phillip; Ware, Kallistos (translators).
The Philokalia
The Complete Text Compiled by St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain & St. Markarios of Corinth: Volumes 1-4.
ISBN
0571130135
0571154662
0571125492
057119382X
Price, R. M (translator).
A History of the Monks of Syria by Theodoret of Cyrrhus.
ISBN
0879079886
St. Paisius Monastery.
Matericon: Instructions of Abba Isaiah to the Honorable Nun Theodora with an Introduction by St. Theophan the Recluse
Strohmeier, John, ed.
St. Antony of Egypt: The Holy Life and Teachings of the First Desert Father
ISBN
0-9725200-6-6
Swan, Laura.
The Forgotten Desert Mothers: Sayings, Lives, and Stories of Early Christian Women
ISBN
0-8091-4016-0
Waddell, Helen.
The Desert Fathers
ISBN
0-375-70019-6
Ward, Benedicta (translator).
The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Christian Monks
ISBN
0-14-044731-8
Ward, Benedicta.
Discernment in the Desert Fathers: Diakrisis in the Life and Thought of Early Egyptian Monasticism
ISBN
978-1-55635-339-0
Ward, Benedicta (translator).
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers
ISBN
0-87907-959-2
Ward, Benedicta.
The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers: The Apophthegmata Patrum
ISBN
0-7283-0034-6
Ward, Benedicta.
The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers
ISBN
0-7459-3975-9
Ward, Benedicta; Russell, Norman.
Lives of the Desert Fathers: The Historia Monachorum in Aegypto
ISBN
0-87907-934-7
Ward, Benedicta; Bloom, Anthony.
The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers
ISBN
0-7283-0109-1
Wisdom of the Desert Fathers
(1979). Eastern Orthodox Books.
ISBN
0-89981-108-6
Wortley, John (translator).
The Book of the Elders: Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Systematic Collection.
ISBN
0879072016
Wortley, John (translator).
The Anonymous Sayings of the Desert Fathers: A Select Edition and Complete English Translation.
ISBN
0521509882
Wortley, John (translator).
The Lausiac History.
ISBN
9780879072520
Partial list of Desert Fathers
edit
A partial list of Desert Fathers:
38
Abraham of Scetis
Achilles
Agathon of Scetis
Aio
Alonius
Amoun of Nitria
Ammonas of Egypt
Ammonathas
Andrew
Anoub
Anthony the Great
Apollo the Shepherd
Appby
Ares
Arsenius the Great
Basil the Great
Bessarion of Egypt
Benjamin
Biare
Carion the Egyptian
Chaeremon of Nitria
Cronius of Nitria
Cyrus
Daniel of Scetis
Dioscorus
Doulas
Elias the Hermit
Ephrem the Syrian
Epiphanius of Salamis
Eucharistus the Secular
Eudaimon
Eulogius the Priest
Euprepius of Egypt
Euthymius the Great
Evagrius Ponticus
Gelasius of Nilopolis
Gerontias
Gregory the Theologian
Heraclides
Hierax
Hilarion
Hyperechios
Isaac of Nineveh
Isaac of the Cells
Isaac the Theban
Isaiah of Gaza
Ischyrion
Isidore of Pelusium
Isidore of Scetes
James
John Cassian
John of Egypt
John the Cenobite
John the Dwarf
John the Theban
John the Eunuch
Joseph of Panephysis
Joseph the Theban
Longinus
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Lucius the Ascetic
Macarius of Alexandria
Macarius the Great
Moses the Black
Nilus of Sinai
Nonnus
Onuphrius
Or of Nitria
Orsisius
Pachomius the Great
Pambo
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Pior
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Poemen
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clarification needed
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Theodore of Pherme
Theodore of Scetis
Theodorus of Tabennese
Theonas
Theophilus the Archbishop
Zachariah the Recluse
Zeno of Gaza
In arts
edit
Painting (with
Sassetta
39
Paolo Uccello
in
The Tebaid
Hieronymus Bosch
in the
Triptych of the Temptation of St. Anthony
, and
Mathis Grünewald
in the
Isenheim Altarpiece
, to mention only the most famous), literature (with
Gustave Flaubert
40
Anatole France
in
Le Jongleur de Notre Dame
, and
Luca Desiato
), music (with
Paul Hindemith
and
Ottorino Respighi
citation needed
have been inspired by their lives, sometimes capturing only the picturesque or folkloristic aspects: the temptations, the little
devils
, the little monsters that populate the paintings of apothegms.
See also
edit
Saints portal
Biography portal
Christianity portal
History portal
Anchorite
Cappadocian Fathers
Christian monasticism before 451
Christian contemplation §
Theoria
Church Fathers
Coptic monasticism
Chronology of early Christian monasticism
Desert Mothers
Early Christianity
Eastern Christian monasticism
Fools for Christ
Isaac the Syrian:
The Ascetical Homilies of Isaac the Syrian
Lavra
, form of desert monasticism from Judaean Desert
Pachomian monasteries
Sinaites in Serbia
Therapeutae
, monastic sect near Alexandria
References
edit
Footnotes
edit
Chryssavgis 2008
, p. 15.
Olupona, Jacob K. (2014).
African Religions: A Very Short Introduction
. Oxford:
Oxford University Press
. p. 90.
ISBN
978-0-19-979058-6
OCLC
839396781
Burton-Christie 1993
, pp. 7–9.
Waddell 1957
, p. 30.
Matthew 19:21
Chryssavgis 2008
, p. 16.
Athanasius 1892
Riddle 2008
, p. 43.
Irvin & Sundquist 2001
, pp. 210–212.
Wilfong 1998
, p. 193.
For example:
Ó Nualláin, Seán (4 December 2012). "The History and Myth of Ireland".
Ireland: A Colony Once Again
. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 101.
ISBN
9781443843829
. Retrieved
28 May
2025
That the cenobitic ideal of the desert fathers was echoed by Irish monks in such fastnesses as the Skelligs is not controversial, nor is it controversial that Irish hermits explicitly sought a desert in the ocean, often at least as far away as Iceland.
Gregory & Kazhdan 1991
, pp. 387–388.
Burton-Christie 1993
, p. 6.
Chryssavgis 2008
, p. 4.
Chryssavgis 2008
, p. 6.
Harmless 2000
Chryssavgis 2008
, pp. 19–29.
Merton 1960
, p. 4.
Parry et al. 1999
, p. 91.
Binns 2006
, p. 588;
Meyendorff 1974
, p. 1;
Ward 1984
, p. 250.
Nes 2007
, p. 97;
Rock 2006
, p. 262.
Guillaumont 1979
McGinn 2006
, p. 125.
Ware 2000
, p. 101.
Peterson 2008
, p. 304.
Nes 2007
, p. 97.
Egan 1996
, p. 71.
Burton-Christie 1993
, pp. 161–163.
Harmless 2004
, p. 244;
Keller 2005
, p. 55.
Ward 1984
, p. 8.
Ward 1984
, p. 86.
The Apophthegmata Patrum: Portraits, William, S.J. Harmless (Contributor Webpage)
Wortley 2012
, pp. xvi–xviii.
Wortley, John.
The Anonymous Sayings of the Desert Fathers
Harmless, J. William (22 March 2018),
"Historia Monachorum in Aegypto"
The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity
, Oxford University Press,
doi
10.1093/acref/9780198662778.001.0001
ISBN
978-0-19-866277-8
, retrieved
21 January
2026
{{
citation
}}
: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (
link
Russell, Norman, trans.
The Lives of the Desert Fathers: The "Historia monachorum in aegypto"
. CS 34. Kalamazoo, Mich.: Cistercian Publications, 1981.
Agailby 2018
Ward 1984
"Descent into the Desert"
Los Angeles Review of Books
. 22 April 2014
. Retrieved
21 January
2026
"Notes Toward a New Language: Into the Desert"
The Poetry Foundation
. Retrieved
21 January
2026
Bibliography
edit
Athanasius of Alexandria
(1892).
"Life of St. Anthony"
. In
Schaff, Philip
Wace, Henry
(eds.).
A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series
. Vol. 4. Buffalo, New York: Christian Literature Publishing Company.
Binns, John (2006). "Modern Spirituality and the Orthodox Church". In
Angold, Michael
(ed.).
The Cambridge History of Christianity. Volume 5: Eastern Christianity
. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. pp.
580–
599.
doi
10.1017/CHOL9780521811132.025
ISBN
978-0-521-81113-2
Burton-Christie, Douglas (1993).
The Word in the Desert: Scripture and the Quest for Holiness in Early Christian Monasticism
. New York: Oxford University Press.
ISBN
978-0-19-508333-0
Chryssavgis, John
(2008).
In the Heart of the Desert: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers
(rev. ed.). Bloomington, Indiana: World Wisdom.
ISBN
978-1-933316-56-7
Egan, Harvey D. (1996).
An Anthology of Christian Mysticism
(2nd ed.). Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press.
ISBN
978-0-8146-6012-6
Gregory, Timothy E.
Kazhdan, Alexander P.
(1991). "Cassian, John". In
Kazhdan, Alexander P.
(ed.).
The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium
. Vol. 1. New York: Oxford University Press (published 2005).
ISBN
978-0-19-518792-2
Guillaumont, Antoine
(1979). "Une inscription copte sur la prière de Jesus".
Aux origines du monachisme chrétien: Pour une phénoménologie du monachisme
. Spiritualité orientale et vie monastique (in French). Vol. 30. Bégrolles-en-Mauges, France: Abbaye de Bellefontaine. pp.
168–
183.
Harmless, William (2000). "Remembering Poemen Remembering: The Desert Fathers and the Spirituality of Memory".
Church History
69
(3):
483–
518.
doi
10.2307/3169395
ISSN
1755-2613
JSTOR
3169395
S2CID
162955580
———
(2004).
Desert Christians: An Introduction to the Literature of Early Monasticism
. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
doi
10.1093/0195162234.001.0001
ISBN
978-0-19-516222-6
Irvin, Dale T.; Sundquist, Scott W. (2001).
History of the World Christian Movement
. Edinburgh: T&T Clark.
ISBN
978-0-567-08866-6
Keller, David G. R. (2005).
Oasis of Wisdom: The Worlds of the Desert Fathers and Mothers
. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press.
ISBN
978-0-8146-3034-1
McGinn, Bernard
, ed. (2006).
The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism
. New York: Modern Library.
ISBN
978-0-8129-7421-8
Merton, Thomas
(1960).
Wisdom of the Desert
. New York: New Directions (published 1970).
ISBN
978-0-8112-0102-5
{{
cite book
}}
ISBN / Date incompatibility (
help
Meyendorff, John
(1974).
St Gregory Palamas and Orthodox Spirituality
. Translated by Fiske, Adele. Crestwood, New York: St Vladimir's Seminary Press.
ISBN
978-0-913836-11-8
Nes, Solrunn (2007).
The Uncreated Light: An Iconographical Study of the Transfiguration in the Eastern Church
. Translated by Moi, Arlyne. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.
ISBN
978-0-8028-1764-8
Parry, Ken; Melling, David J.; Brady, Dimitri;
Griffith, Sidney H.
Healy, John F.
, eds. (1999).
The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity
. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
ISBN
978-0-631-23203-2
Peterson, Michael D. (2008). "Hesychasm". In Benedetto, Robert (ed.).
The New Westminster Dictionary of Church History. Volume 1: The Early, Medieval, and Reformation Eras
. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press. pp.
304–
305.
ISBN
978-0-664-22416-5
Riddle, John M.
(2008).
A History of the Middle Ages, 300–1500
. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
ISBN
978-0-7425-5409-2
Rock, Stella (2006).
"Russian Piety and Orthodox Culture, 1380–1589"
. In
Angold, Michael
(ed.).
The Cambridge History of Christianity. Volume 5: Eastern Christianity
. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. pp.
253–
275.
doi
10.1017/CHOL9780521811132.012
ISBN
978-0-521-81113-2
Waddell, Helen
(1957) [1936].
The Desert Fathers
. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press.
ISBN
978-0-472-06008-5
{{
cite book
}}
ISBN / Date incompatibility (
help
Ward, Benedicta
, ed. (1984).
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Alphabetical Collection
(PDF)
(rev. ed.). Kalamazoo, Michigan: Cistercian Publications.
ISBN
978-0-87907-959-8
. Retrieved
21 January
2026
Ware, Kallistos
(2000).
The Inner Kingdom
. Crestwood, New York: St Vladimir's Seminary Press.
ISBN
978-0-88141-209-3
Wilfong, Terry G. (1998).
"The Non-Muslim Communities: Christian Communities"
. In Petry, Carl F. (ed.).
The Cambridge History of Egypt. Volume 1: Islamic Egypt, 640–1517
. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press (published 2006). pp.
175–
197.
ISBN
978-0-521-47137-4
. Retrieved
24 June
2018
Wortley, John, ed. (2012).
The Book of the Elders: Sayings of the Desert Fathers
. Translated by Wortley, John. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press.
ISBN
978-0-87907-201-8
Agailby, Elizabeth
(2018).
The Arabic Life of Antony Attributed to Serapion of Thmuis: Cultural Memory Reinterpreted
. Netherlands: Leiden.
ISBN
978-90-04-38327-2
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