Product Description

The Desert Fathers were the first Christian monks, living in solitude in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria. In contrast to the formalised and official theology of the "founding fathers" of the church, the Desert Fathers were ordinary Christians who chose to renounce the world and live lives of celibacy, fasting, vigil, prayer and poverty in direct and simple response to the gospel. Their sayings were first recorded in the 4th century and consist of spiritual advice, anecdotes and parables. The Desert Fathers' teachings and lives have inspired poetry, opera and art, as well as providing spiritual nourishment and a template for monastic life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50916 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

About the Author
Benedicta Ward is a Reader in the History of Early Christian Spirituality at the Theology Faculty in Oxford. She is the author of An Introduction to Christian Spirituality (SPCK, 1999) and Miracles and the Medieval Mind (Pennsylvania UP, 1987). She has translated The Prayers and Meditations of St Anslem for Penguin Classics.

Customer Reviews

What fabulous people!
This is a book to be kept. There is a small intro by the editor and then the sayings of the Fathers and Mothers are reproduced under various chapter headings, such as humility.

I found myself often smiling to myself or indeed laughing aloud because there is a kindly of a childlike simplicity evident in the sayings, coming close to madness (at least in the eyes of the modern world). Whilst the sayings can appear outlandish, one knows that there is truth there. One of my favourite stories concerns a very holy monk, who is asked would he stand in faith if a dragon came bearing down on him. He says that he would run because if he did not run from the dragon he would have to run from something far worse, namely his own pride. There are many nuggets of wisdom in this book - its the kind of booked that one keeps in order to dip into repeatedly.

The Latin SystematicText
This is a classic of Western Spirituality, summing up the past and defining the future.
Let me unpack that slightly: It is a classic because of the movement it expresses. The desert fathers and mothers had a theological and political impact far in excess of their direct interventions. They were the ideals of central theologians of their time, and inspired the likes of Athanasius, Jerome, and Augustine. I say Western (not Eastern) spirituality, because this is a translation of the LATIN text ("Verba Seniorum"), not the Greek, which is also translated by Ward elsewhere in its alphabetical form. The Latin text is probably a little earlier than the Greek texts we have, although the sayings were probably translated into some Greek form before they arrived in the Latin speaking world.
It sums up a good deal of the past, presenting Christian versions of earlier philosophical wisdom and exercises, and defines the future: Cassian wrote his Institutions and Conferences based on the same sources, and this collection became standard reading for all Western monks, not least by recommendation from Benedict of Nursia.
They are extremely accessible, and you don't have to take a good deal of time to read them: the sayings are generally short, independent paragraphs. Good for chewing over!

Wisdom of the ages
"In Scetis a brother was once found guilty. They assembled the brothers, and sent a message to Moses [a much-revered monk originally from Ethiopia], but he would not come. The presbyter sent for him again saying 'Come, the monks are gathered together waiting for you'. Moses took with him an old basket [i.e. with a hole] which he filled with sand and carried on his back. They went to meet him and said 'What does this mean, abba?' He said 'My sins run out behind me and I do not see them and I have come here today to judge another.' They said no more to the brother who had sinned but forgave him."

This collection of sayings and stories attributed to the early "desert fathers" gathered together for the spiritual edification of the reader are arranged according to certain ideal qualities, such as non-judgement (from which the above quotation), self-control, discretion, humility, patience, charity and so forth.

Bendicta Ward's introduction is brief but enough to give a flavour of the history of the early monastic movement and the motivations behind it - often thought to be world-hating but not necessarily so ("They did not talk, not because they hated conversation, but because they wanted to listen to the voice of God in silence; [...] they did not avoid company because it bored them, but, as one of them said, 'I cannot be with you and with God.'").

A good bedside book to dip into.