An introduction to the Desert Fathers / John Wortley.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wortley, John, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Desert Fathers.

Monasticism and religious orders--Egypt--History--Early church, ca. 30-600.

Monasticism and religious orders.

Monasticism and religious orders--Early church.

History.

Egypt.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xxiv, 190 pages : maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2019.

Summary:

"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"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Desert Fathers

Beginnings

Becoming a monk

Impediments to progress

The object of the exercise

Prayer

Discretion

Work

Eating and drinking

Hospitality and neighbourliness

Women in the desert

Literacy

Heresy

The Pachomian experiment.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

ebook version :

ISBN:

9781108481021

1108481027

9781108703727

1108703720

OCLC:

1081244789