| An Introduction to the Desert Fathers Contributor(s): Wortley, John (Author) |
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ISBN: 1108481027 ISBN-13: 9781108481021 Publisher: Cambridge University Press OUR PRICE: $90.25 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: July 2019 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Religion | Institutions & Organizations - Religion | History |
| Dewey: 271.009 |
| LCCN: 2019000694 |
| Physical Information: 0.6" H x 8.3" W x 9.2" (0.90 lbs) 208 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: 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 Sc t ), 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. |
Contributor Bio(s): Wortley, John: - 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). |