The Desert Fathers
Sayings of the Early Christian Monks
The sayings of the Desert Fathers, the Christian ascetics who withdrew into the Egyptian desert from the third century onward, in Benedicta Ward’s translation. They come as short exchanges and single lines rather than treatises, since these were people who distrusted theological argument and preferred direct experience. Their practice shaped the monastic traditions of both the eastern and western churches.
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Cal Flyn
The ‘Desert Fathers’ of this book were a loose conglomeration of early Christian ascetics living in the Egyptian deserts, from the third century onwards. Their pared-back approach to worship—abandoning theological texts in favour of direct revelation—and extreme living conditions would trickle down to influence the monastic traditions of both the eastern and western arms of the Church.
Interview · July 2026
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