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The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Christian MonksKen & Jenn Arrington

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The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Christian Monks (Penguin Classics) Paperback – July 29, 2003

by Benedicta Ward (Editor)

4.7 394 ratings

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The Desert Fathers were the first Christian monks, living in solitude in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria. In contrast to the formalized and official theology of the "founding fathers" of the Church, they 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. First recorded in the fourth century, their Sayings—consisting of spiritual advice, anecdotes, parables, and reflections on life—influenced the rule of St. Benedict, set the pattern for Western monasticism, and have inspired centuries of poetry, opera, and art.

Organized around key themes—Charity, Fortitude, Lust, Patience, Prayer, Self-control, and Visions—this edition of the Sayings is fresh, accessible, and authoritative.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Print length

240 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin Classics
Publication date

July 29, 2003
Dimensions

5.1 x 0.5 x 7.8 inches
ISBN-10

0140447318
ISBN-13

978-0140447316
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Benedicta Ward is a reader in the history of early Christian spirituality at the Theology Faculty in Oxford. She has translated The Prayers and Meditations of St. Anselm for Penguin Classics.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics; Revised edition (July 29, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140447318
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140447316
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.1 x 0.5 x 7.8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #100,987 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #115 in Christian Historical Theology (Books)
- #360 in History of Christianity (Books)
- #490 in Christian Church History (Books)

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4.7 out of 5

394 global ratings

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Trenton

Fun easy to read book! Kind of spoilers in the review, but not any big ones.

Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2019

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Just full of stories, some of them likely exaggerated but interesting nonetheless. They have a tinge of ancient storytelling and give you a feeling of the type of Christianity that was around before the entire middle east was overwhelmed by the arabian desert tribes, guided by Mohammed. Some of the stories are very inspiring and some are a little silly. There is one where a monk digs up the dead body of a woman to whom he was attracted and keeps it in his room, saying to his self "SEE THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED!! YOU HAPPY? (paraphrasing)" And another one where a monk has a child with a woman, then takes it to show the other monks saying "SEE EVERYONE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LET LUST OVERTAKE YOU?! YOU SEE??" Those are the first two that come to mind, and they struck me as a little silly. Another one has a monk burning all of his fingers off to avoid feeling lust for a woman who is trying to seduce him. Anyway, most of the stories are inspiring haha! I just have a tough time remembering the inspiring ones because the ones that are kind of silly stick in my mind a lot more. This is a nice book to get, it's conveniently broken up into different chapters that take around 20 minutes to read, so it is easy to just read a chapter a day or however you want to do it.

8 people found this helpful

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Joshua Brainard

Good To The Last Drop!

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2010

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I can't say enough good things about the selections in this book. Its like the book of Proverbs, in that it is a collection of often pithy (but sometimes paragraph long) sayings that are chalked full of wisdom. However, Benedicta Ward has arranged them topically, which is helpful. Like the biblical Proverbs, trying to read straight through the book would be like drinking from the fire hose. You really have to mull the sayings over, and you'll be glad you did. On occasion the sayings are quite strange and hard to apply, sometimes gross and overly self-deprecating, sometimes funny, but most of the time you feel that there is something deep and insightful to take away for yourself. There are also many stories of interactions between hermits or other community members, sometimes in conflict. The way they treat each other and solve their problems in humility is surely something we can learn much from today. And, if nothing else, the sheer devotion and self-discipline of the pious men and women described will stir your soul and inspire you. I can't recommend it enough.

17 people found this helpful

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Kyle D. Mietzner

Must have for all Christians.

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2017

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The spirituality of the Desert Fathers is really something to behold. On one hand, they are brilliant, and on the other, they're absolutely insane. I do wonder about the mental health of some of them, but at the same time, they are perhaps more grounded than I am. The sayings overflow with grace, but never permit evil or sin. Alone, they are still oriented towards community. Every Christian would do well to have a copy of this book. You will find ancient wisdom inaccessible in most modern churches.

25 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Valuable to the Christian

Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2023

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This book is a useful source of information on holy men and women of the early Church and their teachings, although written from a Protestant perspective.

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Fernando Zanini

Condition and Delivery

Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2022

Verified Purchase

Product in perfect condition.
Fast delivery.

One person found this helpful

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Tyler Griffin

When I received this book it was in great condition. The book itself is put together in ...

Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2016

Verified Purchase

When I received this book it was in great condition. The book itself is put together in such a way that as you are reading the quotes of the desert Abbas and Ammas the questions you are having are answered. The sections are laid out well, and most of the time take you to where your thoughts need to go next as a result of the previous quote or story. The layout is very clean and easy to follow, and overall very helpful in reading such dense stories and quotes.

11 people found this helpful

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Trent

Fascinating read!

Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2017

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I'm loving this book! Very interesting and captivating. The introduction lays out the background needed to understand the context. Then with that context you can jump in a read the little sayings and stories and just glean so much perspective from the monks and brothers. Each story captures a real life issue people still live with today and give you then the insight from the monks on how to treat the issue. I'm really enjoying this book!

9 people found this helpful

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Valentin W. Johansen

Too profound and good to be real.

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2014

Verified Purchase

Legendary stories.

DO NOT read this if you are not ready to be directly and extremely challenged to live the radical life of a hermit or monk. This book is not playing around. These are the real and little known stories of the first Christian monks and are not for the faint of heart. Some of these men lived lives of insane and utter devotion for more than 40 years while living half naked in desert caves. The history and theology here is also unique and from clearly a time before our modern era.

8 people found this helpful

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Simon D.

Incredible read

Reviewed in Canada on July 11, 2021

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This amazing book truly highlights just how extreme the early monks took their faith

One person found this helpful

John

Niet heel verhelderend

Reviewed in the Netherlands on July 25, 2022

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De uitspraken van de 'desert fathers' zijn soms interessant, maar over het algemeen gewoon niet heel boeiend.

Het is geen gemis om dit boek over te slaan.

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Simon

Nice read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2021

Verified Purchase

I read this book after reading exempts of it on Twitter. It was a simple read and it entails a lot of ancient wisdom. Would read again.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Amazed

Reviewed in India on June 10, 2020

Verified Purchase

This is a perfect book great teachings of desert father book was perfectely in order i love this book so much i can read it again and again its wonderful i recommend every single person on earth to read it

Dr. Miguel Torres

Unschätzbar

Reviewed in Germany on March 19, 2020

Verified Purchase

Das Buch ist ein Schatz! Die Zustellung erfolgte schnell und reibungslos.

One person found this helpful

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