The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers

£8.00

Benedicta Ward SLG, The Desert Fathers

ISBN: 978-0-7283-0109-2

LENGTH: 67 pages

Fairacres Publications 48

1975 Rev 1986  5/2012

The monks and nuns of fourth-century Egypt show us in this collection that the spirituality of the desert is for everyone.

In this collection of Sayings,translated by Sister Benedicta Ward SLG, arranged under subject headings, the monks and nuns of fourth-century Egypt show us that the spirituality of the desert is for everyone. Their teaching speaks to any who follow the way of Christ; it is concerned more with action and behaviour than with mystical experience, with compassion, forbearance, self-knowledge and facing inner conflict.

Additional information

ISBN

978-0-7283-0109-2

Length

67 pages

Author

Benedicta Ward SLG, The Desert Fathers

ISSN

0307-1405

Book Size

140 x 210 mm

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Author Bio

Sister Benedicta Ward SLG (1933–2022) entered the Community of the Sisters of the Love of God in 1955. She taught spirituality in the University of Oxford and was an Emeritus Fellow of Harris Manchester College. She wrote a number of books on early monasticism and on the Middle Ages, and was one of the world’s leading writers on the legacy of the Desert Fathers. Her published works include books on the Desert Fathers, the Venerable Bede, St Anselm, and on miracles and relics in the Christian tradition.

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The Desert Fathers were Christian hermits, ascetics and monastics who, from about the third century onwards, abandoned the cities of the pagan world to live a life of solitude in the Egyptian desert. In time, they developed a reputation for holiness and wisdom, and had a major influence on the development of Christian spirituality. Many became important figures in the Church and in society. Some embraced a way of life which offered aspects of community living. The desert was a school of self-discipline and resistance to temptation, in order to follow God’s call in a more concentrated way. The Desert Fathers emphasized meditation, the essential place of Scripture, the primacy of love, and the search for God leading through purgation to the purity of heart needed for the vision of God.

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