Desert Christians: An Introduction to the Literature of Early Monasticism (Paperback)

by William Harmless (Author) "For most Romans, Egypt's deserts were the edge of the world, a vast and remote frontier land..." (more)
Key Phrases: apotactic movement, anchoritic life, desert literature, New York, First Greek Life, Historia Lausiaca (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Those who teach courses in early monastic history have longed for a book like this. Some of us have though about writing it ourselves. Now the task has been done. Harmless has applied his considerable energy and pedagogical experience to developing a book that is informative and filled with resources for ongoing, in-depth study. He also navigates very complex historiography with clarity, candor, and respect. Surely, this superb contribution will remain the starting point and essential reference work on Egyptian monasticism for some time to come. We owe its author deep thanks for making the work of both teacher and researcher considerably easier." --Theological Studies
"...an indispensable work for anyone interested in ancient Christian monasticism, early Christian history and literature, and indeed the general examination of spiritual impulses that shape religion. This book is an outstanding acheivement in presenting and analyzing major works, interwoven with the diversity of scholarship that has blossomed in this area in the past thirty years." --Spiritus
"...comprehensive, absolutely current with respect to research, and deeply sympathetic to the monastic enterprise. Desert Christians belongs in every monastic library and would be well placed in the hands of every monk who wishes to know his or her tradition."--Cistercian Studies Quarterly
"It is the rare book that can introduce a literature and a field of study intelligently and thoroughly and make a significant scholarly contribution in its own right. This book does just that. It will become required reading for anyone interested in the world of early Christian monasticism."--CHOICE
"Why waste words? This is a thoroughly admirable book... An accomplished and unassuming piece of scholarship." --Scripta Classica Israelica
"There is no other volume on the desert Christians that is so generous with the facts and so reliable a key to modern debate on so many topics, great and small."--Times Literary Supplement


Product Description
In the fourth century, the deserts of Egypt became the nerve center of a radical new movement, what we now call monasticism. Groups of Christians-from illiterate peasants to learned intellectuals-moved out to the wastelands beyond the Nile Valley and, in the famous words of Saint Athanasius, made the desert a city. In so doing, they captured the imagination of the ancient world. They forged techniques of prayer and asceticism, of discipleship and spiritual direction, that have remained central to Christianity ever since. Seeking to map the soul's long journey to God and plot out the subtle vagaries of the human heart, they created and inspired texts that became classics of Western spirituality. These Desert Christians were also brilliant storytellers, some of Christianity's finest. This book introduces the literature of early monasticism. It examines all the best-known works, including Athanasius' Life of Antony, the Lives of Pachomius, and the so-called Sayings of the Desert Fathers. Later chapters focus on two pioneers of monastic theology: Evagrius Ponticus, the first great theoretician of Christian mysticism; and John Cassian, who brought Egyptian monasticism to the Latin West. Along the way, readers are introduced to path-breaking discoveries-to new texts and recent archeological finds-that have revolutionized contemporary scholarship on monastic origins. Included are fascinating snippets from papyri and from little-known Coptic, Syriac, and Ethiopic texts. Interspersed in each chapter are illustrations, maps, and diagrams that help readers sort through the key texts and the richly-textured world of early monasticism. Geared to a wide audience and written in clear, jargon-free prose, Desert Christians offers the most comprehensive and accessible introduction to early monasticism.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (June 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195162234
• ISBN-13: 978-0195162233
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #520,681 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Introduction and Reflection, April 12, 2005

By	Paul S. Russell III (Chevy Chase, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Harmless's book offers the benefits of both an introduction to the Desert Fathers and a reflection on their work and lives. The material is divided up into small pieces and readers can skip directly to the particular parts they wish to use or begin at the front and go all the way through the volume. There is a very large set of notes and bibliography, so the book can be used as a source to find other work in the area and can be the starting point for many projects in the study of ancient Christianity. The only reasons this is not an ideal book to support an introductory course on the Desert Fathers are that it is mostly secondary (Harmless' thoughts and analysis) and that it is too expensive. This is the perfect companion to a serious reading of the ocean of texts from the early desert and no one who is seriously interested in this subject will want to delay in reading it. This will be a classic work and should be on the shelf of every religious library.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Worthy Introduction with Moments of Depth, January 4, 2008

By	Theophilus - See all my reviews

William Harmless provides an excellent and thorough survey of the desert fathers who founded monasticism in the fourth and fifth centuries in Egypt. He has an evident mastery of the language of the desert and the historical events that influenced the solitary communities therein. Any person interested in monasticism or Egypt's great heritage as the source of monasticism would be well advised to read this book.

However, there are some arguments and assumptions in the book that I personally do not accept. For example, Professor Harmless argues that "Life of Antony" was written as a fantastic tale by Saint Athanasius and that Saint Antony did not really establish monasticism. My own survey of the desert fathers leads me to completely opposite conclusions. I can only wonder whether Professor Harmless has an agenda in denying Egypt the honor of being the birthplace of monasticism.

Apart from these areas in which Professor Harmless, the work is an invaluable reference for facts and texts concerning the Egyptian desert fathers.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From Oxford University Press:, November 21, 2005

By	S. McDonald "Library World" (Independence, MO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In this book, the author provides an accessible introduction to early Christian monastic literature from Egypt and beyond. He introduces the reader to the major figures and literary texts, as well as offering an up-to-date survey of current questions and scholarship in the field. The text is enhanced by the inclusion of chronologies, maps, outlines, illustrations, and bibliographies. The book will not only serve as a text for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses on early Christianity, the Desert Fathers, and Christian asceticism, but it should stimulate further research by making the fruits of recent scholarship more readily and widely available.