Early Christian Lives (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Athanasius (Author), Jerome (Author), Sulpicius Severus (Author), Gregory the Great (Author), Carolinne White (Translator, Contributor)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: July 1, 1998

Written between the mid-fourth and late sixth centuries to commemorate and glorify the achievements of early Christian saints, these six biographies depict men who devoted themselves to solitude, poverty and prayer. Athanasius records Antony's extreme seclusion in the Egyptian desert, despite temptation by the devil and visits from his followers. Jerome also shows those who fled persecution or withdrew from society to pursue lives of chastity and asceticism in his accounts of Paul of Thebes, Hilarion and Malchus. In his Life of Martin, Sulpicius Severus describes the achievements of a man who combined the roles of monk, bishop and missionary, while Gregory the Great tells of Benedict, whose Rule became the template for monastic life. Full of vivid incidents and astonishing miracles, these Lives have provided inspiration as models for centuries of Christian worship.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Carolinne White tutors in patristic and medieval Latin at Oxford University and has published a translation of the correspondence between St Jerome and St Augustine of Hippo (1990). CAROLINNE WHITE works at St Hugh's College, Oxford, dividing her time between research projects and tutoring in patristic and medieval Latin. She has worked on many projects in her field, and published several works, and now lives in north Oxfordshire. Carolinne White divides her time between research projects and tutoring in patristic and medieval Latin at Oxford University. She has worked on the supplement to the Liddell and Scott Greek Lexicon and the Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources and has published a translation of the correspondence between St Jerome and St Augustine of Hippo (1990) alongside other work.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140435263
• ISBN-13: 978-0140435269
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,357 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Catholicism > Saints

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Monastic Saints, December 4, 2004

By 

Redbird (Springfield, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Early Christian Lives (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

This book is a translation of the biographies of six early monastic saints of Christianity. The particular lives - Antony, Paul of Thebes, Hilarion, Malchus, Martin of Tours and Benedict - are chosen as representatives of particular monastic styles from the early hermits to the monastic community, as generally envisioned today. The choice is also driven by the fact that the lives were written in Latin, which is the interest of Latin scholar and translator, Carolinne White.

In her introduction, she discusses the issues of proper translation, the types of monasticism, the milieu of their lives, and the styles of the authors, the likes of Sts. Athanasius and Jerome, Sulpicius Severus and Gregory the Great. To put things in context, she also provides a brief introduction to each biography.

For the Christian, however, the value of the book is the witness to the lives themselves. They are inspirational, if not almost unbelievable; so far are God's work through them so different than our own modern experience and subconsciously accepted empiricism. These are struggles with visible demons, not only seen by them, but also seen or felt by those around them. These are struggles with pagans and with heretics who mean to torture and kill them. These are struggles with the envious, who want a prophetic relationship with God without making the sacrifice. And these are struggles with good Christians, who fall and are helped by them.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Early Biographies of monastic ilfe, October 24, 2011

By 

Luby "Luby" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Early Christian Lives (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Great introductions by the translator, these early church writings should be on any of the faithful's required reading lists to gain an undrestanding of the difficulties early Chirstians faced, what the time was like, and how dedicated these men were to a monastic life.