The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers [Hardcover]

Benedicta Ward (Author)

Book Description

Series: Wisdom | Publication Date: June 2002

Arranged under 30 headings for daily reading, this gift book includes short accessible extracts from the great spiritual writings of the Christian tradition. The contributions are selected and introduced by authors with a strong international appeal.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Lion Pub (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0745939759
• ISBN-13: 978-0745939759
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 4.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,944,607 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Major disappointment, November 8, 2003

By 

Peter (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers (Hardcover)

This volume is a big let down, especially after having read 'Sayings' and 'Lives' of the Desert Fathers, which are both excellent and substantial.
The primary drawback is the length of the book, clocking in at a mere 47 pages. Not only does it lack just in pages, but some pages contain barely a few sentences!
This could be fine as a gift book as it has some nice examples on central christian themes and the presentation is of a high quality.
But for a serious spiritual study this is book is inadequate.
Spend your money on 'Sayings' instead which is just superb and has enough substance for years of meditation and thought.
'Lives' is also very interesting and epic.

POSTNOTE: This review refers to the hardcover edition. I need to make this distinction as recently I came across the paperback edition(3rd editon, 1981) in a library and discovered it was a radically different book of substantially more quantity. Amazon has overlooked this and simply lumped them together. Even though the paperback is still a relatively short 66 pages it contains 239 sayings or anecdotes ranging in length from single sentences to long paragraphs. The hardcover edition(47 pages) is a small selection of this material but containing illustrations. To add even more confusion the first edition of the paperback(1975) is also available under the title 'The Wisdom of the Desert fathers: The Apophthegmata Patrum'. Buyers should take these distinctions into account before purchasing.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Sanctifying verse : Wisdom of the Desert Fathers:, May 31, 2004

By 

Therapeutalex "Therapeutae AmeriCopt" (TherapeutAmerica, Virtually Theognostic USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers (Hardcover)

When Evagrius Ponticus, asked Macarius for a word of wisdom, Abba Macarius replied; "Do not speak unless you are asked to!"

One verse of wisdom:
The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers focused on the request of a monastic novice pleading to an Elder; "Please give me a word of guidance." The novice asks one verse of the elder's insightful conception of the Good News of the one teacher, The Christ. I see that Benedicta Ward applies the spirit of the desert, intense wisdom.

Extra scoop of Desert wisdom?
"The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers Systematic Sayings from the Anonymous Series of the Apophthegmata Patrum," by the 'blessed' Anglican mother Ward and many other sources including writings by John Cassian, and Evagrius Ponticus may be helpful to the honest Amazon reviewer Peter. A treatise on the quest for holiness by the Desert fathers, is very thoroughly treated in D. Burton Christie's "The Word in the Desert."

Book Rating:
Although I totally agree with the reviewer who stated rightly that; "The primary drawback is the length of the book, clocking in at a mere 47 pages. Not only does it lack just in pages, but some pages contain barely a few sentences! This could be fine as a gift book as it has some nice examples on central Christian themes and the presentation is of a high quality."
Amazon has to add the number of pages within "Product Details". But, neither this lack of information, nor his own positive note on the quality justify his harsh under rating.