The Word in the Desert: Scripture and the Quest for Holiness in Early Christian Monasticism [Paperback]

Douglas Burton-Christie (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195083334 | ISBN-13: 978-0195083330 | Publication Date: February 4, 1993

The growing scholarly attention in recent years to the religious world of late antiquity has focused new attention on the quest for holiness by the strange, compelling, often obscure early Christian monks known as the desert fathers. Yet until now, little attention has been given to one of the most vital dimensions of their spirituality: their astute, penetrating interpretation of Scripture. Rooted in solitude, cultivated in an atmosphere of silence, oriented toward the practical appropriation of the sacred texts, the desert fathers' hermeneutic profoundly shaped every aspect of their lives and became a significant part of their legacy. This book explores the setting within which the early monastic movement emerged, the interpretive process at the center of the desert fathers' quest for holiness, and the intricate patterns of meaning woven into their words and their lives.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Highly recommended for all serious collections of patristic church history, Christian spirituality, and fourth-century Roman mentality."--Choice

"An excellent book that focuses attention on hermeneutical questions."--Brother Ray McManaman, FSL, Lewis University

"[An] excellent scholarly work, superbly lucid as well as careful and thorough. A necessary addition to all collections of church history and a fine text for an advanced course on the same. Or a specialized course in early Christendom."--Richard Simon Hanson, Luther College

"A valuable textbook for both the study of monasticism and the history of exegesis, as well as an important reminder of the centrality of scripture to early monastic and later medieval spirituality."--Wanda Cizewski, Marquette University

"An excellent introduction to the role of Scripture in early monasticism, an essential, though often neglected, aspect of the history of asceticism. I recommend it highly."--Bernard McGinn, University of Chicago

About the Author

Douglas Burton-Christie is at Loyola Marymount University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (February 4, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195083334
• ISBN-13: 978-0195083330
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #401,987 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #97 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Monasticism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Account of early Christian hermits, April 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Word in the Desert: Scripture and the Quest for Holiness in Early Christian Monasticism (Paperback)

Tells about the Christian hermits in the deserts of Northern Africa and the Middle East. Gives many anecdotes about the spiritual trials of the monks and their relationships to the Abbas (desert fathers, gerontas, hieromonks <- pick your preferred term). Many of these monks had very limited access to any scripture or spiritual instruction. They would go to their spiritual father and beg for a "word" a fragment of scripture that they would repeat to themselves and live with in their stay in the desert. Although I realize it is beyond the scope of the book it would have been fascinating to hear some thoughts on how Christian interpretation of scripture (fourfold interpretation: literal, allegorical, tropological, and anagogical) may have grown out of this, or the possible roots of hesychasm. The book also discusses the early social organization of the monasteries founded in the desert.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bible Study Leading to Holiness not Haughtiness, July 7, 2006

By 

Todd A. Scull - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Word in the Desert: Scripture and the Quest for Holiness in Early Christian Monasticism (Paperback)

Douglas Burton-Christie has produced an excellent, readable work of scholarship that reveals the seminal value of biblical text for the Christian monastics of fourth-century Egypt. Burton-Christie explores the spirituality of these early monks within the three major divisions of the book: The Desert Hermeneutic in Its Setting, Approaches to the Word in the Desert, and The Word Realized. I particularly enjoyed his chapter on "The Humble Way of Christ", which explores the virtue of humility as an essential monastic spiritual trait. He also tackles the often misunderstood concept of monastic renunciation as rightly understood to be a spiritual tool to develop an inner freedom for the monk, which finds its parallels in monastic traditions of other faiths.

I would recommend this book for anyone interested in delving more fully into the spirituality of early Christian monasticism as well as for those who wish to see how the primitive roots of Christian monasticism touch other, non-Christian, spiritual traditions. It is particularly gratifying to see how the early monks, while devoted to the study and memorization of Scripture, allowed the Word to work deeply towards a profound expression of Christian love.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Analysis of the role of Scripture and Sanctified Living among Monks, September 19, 2005

By 

Matthew Gunia (Justice, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Word in the Desert: Scripture and the Quest for Holiness in Early Christian Monasticism (Paperback)

Douglas Burton-Christie is a professor of Christian Spirituality at Loyola Marymount University specializing in monastic studies. This book is a reworking of his doctoral dissertation. As such, "The Word in the Desert," is extremely throrough, scholarly, and keeps the central thesis in mind throughout.

Burton-Christie's purpose in writing is to examine "how the use and interpretation of Scripture shaped the quest for holiness amongst the desert monks of early Christianity (4)." But before he begins examining the role of Scripture and Sprituality, he devotes significant space to the formation of and life in early monastic communities (and why not? This is a doctoral dissertation). While this section was interesting and provided some necessary foundations, this section was the most frustrating to read as I was anxious for Burton-Christie to actually get into the meat of his thesis.

Once the backgound of monstacism was firmly in place, Burton-Christie moved into monstic ideals of the Holy Life and the role Scriputre played in this life. The interplay between these two ideas made for an informative and enjoyable read. The illustrations were excellent and made the weighty subject matter entertaining. As a result of reading this book, my knowledge of and respect for the monastic lifestyle has grown.

I would recommend this book, but those who have had some historical and/or theoligical training would benefit most from reading it.