The Desert Fathers (Paperback)

by Helen Waddell (Author), Basil Pennington (Preface) "There is variant reading in some of the manuscripts which suggests that the Vita S. Pauli was written during Jerome's own years in the desert,..." (more)
Key Phrases: certain old man, thy cell, certain brother, Holy Ghost, Lord Christ, Mount Sinai (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The Desert Fathers is a handy introduction to the sayings and stories of the earliest contemplatives--the men and women who, in the fourth century, escaped towns and cities to seek God and wrestle with demons in the deserts of Africa and Asia Minor. Some of these stories (such as the life of St. Anthony, the first monk) read almost like sci-fi, with their exuberant miracles exploding in exotic locations. All of them help readers understand the value and danger of liberating oneself from the constrictions of society. --Michael Joseph Gross

Product Description
By the fourth century A.D., devout Christians--men and women alike--had begun to retreat from cities and villages to the deserts of North Africa and Asia Minor, where they sought liberation from their corrupt society and the confining shell of the social self. The Desert Fathers is the perfect introduction to the stories and sayings of these heroic pioneers of the contemplative tradition. Selected and translated by Helen Waddell, The Desert Fathers opens a window onto early Christianity while presenting us with touchingly human models of faith, humility, and compassion. With a new Preface by the Cistercian monk, writer, and revered teacher of contemplative prayer M. Basil Pennington, author of O Holy Mountain and Challenges in Prayer.

"God is our home but many of us have strayed from our native land. The venerable authors of these Spiritual Classics are expert guides--may we follow their directions home."
--Archbishop Desmond Tutu

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (March 24, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375700196
• ISBN-13: 978-0375700194
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #405,973 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This item is part of The Vintage Spiritual Classics Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The text is wonderful, the introduction less so., May 24, 1999

By A Customer

This was my first foray into this world, a wonderful world of humble, faithful and consistent people of God. This is an appealing start for people such as me as each chapter has an illuminating bit of background about the original translators of the individual works. The wisdom and godliness of the individual men and women is an excellent example and challenge for us.

However, the general introduction, as well as some of the chapters' introductory remarks, assume a knowledge of antiquarian works that won't be common, and is often pedantic.

Overall, this book inspired me to learn more about the men and women shown, and I heartily commend this book to those interested in the true beginnings of Christian spirituality, and has much to give.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Blooming in The Desert, April 25, 2000

By	Carol Bonomo (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Sayings of the early Christian monastics and stories of their lives of austerity and prayer in the Egyptian deserts have appeared as "flavoring" in books like Norris' Cloister Walk. This sturdy volume gathers up many of these tales and wisdom teachings in a clean, readable translation that also sports an encellent introduction which frames and contextualizes this ancient part of our Christian heritage. Waddell calls her book "a case book of spiritual direction, ironic and wise" (p 24), and indeed it can encourage and inspire the reader today. The abbess Matrona could be speaking to our modern urges and contradictions when she says, "It is better to have many about thee, and to live the solitary life in thy will, than to be alone, and the desire of thy mind be with the crowd" (page 72). If other stories strike the modern ear more harshly ("The abbot Arsenius said, "It sufficeth a monk if he sleep for one hour: that is, if he be a fighter" [p. 74]), they still provide the modern reader with the traditions and cultures that developed shortly after the Christian gospels were written. These stories also formed the backdrop for the moderation and carefulness of St. Benedict's Rule--still being followed by monastic orders like the Benedictines and Trappists today.

30 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not from the Latin, really, December 4, 2000

By	John C. Hoppe "jhoppe" (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Intrigued by the listing title with its statement that it comprises "Translations from the Latin" I ordered this book only to find that save for the first selection from St. Jerome (originally written in Latin) all of the selections are indeed translations from the Latin but the Latin translations from which Waddell translates are translations of other authors from the original Greek. The Desert Fathers are much more appropriately presented by Faber & Faber in their series of volumes entitled Philokalia which comes in a three or four volume paperback edition and a one volume abridgement and is translated to English directly from the original Greek. I believe.