Practical Spirituality According to the Desert Fathers

by Athanasius Iskander, St. Shenouda Monastery

BORN AGAIN IN BAPTISM, we receive the Holy Spirit which dwells in us, and works in us so that we may reach spiritual perfection, although the Bible tells us what we need to do to reach such perfection and earn Eternal life, it does not tell us how. The Egyptian Desert became a university of this quest for perfection. The Desert Fathers made a science out of this quest, that we now call spirituality. In this university, research was done and experiments were published by many who came to seek the wisdom of those Desert Fathers. Fr Athanasius Iskander borrowed methods and techniques from these Holy Fathers and provided wise instructions on how to practically apply them to the struggles faced by young Orthodox people living in the Twenty First century.

Genres: Spirituality, Religion, Christianity

111 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 8, 2008

About the author

Fr Athanasius Iskander is a Coptic Orthodox priest serving in the church of St Mary, Kitchener, Canada. He is a published author, historian and theologian.

Reviews

[Sincerae Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in the Coptic tradition, Practical Spiritually According to the Desert Fathers is a marvelous little book of practical instruction for Christians to learn about living a more fulfilling spiritual existence subscribing to precepts espoused by the Egyptian Desert Fathers of the early church.

[Macho Man Randy Savage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ik denk dat je nooit een slechte review van mij gaat lezen.

intressant als je meer wilt weten over praktische applicatie in de Coptische traditie van de woestijnvaders. Woestijnmonniken trekken zich echt terug van de wereld om de strijd tegen Satan aan te gaan, wat ik een erg lauw concept vind: een oorlog die in stilte word gevoerd. “For we wrestle not with flesh and blood”

Ook deugden als een ladder is intressant. Dat je deugden in een specifieke volgorde moet ontwikkelen om er in totaal gebruik van te kunnen maken. Niet gek dat deze visie hier niet populair is: de eerste deugd is gehoorzaamheid…

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this thinking it would be more of an examination of the saying of the Desert Fathers. Instead, it is a collection of sermons given by Fr Iskander, a Coptic priest, who draws on the Fathers for, dare I say it, their practical application to modern life.

The sermons appear to be directed at teens/young adults, mostly, but they are concise and easy to read. Fr Iskander sometimes gets bogged down in his criticisms of popular culture, which make him almost appear old fashioned and out of touch, but his insights do carry some weight as they are consistent with the approach to spiritual struggles as found in the churches of the East. The style is conversational.

Not recommended for seekers into Eastern Christianity, but a good book to pick up for younger adults and anyone looking for this type of material who are already Orthodox (Eastern and Oriental).

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

Killjoy

Light on desert fathers, heavy on father killjoy. I don't see how this would be meant for someone outside of monastic life.

[Abraham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tw: rape

Thoroughly middle of the road, but I’m an atheist so I can’t be 100% on board with what’s presented. Some of the advice is practical (hence the name), some of the anecdotes were funny, others….not so much.

There’s an anecdote about a young girl being date raped, and this is used as a caution against alcohol. I personally blame the guy who slipped the thing in her drink but whatever.

Proceed with discernment

[Navel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book filled with the deep wisdom of the Desert Fathers concerning spiritual health.

[David Youssef · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as spiritual books go ahh Ill write this latwr

[Verina Takla · Rating 5 out of 5]

very eye opening, highly recommend especially for young adults/youth.

[Greg D · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit dry and uninteresting. Felt a bit legalistic and dogmatic. I thought I was reading the writings of a Southern Baptist preacher not an Orthodox priest. Don't drink, don't smoke, don't dance, etc. While I appreciate that the author drew a lot from scripture, I was looking more from the sayings of the Desert Fathers. I don't like books that fill their pages with tons of Bible text. When I buy a book, I am looking for something new or additional to draw from, not duplicated Bible passages. The quotes from the Desert Fathers were few when compared to the excessive Bible text. And, it seemed the author himself injected a lot of his own thoughts rather than from the Desert Fathers. If you are looking for something from the Orthodox Desert Fathers, I really wouldn't recommend this book. Because what you will get is a lot of Bible and a lot of the authors own words, and very little from the Desert Fathers.

[Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that definitely needs to be read in consultation with one's spiritual father.

I found this volume quite helpful. There are some grammatical and spelling mistakes, but nothing that is detrimental to the text. The advice is very clear and makes sense for attaining virtue.

One minor criticism I have is regarding the chapter on chastity. The author includes two areas that he feels worthy of noting--alcohol consumption and dancing. I felt the tone of these two was a bit too black and white. Of course the examples he uses are of teenagers for whom drinking and dancing might cause more of a problem.

Overall, a good book and worth reading for some practical advice on applying some of the teachings of the Desert Fathers.

[Klidell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really liked the wisdom of this book. However it was in serious need of editing. The word fantasy was constantly spelled as phantasy. Still, the book did have the information that I was seeking and it was written in a easy to understand style.