The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers

by Henry L. Carrigan (Editor), Gregory of Nazianzus, Anthony the Great

In the fourth century, thousands of men and women fled into the Egyptian desert seeking to recapture the passion of the earliest Christians through lives of prayer and solitude.

As records of the wisdom and purity of these "Desert Fathers and Mothers" spread through the Roman Empire, Christians streamed to their caves seeking counsel on the interior life. The hermits' ascetic practices and sagacious words were a shining witness to a living faith that could be woven into the fabric of daily life—offering timeless wisdom for Christians of any era.

This volume contains Athanasius' famous The Life of St. Anthony, St. Jerome's The Life of Paul the Hermit, and the collected sayings of many of the desert fathers and mothers. Encouraging humility, patience, prayer, introspection, and love, they teach that contemplative practice opens the door to eternal wisdom for daily life.

Genres: Religion, Spirituality, Theology

162 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly this is just a new translation of the Life of St. Anthony, which is a classic of Christian spirituality and thus worth your time. That said, the title is a bit deceiving as there is only one "mother" who gets a word in. I guess "The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers...and One Mother" did not have the same ring? Is this lack just because women had less of a voice in those days? If so, why not just admit it and give it a more honest title? The brief words of wisdom from the fathers were often thoughtful and interesting, though honestly, kind of forgettable. I read it two weeks ago and all I remember is that many spoke of the importance of humility. I think a bit more commentary, relating how words from the literal desert over 1500 years ago relate to our lives today might have been helpful. As is, I am not sure if I would recommend this book to people.

[Steve Penner · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a collection of the sayings of the desert fathers and one mother. The bulk of it is the biography of Antony of Egypt written by Athanasius. Most of the rest are short and fragmentary. I don't think many Protestants would find it very helpful. The context is so different and the challenges seem archaic. One thing I did find interesting in light of other recent reading is Antony's conviction that Satan is a defeated enemy. He makes the point often that Christ defeated Satan at the cross. All Satan has in his defeated state is the role of a saboteur. He and his demons can merely tempt and taunt, but can do no real harm. Yet much of the life of the desert hermit was to conduct spiritual warfare against these saboteurs as they used base human desires to lead the fathers away from their ascetic commitments. There are glimpses of grace here but they are few and far between.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wisdom of the Desert Mothers and Fathers is divided into several parts. The introduction is an excellent overview of the lives of desert hermits. This is followed by a translation of the Life of Saint Anthony which has moments of illumination but gets bogged down in its own mysticism. There simply is not enough here to make Anthony relatable. However, as a paragon, he is interesting. The purpose is not to be him but to take something from his example. The best part of the book is the sampling of sayings of the Desert Mothers and Fathers at the end. The wisdom in the sayings is not mired in perfect sainthood but is much more accessible. They make for excellent daily meditations.

[Emmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book and a fascinating introduction to the Desert Fathers and Mothers. Honestly, I was expecting it to be a bit dry, but once I started reading about the life of Antony of Egypt, I was completely glued to the page! Taking up about half of the book, it was a really, really engaging story and I'm so excited to learn more about this fascinating group of early Christians!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great wisdom & true humility

This is an excellent version written in contemporary language. I recommend it as a source of spiritually formative history and wisdom.

[Coleen Dailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard book to rate since it is a collection of sayings.

[Jodie Pine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers some background and wisdom from the Desert Fathers and Mothers: the most in depth on Father Antony's life (60%), a little bit on Paul of Thebes, and then a collection of quotes from 20 some others.

"these early monks practiced various forms of asceticism, and they saw themselves as returning to Christianity the kind of pure expression of faith that they thought was missing in the fourth-century church."

[Rob Skirving · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading biographies of Antony and Paul, but found selections from others to be rather limited ... only one from an amma! Having said this, I enjoyed revisiting spiritual ancestors whom I first met almost thirty years ago.

[Chad Conant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good.