Desert Christians: An Introduction to the Literature of Early Monasticism

by William Harmless

In the fourth century, the deserts of Egypt became the nerve center of a radical new movement, what we now call monasticism. Groups of Christians-from illiterate peasants to learned intellectuals-moved out to the wastelands beyond the Nile Valley and, in the famous words of Saint Athanasius, made the desert a city. In so doing, they captured the imagination of the ancient world. They forged techniques of prayer and asceticism, of discipleship and spiritual direction, that have remained central to Christianity ever since. Seeking to map the soul's long journey to God and plot out the subtle vagaries of the human heart, they created and inspired texts that became classics of Western spirituality. These Desert Christians were also brilliant storytellers, some of Christianity's finest. This book introduces the literature of early monasticism. It examines all the best-known works, including Athanasius' Life of Antony , the Lives of Pachomius , and the so-called Sayings of the
Desert Fathers . Later chapters focus on two pioneers of monastic Evagrius Ponticus, the first great theoretician of Christian mysticism; and John Cassian, who brought Egyptian monasticism to the Latin West. Along the way, readers are introduced to path-breaking discoveries-to new texts and recent archeological finds-that have revolutionized contemporary scholarship on monastic origins. Included are fascinating snippets from papyri and from little-known Coptic, Syriac, and Ethiopic texts. Interspersed in each chapter are illustrations, maps, and diagrams that help readers sort through the key texts and the richly-textured world of early monasticism. Geared to a wide audience and written in clear, jargon-free prose, Desert Christians offers the most comprehensive and accessible introduction to early monasticism.

Genres: Theology, History, Religion, Christianity, Spirituality, Catholic, Christian History

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Fr. J. William Harmless, SJ, PhD

Reviews

[Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily the best volume to start with if one's intent is to study the roots of Christian monasticism thoroughly, though a few of the references to which primary documents have been translated from the original languages into contemporary tongues are out of date at this point. Harmless consistently notes controversies in the study of early monasticism without taking much of a side, though at this point some of the disputes he noted have leaned more towards one consensus or another. As an analysis of the written remnants of early monks, their thought, their activities, and their understanding(s) of Christianity, this volume is great. Also, due to its main focus on Egypt in the 4th and 5th century, there's a decent (and necessary) introduction to the Origenist controversy as a bonus. To me, this is probably not the first book on the desert fathers and mothers I would suggest to an interested reader (Thomas Merton's The Wisdom of the Desert still is the best introductory volume for anyone with a casual interest, despite its very dated introduction), but it is the first book I'd suggest after that to get a feel for the depth and width of the entire potential field of study. The excerpts here are slim and the dissection is high, but that's definitely a great way to begin to grow an understanding of the often partisan or deeply gnomic work of the desert monks before diving into anything beyond Athanasius's Life of Antony or Merton's carefully pruned selections. For its datedness and, bluntly, because it's only an introductory volume and I've a deep frustration with the existence of introductory volumes in the age of Wikipedia, 4 out of 5 stars.

[Benedict · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally picked this up to shore up an under-studied part of my church history (I serve as a parish priest), but was so delighted by the way Harmless framed his ideas that I wound up using this in a parish class and encouraging members to read it themselves. It's a rare book that I think can appeal both to my colleagues with M.Divs and also members of churches whose interest in church history is driven by curiosity and membership as the people of that history today.

I thought Harmless did a wonderful job of working his themes and theses from different angles of inquiry: the academic plumbing was there, with plenty of footnotes to show you the paths he'd followed if you wanted to pursue a topic into its depth, but the book also drew out the vignettes of everyday life or the stories of lives affected by the movements of desert Christians. The concluding chapters are thoughtful, and by the time I got to them, I felt that I had good facility with the topic to think through what his thoughts and arguments were.

4 stars for a well-executed work on the topic, and for being accessible and worthwhile to a broad range of readers. As I told my parish: "If you only read one book in your life about desert monks, you could do far worse than this one!"

(Erm. Apparently not all of them are planning to read one book in their lives about desert monks.)

[Bob Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ahh... to be a monk...

Desert Christians provides a basic introduction to the Desert Christians who have had such a profound impact on the history of Christianity...but that many Christians don't know about.

William Harmless is able to give the reader a basic overview of the Desert Fathers and to provide valuable insight into why and how these Christians came to be. The reader meets all of the notable fathers, and also a few not so well known. At the same time, we are treated to an informative look at the times and geography where these Fathers lived.

Having said all of that, it should be noted that this book is extremely academic and the writing can border on difficult. This is not an easy read and the reader is well warned.

I recommend this book to those that are interested in learning more about this period in Church history.

Grade: B

[Micah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb introduction to Egyptian monasticism. Reverent without naïveté, thorough without superfluity. It provides wonderful context to the Apophthegmata Patrum. Highly recommended.

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

We commence reading of early Egypt and the aberrations of Origen espoused in Alexandria, the persecution of Christians, and background history of everything from languages to embellished traditions. We read of the early Ecumenical Councils, founders and pioneers of monasticism, the cenobitic and anchoritic forms of monasticism, and details and historic writings related to monastic life's inception, including the "celebration of evening prayer."

Evagrius Ponticus: He coined the Eight Evil Thoughts, predecessor to the Seven Deadly Sins, extracted from his ancient work: Gluttony, Fornication, Love of Money, Sadness, Anger, Listlessness, Vainglory, and Pride; "his catalog of the human propensity for evil." Thoughts being an avenue for demonic attack, deception, and temptation. He also developed a detailed form of number symbolism.

St. Basil of Caesarea: Living in the fourth century, St Basil was the first to change the eremitical way of the desert into an organized cenobitic life governed by a system of monastic laws; and it was on his legislation that St Benedict modelled his momentous code a century and a half later.

We see examples from the desert languages: Greek, Syriac, Sahidic Coptic, Bohairic Coptic, Georgian, Ethiopic, Armenian, and Latin; and numerous appendices follow each chapter. If you are one who generally eats one meal per day will enjoy reading that, at least at one monastery, ate their single daily meal at the ninth hour - three in the afternoon. The earliest documented of the word/title 'Monk' appeared in 324 CE... "monk Isaac."

There was a "distinctive form of Palestinian monasticism: the Laura." Monks lived a somewhat anchorite lifestyle Monday through Friday, then, in cenobite style, joined together on Saturday and Sunday for liturgy and a common meal.

This masterful work is authored by a Catholic Jesuit University historian from Creighton University in Omaha, NE, USA.

- Excerpts:

"If you are not a theologian, you pray truly; If you pray truly, you are a theologian." -Evagrius Ponticus, (b.346—d.399)

"Greek was the common language of the eastern Roman Empire and Latin was that of the western, so Syriac was the common language of the ancient New East -- Syria, Palestine, and Mesopotamia."

[Ted Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing, unbiased look at both the literature of Egyptian and Palestinian monasticism in the fourth and fifth centuries and the politics behind religious thought of the times. So much of what I have studied online and in journals has seemed biased against the various "heresies" such as the teachings of Arius; this text approaches them knowing that the historical record is incomplete and that we only have the texts of those who came out on top.

This book also displays the struggles and hard-gained wisdom of the desert monks, people who sought out refuge in the wilderness to wrestle with their past, with thoughts that tormented them and passions that were overwhelming, and provides solace for us in the modern era, still facing similar struggles. Although I have no plans to retire to the desert and weave baskets, I still found direction from the paths taken by these desert refugees.

[Devin Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction. I have developed somewhat of a fascination with monasticism and I kept seeing this work referenced and now I know why. Harmless gives some methodology around reading monasticism that I thought was good too. I came for the chapters on Evagrius Ponticus but gained a lot more.

[Will Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe I read the whole thing.

[Aubrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, sober introduction to early Christian monasticism according to my unqualified judgement.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, although a little more academic than I was expecting - pages and pages of appendices. Not much on women in the desert, which was disappointing - I realize it's a literature book, but there was so much history included that their absence (besides a mention or two) felt conspicuous. Still, I learned a lot.

[Kristen Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was never overly interested in monasticism until I had to read this book for a class. This book was incredibly enlightening! The early church monastics were pioneers for the faith and their writings are inspiring! A MUST read!

[Greg Lehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential read for anyone interested in Christian history. Harmless pulls back the veil on any myths of a "golden era" of Christianity, and by doing so shows just how fragmented and violent the early stages of the religion really were.

[Paul A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential reading for those who want to know more about the early Christians and the monastic charism.