The Forgotten Desert Mothers: Sayings, Lives, and Stories of Early Christian Women

by Laura Swan

In The Forgotten Desert Mothers, Laura Swan introduces readers to the sayings, lives, stories and spirituality of women in the early Christian desert and monastic movement, from the third century on. In doing so, she finally sets the record straight that women played an important and influential role in early Christianity, indeed a role that has been long overshadowed by men. She begins with an exploration of the historical context and spirituality of the desert ascetics. Then she weaves together the sayings of the major desert ammas, or mothers, along with commentary that invites readers to reflect on their own spiritual journey as they share their wisdom. The book then journeys between desert, monastery and city to reveal the stories of ascetics and solitaries whose stories are rarely heard, organized in the author's own alphabetical collection. The Forgotten Desert Mothers demonstrates, like no other work, that women have long had a history of leadership in Christianity. This engaging, eye-opening and insightful work targets all faith seekers looking to reclaim the history and spirituality of the women who came before them, as well as to understand their own inner journey. It will be a welcome addition to courses on early church history, women's studies and religious studies. †

Genres: Christianity, History, Spirituality, Religion, Nonfiction, Theology, Biography

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

I am passionate around restoring the voices and contributions of women to the Christian movement. They made major contributions to Christian theology, composed music, translated Scripture into their local vernacular, preached, taught, and were leaders. Thus, two of my nonfiction books seek to correct this. I've also written/published on aspects of Spirituality. Visit my YouTube station (@BenedictineSister Laura). I just released my first completed novel, The Hannah Document.

Follow me on Bookbub at https://www.bookbub.com/profile/laura...

Reviews

[Natalie Herr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume has been a wonderful help in my deep dive on the topic of women in the early church. First, I’m just so wildly blessed by a book FULL of the stories and sayings of real Christian women from antiquity. Page after page of lives devoted to Christ. These women were teachers, learners, mentors, scholars, ascetics, deaconesses, abbesses and servants. They are remembered for setting aside the things of this world and truly living for the Lord.

I applaud the author for combing through ancient texts to pull out these little-known stories. I particularly loved the stories of women who worked closely with men in the faith and were truly seen as sisters above reproach- never as dangerous or a liability. A few of the stories were almost unbelievable. Wise women being sought out by men for counsel, women leading co-ed monastic communities, single women hiding male church leaders in their homes for years to protect them from adversaries- this stuff flies in the face of the Billy Graham rule! It’s such a help to get a fuller picture of how men and women worked together in the early church. It encouraged my heart.

[Russell Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It's primarily a work of genuine devotion, though Swan's contextualizing of the sayings attributed to these Christian mystics, hermits, and solitaries (great term!) who went into the desert, either alone or as part of monastic communities, to draw closer to God in the 4th, 5th, and 6th centuries A.D., reflects solid scholarly scaffolding. As distant from our lives today as these women were, their words about simplicity, suffering, and silence as part of the quest to hear God's voice and truly internalize into one's being remain powerful, and probably in many ways true. I want to read more of the Desert Mothers and Fathers, and other early Christians, to try to understand better what they might have to teach me about having (or seeking) a vocation--in the broadest sense; I mean a kind of confidence in one's place, one's relationships with God and others, and the course of one's life--in today's urbanized world. The words of Amma Syncletica struck me mostly deeply, and I love this one which Swan ended her very impassioned final chapter, in which she urged her readers to think deeply about how they unnecessarily weight down their lives, with:

"Not all courses are suitable for all people. Each person should have confidence in their own disposition, because for many it is profitable to live in a community. And for others it is helpful to withdraw on their own. For just as some plants become more flourishing when they are in humid locations, while others are more stable in drier conditions, so also among humans, some flourish in the high places, while others achieve salvation in the lower places."

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars easily, and if there were more I'd give more. Prioress Laura Swan brings again to public awareness the frequently lost or overlooked voices of women who were leaders in early Christian mysticism and spiritual direction. However, the voices of the desert mothers are so strong that anyone could have done that just by even quoting them. What this author does differently is categorizing and commenting on their teachings in ways that are immediately, timelessly relevant. I especially found helpful/beautiful the sections on urban monasticism, and the personal epilogue. This is the perfect blend of spiritual work and scholarship, something extremely rare to find. Worth reading, worth owning, worth returning to.

[Beverly]

An overview and series of short biographies of various early Christian women ranging from monastics, deaconesses, and desert hermits. The information is presented with very little fanfare, lots of lists of names and what little info we have about each. I found the concluding arguments and questions on how best to apply the wisdom of these women very compelling and would like to see more on the subject.

[Juliette · Rating 2 out of 5]

The sinews of an excellent book are here, and I hope Swan writes that book someday. However, the subtitle of the book is exactly what the book is: sayings, lives, and stories. This book is a collection of blurbs about the desert women, whose customs, Swan reminds us time and again, are not what our modern sensibilities would allow (e.g., an eight-year-old running away from her home to wander until she finds a monastery to adopt her (Blessed Hermit Susan)).
Based on Swan’s other books, I expected a more meditative guide than just a collection of stories.

The fluidity of gender in the 400s and 500s interested me, and, many times, the ammas referred to themselves as “male-women” and/or lived as men.
Swan also does not gloss the Church’s slamming of the door on women clergy in acquiesce to secular norms:

Deaconesses were fairly common in the early church. The office evolved over time, mostly due to political and social pressures. Like all offices related to the liturgy, deaconesses had diverse functions and responsibilities. Some deaconesses served in significant positions within monastic communities; some seemed to have served — as they do today in many Christian traditions — along with the presider at Eucharist. Many were actively involved in outreach to the poor, training and baptizing female catechumens, and preparing women to receive the sacraments.... Deaconesses were recognized as ordained in the Eastern Orthodox Church until the eighth or ninth century. By the fourth century in the Western Church, deaconesses were not included in the official list of ordained offices.

I would like to learn about this era in the Church, and Desert Mothers offered barely a taste.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Forgotten Desert Mothers” by Laura Swan was pretty interesting. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, but it did have some good information, and has a great bibliography.

Swan starts with describing the world of the mothers, the society, some politics, and the spiritual realms that they would be participating in daily. She then went deeper into the spirituality of the “desert” times. In the third chapter she finally introduced some of the mothers, and focused on what they were famous for saying, or the rules they lived by. She then in the next chapter went into lesser known mothers and gave short biographies on them. The next part was about their roles as deaconesses of the early church. And finally their roles as mentors, leaders, and founding members of their communities. At the end she has some great resources, including a timeline.

A few quotes:
Amma Syncletica: It is written, ‘Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.’ Being like serpents means not ignoring attacks and wiles of the devil. Like is quickly known to like. The simplicity of the dove denotes purity of action.

Amma Matrona:
We carry ourselves wherever we go and we cannot escape temptation by mere flight.
Many people living secluded lives on the mountain have perished by living like people in the world. It is better to live in a crowd and want to live a solitary life than to live a solitary life but all the time be longing for company.

Amma Theodora: Let us strive to enter by the narrow gate. Just as the trees if they have not stood before the winter’s storms cannot bear fruit, so it is with us; this present age is a strom and it is only through many trials and temptations that we can obtain an inheritance in the kingdom of heaven.

Interesting book, but 3/5.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book because I think female saints don’t get enough press and I am interested in the desert mothers. I enjoyed the brief lives of the lesser known mothers, but was disappointed with the Sayings portion. The whole point of these sayings is to meditate on them and allow their meanings to arise organically in your own life. The author spoils this aspect by inserting her own tangentially related and overdone interpretations, focusing too much on the personalities of the mothers.

[Elizabeth]

I merely skimmed this book. It’s an interesting look at the life of ascetic women in the early church, as well as a chapter on female deacons. I’ve really only heard about the men who went out into the desert, so this brings a bit of balance to that. While we might not go to the extremes that these gals did, our generation might do well to slow down and simplify a little. To this end, the author sprinkles questions to ask oneself along the way.

[Siân’s Reading Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book that looks at the lives, stories, sayings and spirituality of women known as Desert Mothers who helped spread early Christianity around the world and are often forgotten.

I’ve loved learning about women in the early Church, about the lives of deaconesses, of ammas and of life as ascetic.

I would really recommend reading this book.

[booklady]

Received this as a gift a couple of years ago and have been meaning to read it.

[Katie Larkins]

These women are awesome and hardcore.

“We are reclaiming women’s spirituality and listening to the voices of nondominant cultures to help us find our way.”

“The ammas teach us to sit in the desert…it is here we empty ourselves of our own obstacles to God.”

[Susy Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for my Benedictine Oblate cell group, over the course of a year. It was written by a woman while she was doing graduate work in theology. During this time, she also encountered her own "desert" where she clarified her values and made choices that moved her inward and closer to God. As she began her initial formation into a monastery, she encountered desert ascetics, those with "fiery, passionate relationships with God." Unfortunately, most were men. So she went on a quest to find the women, also known as Ammas (someone seasoned in the ascetic life, who was known to have reached a level of maturity and wisdom and had experience in teaching by example, exhortation, story and instruction).

The book then goes on to highlight many such amma women from 250-600. Their stories were fascinating and at times hard to imagine what they sacrificed. One interesting thread, was that many of them were wealthy, which is strange for the time and made me wonder if there are forgotten desert mothers who were less fortunate. I am glad to know that these women do have a place in our history.

It was a good book for reading in small chunks each month before our meetings, and our discussions were good and filled with awe for these women. I especially liked the epilogue, where she summed up a lot and shared her reflections. Here are some of her comments that resonated with me...

"The ammas showed me that my life was too fast-paced and cluttered."
Spiritual direction once again slapped me in the face.
"The ammas teach us of the importance of cultivating attentiveness to the Divine."
"Our dominant culture tends to favor do-ing over be-ing."
"Do we give ourselves permission to say "no"- to self and others?"
"The ammas understood that holiness was founded upon wholeness."
"Too many of us have never learned the gift of cultivating times of silence in our lives."
"For many of us, the desert is the season often called "midlife.""

I loved this verse she shared from Galatians 3:28 - "There is no such thing as Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female, for all are one in Christ."

Lastly, I'll share one of her last comments that I double underlined; "The desert way is a journey of hard work, perseverance, and tenacity. The ammas teach us that the desert becomes the place of a mature repentance and conversion toward transformation into true radical freedom." Amen.

[Jamie Huston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very rewarding read! I loved learning more about the truly ancient ascetics, on the outskirts of civilized Christianity, spiritually and physically. These women had amazing experiences, and their lessons are profoundly worthwhile to any seeker or disciple today.

Why did it lose a star? The editing.

The second chapter is the "sayings" part of the book, but each saying is followed by a ponderous expository dump by the editor; sometimes a single sentence is followed by an entire page of "insights" that are either obvious (so it's redundant) or desperate to fit these sayings into a safely modern American mindset (so it just becomes The Gospel According to Yet Another Baby Boomer).

The short anecdotes about various womens' lives, which dominate the middle chapters, are the best part of the book. Like I said, amazing stories. But that's a double-edged sword--some are TOO amazing. Many of these stories are documented by reliable sources, often multiple sources, but some are so obviously legends adulterated by later hero worship that including them at all seems odd. The trope of a woman entering an abbey disguised as a man who is later accused of fathering a child gets rolled out for a few different characters--that should have raised some eyebrows.

To her credit, the editor admits that some of these stories are exaggerated, but then why include them? Maybe she wanted as comprehensive a collection as possible. Still, clearly fictional stories aren't edifying, and that's the book's goal, too.

She opens the throttle in a concluding chapter of personal observations about studying this part of history, and that's all fine and good, but it's still a pretty tame, Westernized version of what should be a much stronger lens--fasting, which comes up on practically every page of the book's narrative sections, is never mentioned in her message of modern application at the end. Odd. The desert mothers' obsession with poverty gets translated into a homily on material minimalism. Baffling. Permanent vows of silence are turned into predictable preaching on taking a break from our busy schedules. Downright weird. The subjects in this book deserve better than to have their saintly lives watered down like this.

Also, why are France and Spain included as part of this desert tradition? I get that the figures situated there were secluded, but were those areas seen as equivalent to the actual deserts of North Africa and the Middle East in late antiquity? Were the women in those lands seen as spiritual sisters of those genuine "desert mothers" of the Holy Land? Maybe, but I doubt it.

Overall, though, this was an excellent collection, distilling a lot of obscure materials into an easily digestible survey. It really did make me examine my own way of life and commitment to Christ. In fact, I intend to follow up by looking deeper into the lives of several of the role models chronicled here: Syncletica, Caesaria, Euphrasia, Euphosyne, Melania the Elder, Macrina the Younger, and Paula the Elder are each plenty inspiring on their own, and a powerhouse of positive influence taken together. They deserve to be much more widely known.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is much to commend in this short book. The 'desert mothers' were an influential voice in the formative early centuries of the Christian church, and as the title rightly notes, they are largely forgotten in common memory. Swan has done great research, and provided a gift to the modern church by compiling biographical notes and sayings into one short, accessible volume like this. In particular, the summaries of the lives of these women are fascinating, at times heart-breaking, and always inspiring. Those chapters alone are worth the price of the book.

The read should know, however, that this is more than a simple compilation of historical writings. Swan provides a significant amount of commentary, and ultimately puts forward an apologetic for a 'desert-monastic' approach to spirituality. This makes the book a little difficult to categorize (not that every book needs a clean category!) as it's presented as a straightforward historical text, but in reality is more of a psycho-spiritual meditation on what our modern culture needs to learn from the desert monastics in the early centuries.

It's still worth reading, especially because we do need to recover the importance of these historical women - and I'm partial to much of Swan's commentary on their teachings - but it's unfortunate that the title and cover are a bit misleading.

[MargCal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finished reading ... The Forgotten Desert Mothers : sayings, lives, and stories of early christian women / Laura Swan ... 13 September 2017
ISBN: 9780809140169

I was expecting more of a narrative history – which only goes to show I should have paid attention to the subtitle, because that's what this book is.
In the introduction, the author says (pp.2-3):
“... I grew increasingly frustrated with the lack of information on the women who had also dwelt in the desert.
I began to pursue and collect traces of these women's stories. ...”
And “traces” are pretty much what you get. With the stories of these women being told in one or two sentences or a small paragraph, with occasionally a page or two, this was more frustrating than enlightening.
Some things did stand out for me however: a disproportionate number of women here were fleeing marriages that were in the process of being arranged or marriages they had unwillingly entered, and that some abandonned their children in their flight to the desert. And some seemed bonkers. For me, that somewhat negates the words of wisdom they espouse.
So – interesting, after a fashion, but this book really didn't do a lot for me.

[Bamidele Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deeply enriching and necessary read, The Forgotten Desert Mothers sheds long-overdue light on the often-overlooked women of early Christianity. Laura Swan does a remarkable job of weaving historical context with spiritual insight, offering readers both the stories and sayings of the desert ammas alongside thoughtful reflections. This book not only corrects the gender imbalance in the historical narrative of Christian monasticism but also invites modern readers especially spiritual seekers to engage with these ancient voices in a personal, contemplative way.
Swan’s alphabetical arrangement of lesser-known ascetics and solitaries brings structure to a world too often left in shadows, while her commentary bridges past and present. Whether you are a student of church history, a feminist theologian, or simply someone curious about the roots of contemplative spirituality, this book offers profound wisdom and a beautifully written tribute to the women who helped shape early Christian thought.
Highly recommended for anyone seeking spiritual depth and historical truth.

[Corinne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm down for any nonfiction where names like "Susanna Blessed Hermit" and "John the Dwarf" are bandied about like they're the family next door. The biographies, prayers/liturgy and timeline of these desert women were interesting, but the commentary was textbook-y and basic.

Discussions of male-centric language of the day were noteworthy. Also interesting that the virtuous desert fathers were frequently tempted by harlots and overcame the lust of their bodies, whereas the virtuous desert mothers were frequently falsely accused of fathering children while disguised as men, which they mostly took the punishment for, falsely admitted to, and raised the resulting offspring.

[Bonnie Westmark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t get enough of this book! It’s full of wisdom as well as history. I suggested it for our wisdom women’s book study and was so excited that the group voted for it. I can’t wait to discuss the women in this book with other women and gain deeper perspectives. I didn’t realize this book and the women in it, would be so inspirational and motivating to me. I was surprised to discover that I could apply their wisdom to my life in 2022. This has been my favorite fall book and I encourage everyone to read it. You won’t want the book to end and like me, you’ll probably find Sister Laura Swan’s personal faith journey, one of the hidden highlights.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took awhile to read. Not like a novel that one can zip thru and if you miss something just keep going. I found myself reading a paragraph and then going back and reading it again. This covered the Desert Mothers from 235 to about 600 AD. Many of the ammas came from wealthy and powerful families who gave up their positions to establish and fund monasteries. Don’t see a lot of this dedication in today’s world

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good historical information about early ascetic women in the Christian church. Couple of chapters are just lists of women with a little bit of information (think Lives of the Saints style) and finishes up with the author's personal thoughts on how the topic affects her own life and spirituality. I read it for the history, but the whole book was pretty good.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping that this would have contained more of the actual sayings of the desert mothers. While there were some sayings from them, there was more of a listing of the different desert mothers and where they were located and what they accomplished. I think that there is just very little information regarding these women available to researchers and that is a shame.

[Brad Dell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The formatting took a bit to get used to, the author moves swiftly between portraits, and abruptly between quotes and biographies. But considering how little source material she had to work from, this book is quite the accomplishment. We ought to pay more attention to the leading role of women in the early church, so we can more easily discern how we neglect their needed roles today!

[didi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holy and Omnipotent
Lord, through the birth
of your Only Son our
God from a Virgin
according to the flesh,
you have sanctified
woman. You grant not
only to men, but also to
women the grace and
coming of the Holy
Spirit. Please also now,
Lord, look on this your
maidservant and
dedicate her to the task
of your diaconate, and
pour out into her the
abundant giving of your
Holy Spirit.

[Antoinette B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura Swan introduces us to the early Christian women who lived roughly between 300 and 700 CE, their sayings, lives and stories. Written in a readable style, readers can feel the emotions and environment that created these remarkable women. Highly recommend it to anyone interested in early women's history.

[Ed Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the book had some intriguing parts, the generality of these women's stories became routine. I enjoyed the first and last but the middle lagged. I will say it has spurred my interest to other women's experiences.

[Andrea E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, they lived very different lives, but their influence was profound, and as a woman of faith, they inspired me to be in a deeper relationship with God, not caring what others think. Knowing that from the depth of my relationship with God, I will have an impact on the world.

[Jeanne Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many followers of Christ long forgotten. The ascetics often failed to write down the wisdom for which they were sought even as they retreated further into their hermitage. Perhaps there is a reason why we were not meant to hear from them, but for now it is enough to know they existed.

[Ella]

Read for Hilary Term Primary Tutorial: Women of Early Christianity

[Sola.scriptura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good source if you are interested in Desert Mothers. It is good to bring the names of those Mothers out of obscurity.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first edition of this book has been widely cited and utilized. It caused some disappointment as I read other books for, hopefully, new information and they were all citing the first edition of this. It is a very good reference; reading it straight gets very repetitious which is why I gave it 4-stars.