Desert Father: A Journey in the Wilderness with Saint Anthony

by James Cowan

The spiritual exploits of Saint Anthony the Great—the prototype of the Christian "Desert Father"—have been immortalized in stories and art since the fourth century. Here is the stunning account of a modern seeker's quest to get beneath the legends that surround Anthony and to determine whether his extreme way of life has something to offer people in today's world. James Cowan's quest takes him to Egypt, to the monastery that still exists near the site of Anthony's hermitage, where he meets the monk who becomes his guide and mentor on the journey.



He comes to regard Anthony and the colorful men and women who shared his lifestyle in the fourth through seventh centuries with affection and awe—their departure to the desert a flight from the status quo of the newly Christian empire in order to preserve the radical path to liberation they saw in Christian teaching. Our modern efforts toward liberation may look different from theirs, he concludes, but the ultimate goal is no different, and Anthony remains a luminous model for anyone who passionately seeks to know God.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Religion, Christian, Travel

254 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

James Cowan (born 1942) is an Australian author. James Cowan is author of a number of internationally acclaimed books, including A Troubadour's Testament and Letters from A Wild State. In 1998 he was awarded the prestigious Australian Literature Society's Gold Medal for his novel, A Mapmaker's Dream. His work has been translated into seventeen languages.

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful overview of the life and historical contributions of St. Anthony and the "desert ascetic" legacy he inspired. I will admit for the latter half of the book James Cowan spent more time meandering out loud about mysticism than I was prepared for, but this was certainly a worthwhile read overall and a book I will most likely get more out of on a second reading.

[Navel · Rating 3 out of 5]

In which someone who has some bizarre jungian modernist view of metaphysics stumbles through the Egyptian Thebaid. There were times when I resoundingly agreed with the author and others where I cringed so hard while remembering how much damage has been wrought on the fields of philosophy and metaphysics by western Christian apostacy from the Truth of Orthodoxy.

Tl;Dr version Jordan Petersen meanders his way through the Desert Fathers.

[Lly_th · Rating 1 out of 5]

No thank you. I bamboozled myself.

[Gille Liath · Rating 2 out of 5]

"A certain Brother came once to Abbott Theodore and spent three days begging him for a word. The Abbott however did not answer him, and he went off sad. So a disciple asked, ‘Father, why did you not speak to him?’ The elder replied: ‘I spoke no word to him because he is a trader in words, and seeks to glory in the words of another’." – Wisdom of the Desert, translated Thomas Merton

I'm never seen a book on the spiritual life which is so jarringly egotistical and self-regarding as this. The only lesson it has to teach is negative - this is now *not* to do it - and it is of interest only for the description of the sites in Egypt, and of traditional anchorite Fr Lazarus. Even then, though, it's probably better to look him up on Youtube.

My instinct is to say, 'how come there isn't a decent book on Fr Lazarus?' - but, when you come to think about it, how could there be? As with the old Desert Fathers, there's really nothing to say - it's all about what you *do*.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Cowan's "A Mapmaker's Dream" on the recommendation of one of my children. I saw this book by Cowan and read it as well since I have an interest in the desert fathers/mothers. Both books are wonderful reads of respectful exploration.

[David Winger · Rating 4 out of 5]

He's one of the most underrated travel/philosophy/theology writers kicking around, and this book's a gem.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book.