Desert Fathers and Mothers—Early Christian Wisdom Sayings - Annotated & Explained

The desert fathers and mothers were ordinary Christians living in solitude in the deserts of

Egypt, Palestine and Syria who chose to renounce

the world in order to deliberately and individually

follow God's call. They embraced lives of celibacy,

labor, fasting, prayer, and poverty, believing

that denouncing material goods and practicing

stoic self-discipline would lead to unity with the

Divine. Their spiritual practice formed the basis of

Western monasticism and greatly influenced both

Western and Eastern Christianity.

Their writings, first recorded in the fourth

century, consist of spiritual advice, parables and

anecdotes emphasizing the primacy of love and

the purity of heart as essential to spiritual life and

authentic communion with God. Focusing on key

themes of charity, fortitude, lust, patience, prayer,

self-control and visions, the Sayings influenced the

rule of St. Benedict and have inspired centuries of

opera, poetry and art.

Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, opens up

wisdom of the desert fathers and mothers for

readers with no previous knowledge of Western

monasticism and early Christianity. She provides

insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that

describes historical background, explains the

practice of asceticism and clarifies the ancient desert

wisdom that will speak to your life today and

energize your spiritual quest.