This two-volume collection contains both an introduction to the Christian practice of monastic asceticism and a biographical survey of a number of the most famous and important of the desert fathers of the Orthodox Christian tradition. The introductory essays discuss the differences between Christianity and other world religions, the advent of Christian worship and its form in the earliest centuries of the Church, the observation of fasts and feast days, the historical context of Eastern Christendom in the period of the desert fathers, and a brief introduction to the life and practices of monastics. The great fathers of the desert are all covered in detail, beginning with Paul of Thebes and Anthony the Great, moving all the way through the sixth and seventh centuries and covering great fathers like John Climacus, author of the pivotal Ladder of Divine Ascent.
With the Logos edition, all Scripture references are tagged and appear in your favorite translation on mouseover. Both volumes are completely searchable, so you can trace the connections between various themes, events, and historical figures related to the desert fathers like never before. You can also cross-reference related texts at the touch of a button, and all your dictionaries and other reference tools are just a click away.
