PhilokaliaKnowledge Map

Monasticism

The Desert Fathers and Mothers

The Desert Fathers and Mothers, by Anonymous, 14th-16th Centuries
Anonymous, 14th-16th Centuries Public domain

The 3rd-5th century monks and nuns of the Egyptian, Palestinian, and Syrian deserts. St. Anthony the Great is the 'father of monasticism.' Their sayings (Apophthegmata Patrum) and lives shaped all subsequent Christian spirituality. Key figures: Anthony, Macarius, Pachomius, Syncletica, Moses the Ethiopian, Poemen, Arsenius.

Sources

  • Apophthegmata Patrum (Sayings of the Desert Fathers) archive.org
  • St. Athanasius, Life of Anthony NPNF
  • Palladius, Lausiac History archive.org

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