The Day to Day Life of the Desert Fathers In Fourth Century Egypt

Contents Map of Monastic Egypt iv Abbreviations v Introduction vii Chapter 1 In the Heart of the Desert 3 Chapter 2 The Men 12 Chapter 3 Women and Children 24 Chapter 4 Habitat 39 Chapter 5 Clothing 51 Chapter 6 Diet 61 Chapter 7 Life in the Cell 82 Chapter 8 A Day in the Life of the Anchorite 96 Chapter 9 The Hidden Activity 112 Chapter 10 Elders and Disciples 126 Chapter 11 Welcoming Visitors 139 Chapter 12 Outings and Trips 150 Chapter 13 The Community Weekend 162 Chapter 14 Angels and Demons 174 Chapter 15 The Desert Bestiary 194 Chapter 16 The Wonders of God 207 Chapter 17 From the Desert to the Promised Land 223 Epilogue 239 Chronological Landmarks 243 Bibliography I. Sources 246 11. General Bibliography 248 111. Special Studies 250 Index of Names 253 "At the end of the fourth century, on the banks of the Nile, there unfolded an extraordinary epic: one after another, men left the fertile and inhabited regions of the Delta and disappeared farther into the desert. Founders of Christian eremitism, these heroes of asceticism and virtue earned a reputation far beyond the ordinary as much by their lifestyle as by their maxims (or apothegms) which have been translated into all languages and distributed throughout the Christian world. Deprivation, silence, contemplation and prayer--such was the program of these monks for whom the desert did not fail to set many traps--because it isn't enough simply to isolate oneself in order to meet and to come to know God." "After spending two years in Egypt visiting the places where the Fathers lived, collecting the words and actions of the first Egyptian anchorites, Fr. Regnault was able to recreate in a true-to-life setting the daily lives of these exceptional men. Book jacket."--Jacket

Founders of Christian eremitism, these heroes of asceticism and virtue earned a reputation as much by their lifestyle as by their writings which have been translated into all languages and distributed throughout the Christian world.