Ship of Fools: Desert Fathers & Mothers

Thread: Desert Fathers & Mothers - recommendations Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by kingsfold (# 1726) on :

It's been suggested that I might like to have a look at the writings of the Desert Fathers (and Mothers), and that I should probably start with something fairly general.

Has anyone got any suggestions as to a good place to start?

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

May I suggest Rowan Williams' book, "Silence and Honey Cakes"? He takes some of their stories and sayings as starting points for reflection. It's not an in-depth introduction, but I found it a very interesting and thought-provoking read.

Posted by leo (# 1458) on :

Yes - that's good.

Posted by The Silent Acolyte (# 1158) on :

kingsfold, I would suggest you go directly to the texts.

As Lent for the Orthodox begins in a few days, you could do worse than do what Orthodox monastics do during Lent. Pick up a copy of St. John Climacus's Ladder of Divine Ascent and read it methodically through Orthodox Lent, going to some of their Lenten services as you are able.

This coming Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday give you the liturgical opportunity to hear the Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete. While he is not a Desert Father, by hearing his Great Canon on Repentence during Compline of those four days, you get yourself thrown into the deep end of another classic text of the ascetical life.

The edition of the Ladder from the Paulist Press's Classics of Western Spirituality series is the cheapest and most natural translation. It has a 70-page introduction by Kallistos Ware and a shorter preface by one of the translators. The edition from Holy Transfiguration Monastery, while in stiffer prose, will give a different perspective on the text and has paragraph numbers.

St. Andrew's Canon can be found in Mother Maria and Kallistos Ware's Lenten Triodion.

Another text to start with is Athanasius's Life of St. Anthony, also available in an inexpensive edition from the same Paulist Press series.

Theirs seems a strange world at first, but repeated reading will suggest to you just how frighteningly close it is to our own.

[ 16. March 2013, 21:23: Message edited by: The Silent Acolyte ]

Posted by Gamaliel (# 812) on :

I've got a Benedictine issue of 'The Sayings of The Desert Fathers' somewhere ... some of it is very peculiar - exploding basilisks anyone? - but much of it is very thought-provoking.

I must dig it out. Must also read some of the material that has just been mentioned.

Posted by Metapelagius (# 9453) on :

Helen Waddell: The Desert Fathers. A selection of sayings and biographical material.

Posted by Qoheleth. (# 9265) on :

I endorse Silence and Honey cakes as an introduction.
Also:
The Wisdom of the Desert - Thomas Merton. Slim and accessible.

Asking the Fathers - Aelred Squire. A 40 yr old classic. Much denser but readable.

Hope you enjoy your explorations!

Posted by The Silent Acolyte (# 1158) on :

kingsfold, I'm back to warn you away from starting with any of the various Anonymous or Alphabetical editions of the Sayings or Wisdom or Apophthegmata of the desert fathers.

Apothegms, short and pithy, by their very nature are excised from their rich context and tend to be epigmatically obscure rather than introductively instructive.

Exploding basilisks, indeed.

Posted by Stick Monitor (# 17253) on :

I second Merton's "Wisdom of the Desert", beautifully translated.

Posted by Gamaliel (# 812) on :

That's certainly wise advice, The Silent Acolyte but it's where I started and probably why I am confused.

Yes, there is an exploding basilisk. One of the Fathers comes across one in the desert and prays unto the Lord and lo it bursts ...

It's true. It's in the book.

Posted by kingsfold (# 1726) on :

Well, I think I've got a copy of Silence & Honey Cakes hidden, neglected and unread somewhere on one of my bookshelves, which sounds like a place to start with a gentle introduction.

Posted by venbede (# 16669) on :

quote:
Originally posted by The Silent Acolyte:
kingsfold, I'm back to warn you away from starting with any of the various Anonymous or Alphabetical editions of the Sayings or Wisdom or Apophthegmata of the desert fathers.

I think that's what the OP was interested in.

The only saying of a desert mother I can remember is of the monk crossing the desert and seeing a party of nuns ahead. He duly averted his eyes in order to avoid looking at them. As they passed, the mother commented that if he had been a true monk he wouldn't have noticed their sex in the first place. (I have probably misremembered that one, but I like my version.)

Posted by Desert Daughter (# 13635) on :

The "problem" with the Apophthegmata is that they are frequently out of context.

I second "Silence and Honey Cakes" and further recommend the Philokalia (various editions available), plus, for some good meta-text this one:

Cowan, James (2004), Desert Father. Boston, Mass: Shambala.
This is a book about St Anthony but it goes very deply into the desert spirituality, its history, its quests, and the general spiritual context.

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