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The Desert Fathers...Introduction

The flight of these men to the desert was neither purely negative nor purely individualistic. They were not rebels against society. True, they were in a certain sense "anarchists," and it will do no harm to think of them in that light. They were men who did not believe in letting themselves be passively guided and ruled by a decadent state, and who believed that there was a way of getting along without slavish dependence on accepted, conventional values. But they did not intend to place themselves above society. They did not reject society with proud contempt, as if they were superior to other men. On the contrary, one of the reasons why they fled from the world of men was that in the world men were divided into those who were successful, and imposed their will on others, and those who had to give in and be imposed upon. The Desert Fathers declined to be ruled by men, but had no desire to rule over others themselves. Nor did they fly from human fellowship--the very fact that they uttered..."words" of advice to one another is proof that they were eminently social. The society they sought was one where all men were truly equal, where the only authority under God was the charismatic authority of wisdom, experience and love....Thomas Merton...The Wisdom of the Desert
Three main types of monasticism developed in Egypt around the Desert Fathers. One was the austere life of the hermit, as practiced by Anthony and his followers in lower Egypt. Another was the cenobitic life, communities of monks and nuns in upper Egypt formed by Pachomius. The third was a semi-hermitic lifestyle seen mostly in Nitria, Kellia and Scetis, west of the Nile, begun by Saint Amun. The latter were small groups (two to six) of monks and nuns with a common spiritual elder — these separate groups would join together in larger gatherings to worship on Saturdays and Sundays. This third form of monasticism was responsible for most of the sayings that were compiled as the Apophthegmata Patrum (Sayings of the Desert Fathers)...Desert Fathers (Wikipedia)
'I hear that you are penetrating the hidden places of Egypt, visiting the band of monk and going the round of heaven's family on earth...at the last the full weight of truth has burst upon me: Rufinus is in Nitria and has reached the blessed Marcarius.' Thus Jerome in Antioch in 375 wrote to his friend Rufinus, and many years later Rufinus himself records this visit to Egypt with nostalgia: 'When we draw near this place they were aware that foreign brethen were approaching, and at once they poured out of their cells like a swarm of bees. With joyful speed and glad haste they ran to meet us;' and this last stage of the journey to Scetis he wrote, 'This is utter desert where each monk remains alone in his cell.... There is a huge silence and a great quiet there.'
source: Lives of the Desert Fathers: The Historia Monachorum in Aegypto, translated by Norman Russel, p. 3,(Eyewitness accounts of the lives and teachings of the fourth-century Desert Fathers from the Historia monachorum in Aegypto.)
The Desert Fathers were hermits, ascetics, monks, and nuns who lived mainly in the Scetes desert of Egypt, beginning around the third century CE. The most well known was Anthony the Great, who moved to the desert in 270–271 CE and became known as both the father and founder of Christian desert monasticism. 
Coptic icon of St. Anthony
By the time Anthony died in 356 CE, thousands of monks and nuns had been drawn to living in the desert following Anthony's example—his biographer, Athanasius of Alexandria, wrote that "the desert had become a city".

The Desert Fathers had a major influence on the development of Christianity. The desert monastic communities that grew out of the informal gathering of hermit monks became the model for Christian monasticism. The eastern monastic tradition at Mt. Athos and the western Rule of St. Benedict both grew out of the traditions that began in the desert. All of the monastic revivals of the Middle Ages looked to the desert for inspiration and guidance. Much of Eastern Christian spirituality(also Eastern Christianity), including the Hesychast movement (and Hesychasm), had its roots in the practices of the Desert Fathers. Even religious renewals such as the German Evangelicals, the Pennsylvania Pietists, and the Methodist revival in England are seen by modern scholars as being influenced by the Desert Fathers.

(For a discussion of Eastern and Western Orthodox views see: Roman Catholic–Eastern Orthodox theological differences.)

Early history

Paul of Thebes is often credited with being the first hermit monk to go to the desert, but it was Anthony the Great who launched the movement that became the Desert Fathers. Sometime around the year 270 CE, Anthony heard a Sunday sermon stating that perfection could be achieved by selling all of one's possessions, giving the proceeds to the poor, and following Christ.(Matt. 19.21) He took the message to heart and made the further step of moving deep into the desert to seek complete solitude.
The Monastery of Saint Anthony in Egypt, built over the tomb of Saint Anthony, the "Father of Christian Monasticism".
Anthony lived in a time of transition for Christianity—the Diocletianic Persecution in 303 CE was the last great formal persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. Only ten years later, Christianity was made legal in Egypt by Diocletian's successor Constantine I. Those who left for the desert formed an alternate Christian society, at a time when it was no longer a risk to be a Christian. The solitude, austerity, and sacrifice of the desert was seen by Anthony as an alternative to martyrdom, which was formerly seen by many Christians as the highest form of sacrifice. Around this time, desert monasticism appeared nearly simultaneously in several areas, including Egypt and Syria.
Location of Saint Anthony's tomb.
Over time, the model of Anthony and other hermits attracted many followers, who lived alone in the desert or in small groups. They chose a life of extreme asceticism, renouncing all the pleasures of the senses, rich food, baths, rest, and anything that made them comfortable. Thousands joined them in the desert, mostly men but also a handful of women. People also began going to the desert seeking advice and counsel from the early Desert Fathers. By the time of Anthony's death, there were so many men and women living in the desert that it was described as "a city" by Anthony's biographer.

Three main types of monasticism developed in Egypt around the Desert Fathers. One was the austere life of the hermit, as practiced by Anthony and his followers in lower Egypt. Another was the cenobitic life, communities of monks and nuns in upper Egypt formed by Pachomius. The third was a semi-hermetic lifestyle seen mostly in Nitria and Scetis, west of the Nile, begun by Saint Amun. The latter were small groups (two to six) of monks and nuns with a common spiritual elder who would join together in larger groups to worship together on Saturdays and Sundays. This third form of monasticism was responsible for most of the sayings that were compiled as the Sayings of the Desert Fathers.
Icon of Pachmius
The small communities forming around the Desert Fathers were the beginning of Christian monasticism. Initially Anthony and others lived as hermits, sometimes forming groups of two or three. Small informal communities began developing, until the monk Pachomius, seeing the need for a more formal community, established a monastery with rules and organization. His regulations included discipline, obedience, manual labor, silence, fasting, and long periods of prayer—some historians view the rules as being inspired by Pachomius' experiences as a soldier.

The first fully organized monastery under Pachomius included men and women living in separate quarters, up to three in a room. They supported themselves by weaving cloth and baskets, along with other tasks. Each new monk or nun had a three year probationary period, concluding with admittance in full standing to the monastery. All property was held communally, meals were eaten together and in silence, and twice a week they fasted—each wore simple peasant clothing with a hood. Several times a day they came together for prayer and readings, and each person was expected to spend time alone meditating on the scriptures. Programs were created for educating those who came to the monastery unable to read.

Pachomius also formalized the establishment of an abba (father) or amma (mother) in charge of the spiritual welfare of their monks and nuns, with the implication that those joining the monastery were also joining a new family. Members also formed smaller groups, with different tasks in the community, and the responsibility of looking after each other's welfare. The new approach grew to the point that there were tens of thousands of monks and nuns in these organized communities within decades of Pachomius' death.
source: Wikipedia
Lives of the Desert Fathers: The Historia Monachorum in Aegypto (Cistercian Studies No. 34) by Benedicta Ward, Norman Russell (Translator)
"A group of monks from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, eclectic in their backgrounds and roots, embark together on an epic journey. The year is situated sometime in the mid-390's, and their destination is not one but numerous places. They journey together to seek to meet the Desert Fathers of legend face-to-face, to sit with these ancient anchorites of caves and the wild places, to listen to them speak and pray, and most importantly, to watch how it is that these men live their lives in emulation of Christ. It is not an easy journey, but it is a memorable one, with them floating down rivers, crossing dusty, barren plains, and even facing robbers, brigands, and thieves. It is a journey that will forever change their lives. Through the singular monk among them who works diligently to chronicle their steps and experiences after all is said and done, the story of their journey served to change the lives of many others who lived in the years and centuries to follow, as well."
map of journey...click to enlarge
Map from: The Lives of the Desert Fathers,
Translated by Norman Russell, Introduction by Benedicta Ward SLG
"Written well before Cassian's Conferences, the Historia Monachorum in Aegypto was read widely and fervently in the ancient world, with Christians far and wide yearning to understand and experience the closeness with God that these Fathers of the desert shared so freely in their stories, sayings, and teachings." source: a review from goodreads
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