Publisher's Synopsis
This is an investigation of the retreat to the desert and the growth of monasticism in 4th-century AD Egypt, which has been recognized as a significant movement of early Christianity. The text focuses on the ways in which the desert saints interpreted and appropriated the Scripture. Drawing extensively on stories and sayings from the vast body of monastic literature, the author demonstrates that the Scriptures were a primary source of inspiration for the founders of early monasticism, and the shaping force in the development of a new school of holiness in the desert.
