Author Description

This book brings to readers the lives and thoughts of some key representatives of the early Desert Fathers and Mothers, who were so important in the history of the early Christian Church.Glimpses of their austere and holy lives and many of their important sayings are contained in this book by Fr. John Chryssavgis, former Professor of Theology and Dean at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. The book also presents, for the first time in the English language, a translation of a fifth-century text, the Reflections (Dialogismoiv) of Abba Zosimas, one of the most significant later figures of the Desert Fathers and Mothers.The words of spiritual counsel, which form the heart of this book, are as clear and timeless as the desert stars on a winter night. Not only do the sayings of the Desert Fathers possess the imprint of eternity, but the fresh and vital commentary by Father John Chryssavgis brings these ancient words into sharp focus; it brings them fully to life and provides a key which unlocks their relevance for the reader of today. This book is a well of wisdom from which anyone who finds himself in the desert of his own soul may drink freely from the water of life. The actual Egyptian desert to which these monks fled in the fourth and fifth centuries was, of course, an actual place. But, the desert may also be understood as an inner geography of desolation and abandonment; it is the place, perhaps even in the midst of others, where we are most alone. It is the valley of our deepest solitude. Father John tells us that anyone who has experienced some aspect of deserted-ness, loneliness, brokenness, breakdown or break-up—whether emotionally, physically or socially—will connect with the profound humanity of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. Various traditions from world religions teach that God enters into the empty soul. If in our prayers we long for His Presence and wait for Him with patience, confidence, humility and trust, then He will come into the center of our lives and establish there His kingdom. The universal and perennial message of these first Christian monks concerns the necessity of emptiness; the Desert Fathers show us, by their examples, how to confront the chaotic impulses of the soul which drive us away from that still point where God is waiting. These are not only the demons confronted by Saint Anthony; they are the demons which must be confronted in the arena of the soul by every man who seeks to rise above himself for the sake of God. In the Heart of the Desert also includes a foreword by Benedicta Ward, SLG, editor of the acclaimed collection Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Alphabetical Collection, (Cistercian Publications: Kalamazoo, MI, 1975), and a noted expert in this fascinating area of Christian history and ageless wisdom.