The Word in the Desert

Scripture and the Quest for Holiness in Early Christian Monasticism. Burton-Christie shows how scripture was a primary source of influence on the founders of early Christian monasticism in fourth-century Egypt, and how it contributed to its original and influential spirituality. The growing scholarly attention in recent years to the religious world of late antiquity has focused new attention on the quest for holiness by the strange, compelling, often obscure early Christian monks known as the desert fathers. Yet until now, little attention has been given to one of the most vital dimensions of their spirituality: their astute, penetrating interpretation of Scripture. Rooted in solitude, cultivated in an atmosphere of silence, oriented toward the practical appropriation of the sacred texts, the desert fathers' hermeneutic profoundly shaped every aspect of their lives and became a significant part of their legacy. This book explores the setting within which the early monastic movement emerged, the interpretive process at the centre of the desert fathers' quest for holiness, and the intricate patterns of meaning woven into their words and their lives.

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