Desert Christians : An Introduction to the Literature of Early Monasticism.

Intro -- Contents -- Abbreviations -- A Note on the Notes and Bibliographies -- Part I. The World of Early Monasticism -- 1. Roman Egypt -- Alexandria -- The Gift of the Nile -- Early Egyptian Christianity -- Monasticism in Egypt: Leaders, Writers, and Texts -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Appendix 1.1. Papyrus: Women and Monasticism -- 2. Patriarchs, Councils, and Controversies: 300-451 -- Alexander, Arius, and the Council of Nicaea -- Athanasius -- Theophilus -- Cyril and the Council of Ephesus -- Dioscorus and the Council of Chalcedon -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Appendix 2.1. The Creed of the Council of Nicaea (325) -- Appendix 2.2. Texts from the Council of Ephesus (431) -- Appendix 2.3. The Definition of the Council of Chalcedon (451) -- Part II. Antony and Pachomius -- 3. The Life of Antony: Text and Context -- The "Wrath" of 356 -- A Physician For Egypt -- Audience, Sources, and Genre -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Appendix 3.1. The Letters of Saint Antony -- Appendix 3.2. The Letters of Ammonas -- 4. The Life of Antony: Themes and Influence -- Christ's Victory over Demons -- God Enfleshed, Humanity Deified -- The Politics of Orthodoxy -- Antony in the Latin West -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Appendix 4.1. Jerome, The Life of Paul of Thebes -- Appendix 4.2. The Many Faces of Antony -- Appendix 4.3. Did Athanasius Really Write the Life of Antony? -- 5. Pachomius -- The Sources -- Early Career -- The Koinonia -- Later Career -- Theodore and Horsiesius -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Appendix 5.1. The Versions of the Life of Pachomius -- Appendix 5.2. The Letters of Pachomius -- Appendix 5.3. The Letter of Ammon -- Appendix 5.4. The Testament of Horsiesius -- Appendix 5.5. Did the Nag Hammadi Library Belong to the Pachomians? -- Part III. The Desert Fathers -- 6. The Apophthegmata Patrum: Text and Context -- Abba Antony.

The Collections: Alphabetical and Systematic -- Abba, Give Me a Word -- Scetis -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Appendix 6.1. The Many Languages of Desert Literature -- Appendix 6.2. Macarius the Egyptian, Letter to the Sons of God -- 7. The Apophthegmata Patrum: Portraits -- Abba Macarius the Egyptian -- Abba John the Little -- Abba Moses the Ethiopian -- Abba Poemen -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Appendix 7.1. The Famous and Not-So-Famous of the Alphabetical Collection -- Appendix 7.2. The Virtues of Abba Macarius the Great -- Appendix 7.3. The "Tree of Obedience -- Appendix 7.4. Zacharius of Sakhâ, Encomium on the Life of John the Little -- 8. The Apophthegmata Patrum: Themes -- Hesychia -- The Manifestation of Thoughts -- The Demon of Lust -- Anger -- Blessed Are the Sorrowful -- Visions -- Scripture -- From Oral Word to Written Text -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Appendix 8.1. The Systematic Collections of the Apophthegmata Patrum -- Appendix 8.2. Paul of Tamma, On the Cell -- Appendix 8.3. Concerning Thoughts (Peri Logismon) -- Appendix 8.4. Isaiah of Scetis, Asceticon -- Appendix 8.5. The Ethiopic Collectio Monastica -- 9. The Histories -- Nitria -- Kellia -- Other Sites -- Portraits: The Lausiac History -- Signs and Wonders: The History of the Monks in Egypt -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Appendix 9.1. The Coptic Palladiana -- Part IV. Monastic Theologians -- 10. Evagrius Ponticus: Ascetical Theory -- The Desert Calligrapher -- The Art of the Chapter -- The Eight Evil Thoughts -- Combat with Demons -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Appendix 10.1. Evagrius's Number Symbolism -- Appendix 10.2. Evagrius Ponticus, Sententiae ad Virginem -- 11. Evagrius Ponticus: Mystical Theology -- Mapping the Journey to God -- Pure Prayer -- Cosmology -- The Origenist Controversy -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Appendix 11.1. A Glossary of Evagrian Spirituality.

Appendix 11.2. Evagrius Ponticus, Skemmata -- 12. John Cassian -- Cassian the Silent -- The Institutes -- The Conferences -- Purity of Heart -- Unceasing Prayer -- Map Making -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Appendix 12.1. Sulpicius Severus, Life of Martins of Tours -- Appendix 12.2. Eucherius of Lyons, In Praise of the Desert -- Part V. Reflections -- 13. Monastic Origins: Perspectives, Discoveries, and Disputed Questions -- Antony and the Apotaktikoi -- Pachomius and the Melitians -- Monasticism outside Egypt: Syria, Cappadocia, and Palestine -- Monasticism outside Christianity: The Manichees -- Monasticism Underreported: Virgins, Widows, and Ammas -- Monasticism Overlooked: Shenoute of Atripe -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Appendix 13.1. Papyrus: Earliest Use of the Word "Monk -- Appendix 13.2. Papyrus: Melitian Monasticism -- Appendix 13.3. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, The Religious History -- Appendix 13.4. Manichees in Egypt: New Discoveries -- Appendix 13.5. Monks Despised: Ancient Views -- Appendix 13.6. Monks Despised: Edward Gibbon -- Afterword -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- V -- W -- X -- Z.

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