Updated reading list Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers

MJ. Smith
MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 54,775
edited November 2024 in English Forum

Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers

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Reading List

“Read these seven books and you will have a rich and nuanced overview of the history, wisdom, and spirituality of the Desert. Enjoy!” Carl McColman

Seven Essential Resources

Additional or alternative resources, not by CMcC

Resources available in Logos/Verbum

Resource in prepublication

in Logos/Verbum

  • none
Resources in feedbear feedback site for Logos/Verbum

Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

Comments

  • Bruce Dunning
    Bruce Dunning MVP Posts: 11,148

    Thanks for this list MJ. I've done some reading of this topic over the years and have appreciated it. 

    I'd be interested to know what you think are the top resources that Logos currently carries and why you would make those recommendations. Thanks.

    Using adventure and community to challenge young people to continually say "yes" to God

  • MJ. Smith
    MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 54,775
    https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1302939#Comment_1302939

    That's hard because none of my favorites are in Logos. I always have people start with Bondi's To Love as God Loves because that is what taught me how to understand the Desert Fathers. Before that I read them but missed most the wisdom in them. And I have a fondness for Ward's translations although I don't know why.

    However, I do like Whortley's translations as well - very readable; he gives you the sense that he's lived with the texts rather than engaged in a purely academic exercise:

    I like the structure of this book

    as it makes the sayings seem less fragmentary, less like Zen tales and more like a teacher/pupil relationship.

    This is a better than average study guide:

    But Logos lacks the text it is organized around.

    Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

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