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The Desert a City: An Introduction to the Study of Egyptian and Palestian Monasticism Under the Christian Empire

Description

This study of early Christian monasticism by Derwas Chitty has already proved to be a classic. No other account of this vital period in the history of the monastic movement equals it for detailed scholarship combined with vivid and dynamic writing. Dr. Chitty, one of the major scholars in this period, deals with the golden age of Egyptian monasticism and describes the three founders of the movement, Anastasius, Anthony and Pachomius. He follows the development of monastic life in all its forms in Egypt to the end of the fourth century, when the center shifted to Palestine; the following chapters are devoted to accounts of the great ascetics of Palestine. The controversies surrounding the monastic movement are examined in their political and ecclesiastical aspects and the book concludes with an account of the monastic history of Mount Sinai. This book contains a wealth of material indispensable to any serious student of monasticism; it is also a book which will bring alive for any reader the great questions underlying monasticism in any age. As Dr. Chitty writes in his prologue, 'This making a City of the Wilderness was no mere flight...it was rooted in a stark realism of faith in God and acceptance of the battle which is not against flesh and blood... Has it not its challenge for today?'

Reviews

Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2008-12-04
Summary: "Fine but not an "introduction""

This is indeed a classic but it is by no means the first book you should read about early asceticism. As a true introduction I would recommend William Harmless's Desert Christians: An Introduction to the Literature of Early Monasticism. Harmless very aptly says of Chitty's book: "[It is] a dense network of names and places and events -- too dense, I believe, for the real beginner. It is also full of brilliant passing insights and wonderful throwaway lines whose cogency is lost on most. And so I find Chitty's work not so much an introduction, but rather a wise road map for those who are already knee-deep in the literature."

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2006-01-23
Summary: "Making a Holy City in the Wilderness"


"This making a City of the Wilderness was no mere flight...it was rooted in a stark realism of faith in God and acceptance of the battle which is not against flesh and blood." Dr. D. Chitty, Prologue



The Desert:
"As a frequent traveler there once told me, 'In the desert you only have to worry about three things: beating the temperature, finding food and water, and not getting lost. But when you master these few things, a whole region of the world stands before you, unopened, ready to be explored," explains Dr. M. C. Steenberg, Fellow in Patristic Theology and Early Church History, University of Oxford, in his study on St. Antony of Egypt, whom Dr. Chitty considered the start point of the massive emergence of the monastic devotion, worldwide.

Desert Asceticism:
The word 'asceticism,' which generally indicates self-denial, derives from the Greek term askesis, originally meaning exercise, practice, or training. As practiced by the desert Fathers, and early Monastics, has sought solutions to the superficial religion of the newly Egyptian converts, mostly illiterate farmers. Based on a literal response to some of Jesus Christ's teachings (Mark 10:17-31), those novices deserted their families and gave up their possessions to live in the desert, in imitation to Christ, a life of chastity, fasting, and asceticism.

Evolution of Monasticism:
At the height of Christian asceticism in the Middle East, thousands of monks lived in monastic centers in Egypt, Nitria, Kellia, and Sketes in the West Delta, and Pachomian cenobitic communities in Upper Egypt. Later on the move moved into Palestine, and the Syrian deserts. Some lived in isolated caves, in real seclusion, rarely meeting other humans as did Abba Paul the first hermit. The cenobitic monks, gathered to form communities and build large fortress-like monasteries. Although they sought total isolation, most monks in sketes did not cut all ties with Christian laity. Some debated theological issues, during the early Church councils, some defended religious and administrative issues of their day, as was the case of the Tall Brothers. Other monastics focused on service, since Athanasius time, serving the sick, or burying the dead as was the case of the Philoponoi and Parabolani, which was copied by other Mediterranean cities.

The desert a City:
These lectures on early Christian monasticism, which Dr. Chitty claims to be no more than an introduction, has been described by Monastic scholar, and Pachomius expert Philip Rousseau, as "indispensable is Derwas J. Chitty, The desert a City. It is a gem, already proven a real classic. Few recent studies of this crucial period in the history of the monastic movement match it for its painstaking scholarship which combined well searched history, archeology and tradition with vivid and talented writing. This inspiring book has kept vivid in my Coptic conscience the great devotion underlying the monastic ideal in all ages. Dr. Chitty, one of the pioneer scholars of this period, deals with the golden age of Egyptian monasticism and describes the main founders of the movement Anthony, Athanasius, and Pachomius. He follows the development of monastic life in all its forms in Egypt to the end of the fourth century, when the movement migrated to Palestine. He gives a devoted accounts of St. Saba and the great ascetics of Palestine. As he mentioned in the prologue to his book, the study did not consider either Syria or Cappadocia (Asia Minor).