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Give Me a Word: The Alphabetical Sayings of the Desert Fathers is unavailable, but you can change that!

When Christians first began living as monks in the Egyptian desert at the beginning of the fourth century, they had few books and almost no learning. As they gained experience, they concentrated that experience in the form of an oral tradition of tales and sayings (apophthegmata). Apart from the Scriptures (also learned by heart) this was the only training manual they had. Consequently, when the...

impoverished?” A voice came to him that said: “Antony, pay attention to yourself, for these are the judgments of God and it is not to your advantage for you to learn about them.” Antony 3 [1.1] Somebody asked Abba Antony: “By observing which [precept] shall I be well-pleasing to God?” The elder answered: “Observe what I am telling you: Always have God before your eyes wherever you go. Whatever you are doing, have the testimony from Holy Scripture to hand. Wherever you are living, do not be in a hurry
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