The Desert Movement

An exciting new history for anyone interested in the Early Church. Drawing on recent research and newly translated texts, it sheds significant new light on the influence of Desert spirituality, introducing us to the lives of previously unknown monastic figures.

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This new study sheds significant new light on one of the most significant movements in the history of Christian spirituality - the desert movement of the Early Church, the beginnings of monastic life. Drawing on recent research and newly translated ancient texts, The Desert Movement demonstrates that the spread of early Christian communities in the desert was far more extensive than previously thought. Previous study has focused on Egypt, but this explores the movements taking place in Sinai, Gaza, Judea and Palestine. It compares the common features and the variations of the different movements, introducing the lives and writings of many new monastic men and women, giving them a place among the established figures of desert spirituality.