Reading list

The Desert Fathers

The monks and nuns of the Egyptian desert, and the teachers who made their wisdom a path for others.

Beginning. 6 steps

Orientation

Tradition
Desert Monasticism
Who the desert fathers and mothers were, how they lived, and why they went.

Text
The Desert Fathers
tr. Helen Waddell, 1936
Begin with the sayings: short, sharp and often funny, a few at a time.

Concept
Apatheia
The calm of a soul freed from its passions, and what it is for.
Text
The Praktikos; Chapters on Prayer
Evagrius Ponticus, tr. John Eudes Bamberger, 1970
Evagrius on the eight thoughts, then the chapters on prayer.
Concept
Pure prayer
Prayer beyond images and words, the summit of the desert way.

Text
The Works of John Cassian
John Cassian, tr. Edgar C. S. Gibson, 1894
Read the ninth and tenth Conferences, on prayer, first.

Cite this entry

Chicago (bibliography): “The Desert Fathers.” Reading list. The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society. Last modified November 7, 2026. https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/the-desert-fathers.
Chicago (note): “The Desert Fathers,” reading list, The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, last modified November 7, 2026, https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/the-desert-fathers.
MLA: “The Desert Fathers.” The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society, 7 Nov. 2026, www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/the-desert-fathers.
BibTeX: @misc{reading-lists-the-desert-fathers, title = {{The Desert Fathers}}, howpublished = {The Library, Unitive Knowledge Society}, note = {Reading list. Last modified November 7, 2026}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.unitiveknowledge.org/reading-lists/the-desert-fathers} }