Ascetics and Ambassadors of Christ - The Monasteries of Palestine 314-631 (Paperback, Revised)

This is the first study of the monastic movement in Palestine during the Byzantine period. The monasteries of the desert - in Jerusalem, Egypt, and Syria, played a key role in Byzantine society, and the `desert fathers' are well known even today as landmarks in the history of Christian spirituality. The book uses contemporary sources to discuss both how the monks actually lived, and their contribution to the doctrinal and spiritual debate.