Apophthegmata Patrum
(“Sayings of the Fathers”), the anecdotes and maxims of the Egyptian Desert Fathers, preserved in various collections and languages. The core anthology is the alphabetic one (organized by speaker's name) compiled in the 5th or 6th C., perhaps by admirers of a certain Poimen who is disproportionately well represented. This collection is supplemented by a group of 400 anonymous sayings. They are written in simple language and offer practical advice on problems faced by cenobitic monks and hermits. Some sayings inculcate extreme asceticism and reflect an antipathy toward book-learning and women, while others are imbued with a common-sense attitude toward the rigorous life of the anchorite. They may be viewed, in part, as conscious Christian rivals to the many anthologies of maxims of pagan thinkers, while unconsciously providing one of the most fascinating sources of social and intellectual life in the late Roman period. Latin translations survive of four different collections, along with Arabic, Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, and Church Slavonic versions.... ...
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