Wisdom of the Desert

Wisdom of the Desert

by James O. Hanney

“The life of the hermit is not the modern idea of either the root or the fruit of the highest type of religious life; but once it was considered evidence of the best in spiritual experience. The fact is that religion is not confined to one form; and perhaps it is well for moderns to be reminded of this by recalling the real saintliness and unselfishness of the self-disciplining ascetic. This bok is, in the language of the author and editor, ‘an anthology culled from the meadows of the literature of the desert life.’ There is much that is quaint, more that is timeless, in these words.” -New Outlook, Volume 78, September, 1904

In this slim volume, which was originally published in 1904, James Hannay describes the virtues that shaped the lives of the earliest monastics. These virtues, which begin with “being crucified with Christ” and “being dead to the world,” are essential to an understanding not only of the desert monastics themselves, but also of the many monastic movements that would follow throughout the centuries. In language very reminiscent of the new monasticism, Hannay repeatedly emphasizes that despite all the mythology that surrounds their lives, these saints were indeed ordinary people with ordinary struggles. We would be wise to examine these virtues and submit our lives to them as we seek to live faithfully in the abandoned, desert places of the American empire.

The Hidden Treasure

On Being Crucified with Christ

Being Dead to the World

How We Ought to Return Good for Evil

On Charity to Sinners

On Humility

On Discretion

On the Necessity for Striving

On Fasting

On Poverty

On Obedience

On Avoiding the Praise of Men

During the fourth and fifth centuries, thousands of Christian men and women withdrew to the deserts of Egypt and Palestine. In these remote locations, they led lives of rigorous discipline and solitude. Their techniques of prayer, spiritual direction, discipleship and stories have provided inspiration for many Christians to this day. The Wisdom of the Desert, first published in 1904, was written in an attempt to appreciate the religious spirit of these first Christian monks. It is a collection of stories and sayings compiled from the literature of the desert life, organized and interwoven into an overview on the thoughts, lives and doctrines of the early desert Christians.