The Wisdom of the Desert with Nicholas Buxton: The origins, way of life and spiritual practice of Christian Monasticism, the spiritual teachings of Evagrius

The course begins by looking at the origins of Christian monasticism during the third century CE, when thousands of men and women renounced the world and withdrew to the deserts of Egypt, Syria and Palestine to seek God in a life of solitude and prayer. What inspired them to do this? What were they trying to achieve? In seeking answers to these questions, we will examine the lives and sayings of the so-called `desert fathers', with a particular emphasis on the theological writings of Evagri...