This study examines the life and thought of the Christian monks of fourth- and fifth-century Lower Egypt. It is based on the collections of their sayings and stories which were compiled in the late fifth century, known collectively as the Apopthegmata Patrum, which reveal the Desert Fathers' deep concern with the nature of the monastic community which they formed and the problems which might affect relationships between its members. This study reveals the value that the Desert Fathers placed on community as an integral part of their monastic ideal, and shows that they rarely regarded solitude as a way of life to be pursued at the expense of community.

"[Gould] displays a mastery of the scholarly debates over the importance of various textual traditions."

"The author has a very good command of primary and secondary sources. Thus, the book is well documented, including a helpful biography and index....I recommend without reservation the addition of this book to the resources for studying life and the theology of the Desert Fathers."

Graham Gould, Lecturer in Early Church History, King's College, London