In the year 394 seven monks from Palestine made a difficult journey through the Egyptian desert, drawn there by stories of remarkable men. What they found in the communities living far up the Nile Valley fully accorded with their expectations, and in the account written by one of their number we have a rare contemporary source of information about the lives of these Desert Fathers. The witness of the monks in the face of a corrupt and declining, though nominally Christian empire, and the roots of monasticism in fourth century Egypt, are subjects of steadily growing interest in the Church in the twentieth century. In her long and illuminating introduction Sister Benedicta Ward SLG explores the background of these travelers' tales and their encounters with the great men of the Desert, and places the account in its literary context alongside the complementary text of the 'Sayings' of the Fathers and the later, more sophisticated literature, She indicates throughout the social impact of the Fathers and the lasting truths discovered by these simple men in their way of holiness. This translation of the Historia Monachorum by Norman Russell is the first available in English, and will be of absorbing interest for the general reader as well as for students.

Lives of the Desert Fathers: The Historia Monachorum in Aegypto

Religion & Spirituality

Ward, Benedicta

Christian Books & Bibles

Cistercian Publications, Kalamazoo, MI

It was not until after the conversion of the English to Christianity that any sustained information was written down about Christian life in these islands. This was done in the eigth century by the monk Bede, and it is mostly through his writings that it is possible to be in touch with the first Christians in England and to know about what they thought and did. Ward looks at this "golden age" of English Christianity, how it ended with the attacks of the Vikings and the "golden age" of faith and culture which followed in the tenth century.

High King Of Heaven

History

Americas

Continuum

High King of Heaven: Aspects of Early English Spirituality

Europe

Continuum International Publishing Group

It is nine hundred years since the death at Canterbury of the great mediaeval Archbishop and thinker Anselm. This meticulously researched and immensely engaging book brings to life the man and his times, the depth of Anselm's thought, and his career in the arena of politics in church and state. It explores his place among the saints, in his life and after his death, especially in the light of his profound understanding of heaven which was a central theme throughout his life from childhood onwards. Accounts from Anselm's friends and enemies, his own letters, prayers and meditations are combined with the author's in-depth knowledge of the times to present a rounded picture of a unique Christian figure who speaks to us today, challenging many of our assumptions about his world and ours.

Anselm of Canterbury: His Life And Legacy

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

SPCK Publishing

The medieval understanding of contact with the powers of heaven is one of the most conspicuous and yet strangest features of the period.

Miracles and the Mediaeval Mind

Scolar Press]

St Anselm (1033-1109) was the abbot of the Benedictine monastery of Bec in France before becoming Archbishop of Canterbury. This study discusses the relationship between his scholarship and life as a monk, showing how one flowed naturally from the other.

Anslem of Canterbury Monastic Scholar

Cistercian Pubns

Arranged under 30 headings for daily reading, this gift book includes short accessible extracts from the great spiritual writings of the Christian tradition. The contributions are selected and introduced by authors with a strong international appeal.

The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers

Anthony Bloom

World

Pilgrimage of the Heart

SLG Press

The Psalter has always held a central place in Christian worship, and most especially in the monastic tradition. Sister Benedicta shows how the Venerable Bede made an innovative contribution to the devotional use of the psalms with his 'Abbreviated Psalter' (included in her text). Bede knew the psalms not only as a monk, but also as scholar and historian, and he was concerned with the application of the psalms to the whole range of human experience. Through his use of the psalms, he helps us to express our own inarticulate experiences and to discover that hope which is beyond our understanding.

Bede And the Psalter

Often presented as a clash between Irish and Roman missionaries representing two different kinds of Christianity, the Synod of Whitby held in 664 decided the date of Easter in the English church. Yet Benedicta Ward shows that in fact the traditions were mingled and that a common faith and a common devotion to Easter as the central feast of the Resurrection enabled participants to resolve difficulties caused by a difference between calendric calculations.

A True Easter: The Synod of Whitby 664 AD

Cistercian Publications

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ward, Benedicta. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Ward, Benedicta