The language of thought of the desert fathers has been an exuberant spiritual source that has constantly watered new generations. As teaching and guiding stories, they have been passed down from monastery to monastery, from generation to generation in ever new languages and in new combinations. In Sweden, Samuel Rubenson, both through his research and his personal pilgrimage, has contributed more than perhaps anyone else to opening up to this rich spiritual world.
The Wisdom of the Desert is the first book he published on the subject - first published in 1984 under the title An Undivided Heart - and provides a basic introduction to the Desert Fathers and their spiritual guidance. Here Samuel Rubenson shows how the so-called languages of thought consist of chiseled images and polished pearls intended to teach not only monks but all serious seekers. An indispensable book for those who want to understand who the desert fathers were, how their teaching developed and how it can be interpreted and applied in our time.
Samuel Rubenson is professor of church history at Lund University and of Eastern Church studies at Saint Ignatius Academy. He is also president of the Johannesakademin at Nya Slottet Bjärka-Säby.
Wire bound with unspread pages.