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I've been reading and listening to a couple books on the desert fathers and early monasticism. Our parish priest always encourages us to read The Ladder of Divine Ascent during Lent, but, despite having a free electronic copy of that [1], I am finding that I don't read consistently without a physical book in my hands. So one that I managed to acquire recently is Chadwick's Western Asceticism. It contains Sayings of the Desert Fathers, or at least a significant portion of it, some of the Conferences of St. John Cassian, and The Rule of St Benedict [2]. With the Conferences being so incomplete in Chadwick, I have also been listening to a podcast discussion of the Paulist Press version of the Conferences, led by Fr. David Abernethy of the Pittsburgh Oratory. [3].

Has anyone read other versions of the Sayings the Desert Fathers, such as the Alphabetical arrangement, or any translations of the Vitae Patrum? Can you provide recommendations?

• 1. Climacus, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, translated by Archimandrite Lazarus Moore https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By5KKOj5h75EeWNKOEFNbEhQVVk/view?usp=sharing
• 2. Chadwick, Owen. 1979. Western Asceticism. Ichthus ed. The Library of Christian classics, [v. 12]; Library of Christian classics, v. 12. Philadelphia: Westminster Press.
• 3. Podcast of St. John Cassian's Conferences, https://philokalia.podbean.com

Whilst searching for The Spiritual Meadow of St. John Moschos, elder of St. Sophronios of Jerusalem [melkite.org], whose blessed memory we commemorate today, I came across what appears to be a nearly complete online translation of Vitae Patrum [vitae-patrum.org.uk] by an Anglican priest, Benjamin Baker. Rev. Baker published The Life of Abbott Antony as a book, but seems to have published the rest of his translsation of the Vitae online before he reposed in 2004.

Some parts of it are also linked to by the St. Pachomios Library [voskrese.info], which has previously been mentioned on this forum.

I hate to dispute with myself so early in the morning, but Rev Baker himself said that the part left untranslated is much greater than the part he completed.


I should read more quickly and speak more slowly.

Although not in book form, OLTV offers a 10-disk set of lectures in CD and DVD format by Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia (translator of the Philokalia) titled "Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church Fathers) and covers the "biggies" in an educational style. The Introduction of this series is available for download on iTunes.

Jack