Monastery Retreats
The Lord of Glory sent a cherub, he led him into this mountain and when he had set his seal on Abba Macarius by...
The Repentance Of A Harlot
One day Abba Serapion passed through an Egyptian village and there he saw a courtesan who stayed in her own cell. The old man...
The History Of The Settlement Of Scetis
In 407, a tribe of barbarian raiders known as Mazices came sweeping off the Libyan desert and devastated one of the first great centers...
Travels In Africa, Egypt, And Syria From The Year 1792 To 1798
During my stay near the lakes, I visited two of the Egypt Coptic convents, that are called the Syrian, and that of St. George;...
The Lonely Desert Of The Coptic Church
Missionaries and religious travellers to Egypt were baffled by the willing long-term relocation by ascetics to the desert, which they considered dreary and lonely...
St Macarius Monastery In The 19th Century
The journey across the desert is very monotonous, but at length, after crossing an elevation covered with shining black pebbles, the long line of...
To A Monk Entering The Arena Of Combat
Rejoice in the Lord, beloved child, whom the grace of my Jesus has enlightened and delivered from the world; who has flown to the...
Indications In The Path Of Monasticism
In the "Paradise of the fathers," it is said, "Quietness is the first knowledge of the soul." St. Isaac said, "Search for quietness in...
His Delight Is In The Law Of The Lord
The Law occupies many chapters in the Book of Exodus. The Lord emphasised keeping, memorising and always following the Law; “And these words which...
A Gospel Motivation For The Monastic Life
“I suggest that, given what we know of the social tensions in Roman Egypt, the presence of an emerging culture of asceticism, and the...
