Early Christian Lives (Penguin Classics)
Product ID: 11017575
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Written between the mid-fourth and late sixth centuries to commemorate and glorify the achievements of early Christian saints, these six biographies depict men who devoted themselves to solitude, poverty and prayer. Athanasius records Antony's extreme seclusion in the Egyptian desert, despite temptation by the devil and visits from his followers. Jerome also shows those who fled persecution or withdrew from society to pursue lives of chastity and asceticism in his accounts of Paul of Thebes, Hilarion and Malchus. In his Life of Martin , Sulpicius Severus describes the achievements of a man who combined the roles of monk, bishop and missionary, while Gregory the Great tells of Benedict, whose Rule became the template for monastic life. Full of vivid incidents and astonishing miracles, these Lives have provided inspiration as models for centuries of Christian worship. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. Review: Important Writings from the Early Church - Great collection of the early writings of Christianity. Review: Great book - Great collection of early Christian narratives.
| Best Sellers Rank | #32,737 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #86 in Christian Historical Theology (Books) #191 in Religious Leader Biographies #344 in Religious History (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 178 Reviews |
K**E
Important Writings from the Early Church
Great collection of the early writings of Christianity.
B**R
Great book
Great collection of early Christian narratives.
N**L
Fascinating historical book
I enjoy reading about the lives of early Christians and what they had to go through to maintain their faith. Good reference book on the writings of early Christian leaders.
F**K
Worth the price
Great price wish i actually got to read this book, my teacher had us buy it and we used it twice
S**Y
Why can't catholics be like the early christians?
I wonder why cafe catholics don't bring attention to these miracles and the miracle workers. The catholics i meet-probably only catholic in name-only speak of mary and deadly sins. They're either bores or frauds to the public.
J**N
Five Stars
Great book. Just as advertised. Thanks!
A**R
Five Stars
Yes
A**S
The Spiritual Life of Early Christianity
Spirituality seems to be in vogue these days. These lives of early Christian monastic figures do a good job of showing the essentials of the Christian spiritual life as it has been lived through the millennia. Whether there is any validity to the Christian narrative of world history, it is indisputable that Christian spirituality has resolved the disquiet of soul felt by many men and women. Essentially, there is the idea that the human person is good but needs prayer, asceticism and good works to reform the soul into a perfect Christian. Those early Christians who were most affected by the need for spiritual growth tended to become monks or nuns. Thus, we have the biographies of St. Anthony, St. Martin of Tours and St. Benedict along with some others lesser known personages. The miracle stories will grate with many modern readers but, beneath them, the pith of the Christian ladder leading to heaven pervades these sketches. Not comparable in literary talent to the ancient biographers like Plutarch or Diogenes Laertius this volume is mostly of interest to those with an interest in the history of Christianity and western civilization. If these pique your interest Penguin has done a good job of assembling compelling lives of early Christian monasticism.
N**E
Essential reading
Essential reading
A**R
very superb
very superb
A**K
Good book for all Christians in these strange times we live in!
The works of Anthony the Great
Y**S
Nice material and pretty instructive
A nice and interesting compilation
A**R
A scholarly work: just what I needed
For some of my research, I needed a reference to some of these patristic texts. The English is good and the readability is good. Any controversies of passages (derived from variant readings in the extant surviving texts) is not so important. Whenever it is, then original publications should be ought out. If these are not needed, then this text is very useful and to be recommended.
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