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The Desert Fathers were early Christian hermits, ascetics, and monks who lived mainly in the Scetes desert of Egypt beginning around the third century AD. The ''Apophthegmata Patrum'' is a collection of the writings of some of the early desert monks and nuns, representing the Divine Wisdom they received,〔http://www.coptic.net/articles/sayingsofdesertfathers.txt〕 still in print as ''Sayings of the Desert Fathers''. The most well known was Anthony the Great, who moved to the desert in 270–271 and became known as both the father and founder of desert monasticism. By the time Anthony died in 356, thousands of monks and nuns had been drawn to living in the desert following Anthony's example — his biographer, Athanasius of Alexandria, wrote that "the desert had become a city."〔 The Desert Fathers had a major influence on the development of Christianity. The desert monastic communities that grew out of the informal gathering of hermit monks became the model for Christian monasticism. The eastern monastic tradition at Mt. Athos and the western Rule of St. Benedict both were strongly influenced by the traditions that began in the desert. All of the monastic revivals of the Middle Ages looked to the desert for inspiration and guidance. Much of Eastern Christian spirituality, including the Hesychast movement, had its roots in the practices of the Desert Fathers. Even religious renewals such as the German evangelicals and Pietists in Pennsylvania, the ''Devotio Moderna'' movement, and the Methodist Revival in England are seen by modern scholars as being influenced by the Desert Fathers.〔Burton-Christie 1993, pp. 7–9.〕 ==Early history== Paul of Thebes is often credited with being the first hermit monk to go to the desert, but it was Anthony the Great who launched the movement that became the Desert Fathers.〔Waddell 1957, p. 30.〕 Sometime around 270 AD, Anthony heard a Sunday sermon stating that perfection could be achieved by selling all of one's possessions, giving the proceeds to the poor, and following Christ.(Matt. 19.21) He followed the advice and made the further step of moving deep into the desert to seek complete solitude.〔Chryssavgis 2008, p. 15.〕 Anthony lived in a time of transition for Christianity — the Diocletianic Persecution in 303 AD was the last great formal persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. Only ten years later, Christianity was made legal in Egypt by Diocletian's successor Constantine I. Those who left for the desert formed an alternate Christian society, at a time when it was no longer a risk to be a Christian. The solitude, austerity, and sacrifice of the desert was seen by Anthony as an alternative to martyrdom, which was formerly seen by many Christians as the highest form of sacrifice.〔Chryssavgis 2008, p. 16.〕 Aside from this, Anthony viewed desert solidarity as a way to focus one's attention on refining and purifying the spirit; and as a way to rid the mind of material and luxurious desires. During his years alone in the desert, Anthony was said to have combated the Devil and his demons multiple times. In one example recorded by Athanasius, Anthony came across a large silver plate along a deserted road and quickly declared the mysterious dish to appear there through the work of the devil, afterwards it immediately vanished in a cloud of smoke. Anthony quickly gained followers eager to live their lives in accordance with this solidarity and separation from material goods. To them he occasionally preached the need to live a life of simplicity, and advocated for them to remember the rewards they would receive from living like this once arriving in Heaven and becoming a part of God's kingdom. From these prohibitions it is recorded by Athanasius that Anthony received special privileges from God, such as the ability to heal the sick, inspire others to have faith in healing through God, and even converse with God on occasion.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2811.htm )〕 Around this time, desert monasticism appeared nearly simultaneously in several areas, including Egypt and Syria.〔 Over time, the model of Anthony and other hermits attracted many followers, who lived alone in the desert or in small groups. They chose a life of extreme asceticism, renouncing all the pleasures of the senses, rich food, baths, rest, and anything that made them comfortable.〔Riddle 2008, p. 43.〕 They instead focused their energies on praying, singing psalms, fasting, giving alms to the needy, and preserving love and harmony with one another while keeping their thoughts and desires for God alone. Thousands joined them in the desert, mostly men but also a handful of women. Religious seekers also began going to the desert seeking advice and counsel from the early Desert Fathers. By the time of Anthony's death, there were so many men and women living in the desert that it was described as "a city" by Anthony's biographer.〔 Three main types of monasticism developed in Egypt around the Desert Fathers. One was the austere life of the hermit, as practiced by Anthony and his followers in lower Egypt. Another was the cenobitic life, communities of monks and nuns in upper Egypt formed by Pachomius. The third was a semi-hermitic lifestyle seen mostly in Nitria, Kellia and Scetis, west of the Nile, begun by Saint Amun. The latter were small groups (two to six) of monks and nuns with a common spiritual elder — these separate groups would join together in larger gatherings to worship on Saturdays and Sundays. This third form of monasticism was responsible for most of the sayings that were compiled as the ''Apophthegmata Patrum'' (''Sayings of the Desert Fathers'').〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Desert Fathers」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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