The four desert Fathers who gave their names to this volume- Pambo, Evagrius, Macarius of Egypt, and Macarius of Alexandria- were well known some 1600 years ago in Alexandria and the monastic communities of Lower Egypt. They were most famous, perhaps, because the monk (and later bishop) Palladius recounted their Lives- preserved in the Coptic Palladiana- in his Lausiac History. The introduction describes the relationships among Palladius and Evagrius, Origenism, the spiritual and theological ramifications of the Anthropomorphite controversy, and subsequent effects on the Lausiac History and the four Coptic Lives of this volume.
This work is a companion volume to Saint Macarius the Spiritbearer, which contains the translations of three ancient texts- The Sayings of Saint Macarius of Egypt, The Virtues of Saint Macarius of Egypt, and The Life of Saint Macarius of Scetis- all of which provide insight into one of the most venerated saints of the Coptic Orthodox Church and into life in the Egyptian monastic communities of the fourth century.
The two volumes together, introducing the thought and practice of these desert dwellers through their Sayings, Virtues, and Lives, offer the best access to their world.
