The desert fathers are the most influential spiritual masters in Christian history... Ok, that's an exaggeration, Jesus and the Apostles take first place, but the desert fathers are still important! These men (and women) inspired everything from renewal movements to mass evangelization down to the modern day. But who were they and why should anybody care? This episode introduces the desert fathers by summarizing St. Athanasius of Alexandria's Life of Anthony. This is part one of a seven-part series on the desert fathers. Sources/Recommended Reading: Life of Anthony by Athanasius of Alexandria -- https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2811.htm Balance of the Heart: Desert Spirituality for Twenty-First-Century Christians by Louis Farag -- https://www.amazon.com/Balance-Heart-Spirituality-Twenty-First-Century-Christians-ebook/dp/B00F8OKUNK Missionary Monks: An Introduction to the History and Theology of Missionary Monasticism by Edward L. Smither -- https://www.amazon.com/Missionary-Monks-Introduction-Theology-Monasticism-ebook/dp/B01N1ZC8SS/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=missionary+monks&s=digital-text&sr=1-1