12 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What draws a person away from wealth and comfort into a narrow cell in the desert?
In The Lausiac History, Palladius of Galatia gathers short portraits of early Christian monks and nuns for the court official Lausus. His collection moves through Nitria, Kellia, Scetis and the Thebaid, drawing on personal encounters, teachers’ memories and stories heard from others.
Macarius, Evagrius and Melania appear beside less famous men and women whose lives centre on prayer, discipline and service. Palladius describes severe fasting and solitude, but also their dangers. In these accounts, humility and charity matter more than remarkable feats, while stories of visions and healings reveal the spiritual world his subjects inhabit.
What you’ll discover
- Lives in the desert Enter cells and settlements where early monks seek a life shaped by prayer.
- Women at the centre Meet female ascetics whose wisdom and dedication receive a place beside celebrated male teachers.
- The limits of discipline Explore accounts of fasting and sleeplessness that acknowledge the dangers of severe religious practice.
- Kindness beyond impressive feats Discover why Palladius places humble love above the most striking displays of endurance.
- Visions and unusual encounters Read stories of healings and demons as expressions of these ascetics’ religious world.
Who will love it
For readers who love early Christianity, church history and the spiritual life, and anyone curious about how monasticism began. It suits those who enjoy short portraits and odd stories of desert monks and holy women.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A bishop writes for a court official
- Egypt's deserts become a map of holiness
- Great teachers show the path by example
- Holy women stand beside the holy men
- Discipline is real, and so is its danger
- Humility and charity matter more than feats
- Miracles and visions are told with care
- Controversy and the shape of the text
- How readers have used the book
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The Lausiac History
by Attributed to Palladius of Galatia · 420
Palladius introduces Egypt's desert monks and holy women through portraits of discipline, pride, humility and charity.
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In short
The Lausiac History is a collection of short lives of the first Christian monks and nuns, written in Greek around the year 419 or 420. Its author is Palladius, a bishop from Galatia in Asia Minor, who had spent years among the ascetics of Egypt.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A bishop writes for a court official
Palladius was born around the year 363 and went to Egypt as a young man, around 388. He stayed there for years, living among ascetics, and later became bishop of Helenopolis in Bithynia. He was caught up in the troubles of his friend John Chrysostom, the bishop of Constantinople, and was sent into exile for a time. Those years of exile are part of the background to his writing.
He wrote the book for Lausus, a chamberlain in the household of the emperor Theodosius II. Lausus was a man of wealth and power who wanted a clear guide to the lives of the holy ones. Palladius tells him plainly that he writes to help the reader, not to show off. He hopes the stories will move people to imitate the virtues they describe.
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What is the Lausiac History about?
It is a collection of short biographies of early Christian monks and nuns, mostly in Egypt, written in Greek by Palladius. It records their habits, teachings and struggles, and it mixes personal memory with stories gathered from others.
Why is it called the Lausiac History?
It is named after Lausus, a high official at the court of the emperor Theodosius II, who asked Palladius to write it. Palladius addresses the work to him and dedicates it to his use.
Who was Palladius of Galatia?
Palladius was a fourth and fifth century monk and bishop from Galatia in Asia Minor. He spent years among the ascetics of Egypt, later became bishop of Helenopolis, and wrote this book from experience and from what others told him.
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