Letters from the Desert 305.66 "For those of us who

"For those of us who regretted coming to the end of Father Arseny: Priest

introspection

to help them defend and articulate the foundations of the faith

of carrying one another's burdens in the most direct and natural ways

The saintly austerities of Mary of Egypt so impressed early monks that they recorded her life to edify their brethren

Letters from the Desert 305.66 "For those of us who"Sugg. Donation" Two monastic elders the "Great Old Man" Barsanuphius, and the "Other Old Man" John flourished in the southern region around Gaza in the early part of the sixth century. Maintaining strict seclusion within their cells, they spoke to others only through letters by way of Abba Seridos, the abbot of the monastic community in Gaza. The authority of John may be described as more institutional, responding as he does to problems of a