Disciples of the Desert: Monks, Laity, and Spiritual Authority in Sixth-Century Gaza (review)

The monastery at Tawatha near Gaza offers a rare opportunity to analyze in fascinating detail the everyday life of its members, thanks to the survival of a large corpus of over 800 Letters by its spiritual directors, Barsanuphius and John. Using these and other sources, Hevelone-Harper has produced a clearly written, well-argued book on this important and neglected corner of asceticism in the late antique Mediterranean. She contextualizes her study when necessary, but the unwavering focus on the inner mechanics of Barsanuphius and John's community is a clear strength. The book offers a coherent picture of this complex organization, which included a coenobium and affiliated anchorites as well as remarkably strong connections with the ecclesiastical hierarchy and lay people.

Hevelone-Harper does not provide a theoretical perspective on "spiritual authority" or the "spiritual director" though these terms are frequently used, the latter almost interchangeably with "holy man." Yet she does note that "all life was infused with the sacred. Even ordinary activities could have theological ramifications" (5), and this inclusive approach is well suited to her wide-ranging analysis, which certainly shows how ubiquitous religious concerns were in the late Roman world.

Chapter 1, "Gaza: Crossroads in the Desert," outlines the history of Gaza with its port Maiouma and its venerable tradition of ascetic inhabitants culminating in Barsanuphius the "Great Old Man," a Coptic immigrant who was at the top of Tawatha's hierarchy of spiritual authority. Hevelone-Harper describes the letters sent by Barsanuphius and his colleague John to their spiritual disciples, contextualizing the corpus as part of the shift from the Egyptian desert's oral tradition to the written word, a process also represented by the contemporaneous collection and recording of the Apothegmata Patrum in Palestine.

Chapter 2, "Tawatha: Looking for God in the Desert," describes the developing institutional structure of the community from the arrival of Barsanuphius through his initial correspondence with John of Beersheba, who, Hevelone argues, is likely identical with John the prophet, the "Other Old Man," who shared leadership with the "Great Old Man." These two directors remained enclosed in their cells, only communicating with the other monks by letter; Barsanuphius dictated to his disciple and scribe Seridos, who was also abbot of the coenobium. Hevelone-Harper expertly outlines how the hierarchy of spiritual direction functioned whereby the two Old Men could correspond with all members of the community without contradicting each other or jeopardizing the leadership of their correspondents' immediate spiritual directors.

Chapter 3, "Dorotheos: From Novice to Spiritual Director," presents Dorotheos, the author of the Discourses long known to the West in Latin translation, as a test case in spiritual biography. Hevelone-Harper chronicles his entrance to the monastery at Tawatha following an extended secular education; his early responsibilities, such as director of the guest house and infirmary; and, despite difficulties as a novice, his eventual blossoming as a spiritual director.

Chapter 4, "Lay Disciples: Social Obligations and Spiritual Concerns," examines Barsanuphius and John's role as spiritual directors for lay people, who represent over a quarter of the correspondence, in a way that sheds light on the function of the "holy man" as patron for the broader community.

Chapter 5, "Bishops and Civil Authorities: Rulers of Church and Empire," describes the remarkably varied and usually cordial interaction of Barsanuphius and John with prominent members of Palestinian society including secular officers and bishops, who, as spiritual disciples of the two ascetics, sought their advice on a number of issues.

Chapter 6, "Aelianos: Leader for the Next Generation," describes the selection of Aelianos, a prominent lay disciple of Barsanuphius and John, to succeed abbot Seridos after the latter's death in 543. Especially interesting is the "Other Old Man" John's agreement to postpone for two weeks his own death, which he himself had predicted, to instruct Aelianos in various aspects of running the monastery. Perhaps the letters in which this process was...