Image Source: Atlas Obscura
Mother’s Day is a wonderful time to celebrate the women in our lives and the role they played in making us who we are today. In honour of our spiritual mothers, I would like to share a post from Atlas Obscura entitled The Rebel Virgins and Desert Mothers Who Have Been Written Out of Christianity’s Early History (a 16-minute read at 3,902 words).
We tend to recognize the names of the Desert Fathers who founded early Christianity’s monasteries:
- Athanasius of Alexandria, bishop of Alexandria (328-373), who is known for his defense against Arianism, the heretical assertion that Jesus was created by God and is, therefore, subordinate to God;
- John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople (398-404), who is known for the influence he wielded through his public speaking abilities (thus, his name Chrysostom, “golden-mouthed”); and
- John Cassian, whose writings provided the basic concepts that Saint Benedict used to organize monasteries in the West.
We aren’t as familiar with the Desert Mothers – women such as: Read More
Category: Church HistoryTags: ascetic, asceticism, Christianity, desert mother, early Christianity, hermit, monastic, monasticism, mother, Mother's Day, spiritual mother, women
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