Kyriacos C. Markides

Markides’s pursuit of a deeper understanding of Orthodoxy takes him to the deserts of Arizona and a stay at a new monastery in Sedona; to the island of Cyprus and a reunion with Father Maximos; on a pilgrimage to holy shrines aboard a cruise ship in the Aegean Sea; and finally to the legendary Mount Athos, home to more than two thousand Orthodox monks. Markides relates his journey and reflections in a captivating style while providing important background material and information on show more historical events to give readers a highly accessible, in-depth portrait of a tradition little known in the West.

Gifts of the Desert will appeal to a wide range of people, from Christians seeking insights into their religion and its various expressions to scholars interested in learning more about the mystical way of life and wisdom that have been preserved on Mount Athos since the fall of the Byzantine Empire and the Great Schism that separated the Eastern and Western Churches. Perhaps most important, however, is the bridge it offers contemporary readers to a Christian life that is balanced between the worldly and the spiritual. show less

This could have been an excellent book. There are profound things mentioned in the pages, however... this book could have used a good
editor. In places the text reads like a very bad rough draft. Having
read the author's earlier works, I was disappointed as I went further into this book.

This was an interesting book. There are a few sections that really got me thinking. The section on the logismoi - invasive thoughts that can assault our minds - was very interesting. My biggest complaint is that the chapters were too long! It was hard for me to keep reading it, because I don't like stopping mid-chapter!

Absolutely fantastic book. If you're only going to read one book on Christian orthodox monasticism, this is the one you should go for.