Paradise of the Fathers, Book of
The title given, mostly in the Syriac tradition, to a compilation consisting of a collection of stories about monks and solitaries (including Palladius’s ‘Historia Lausiaca’, but also material borrowed from Hieronymus) and a collection of ‘Sayings of the Egyptian Fathers’ (Apophthegmata). In the Syriac tradition the whole work is ascribed to Palladius (d. around 430). The compilation was made by the E.-Syr. monk ʿEnanishoʿ and became popular not only in the E.-Syr. ascetical tradition (Toma of Marga gives an elaborate description in his ‘Book of Governors’), but also among W.-Syr. ascetics, who could read important parts of the Paradise (mainly the apophtegmata) in a great many ascetical anthologies.
Sources
- P. Bedjan, Acta Martyrum et Sanctorum, vol. 7 (1897). (Syr.; s.v. Paradisus Patrum)
- E. A. W. Budge, The Paradise of the Holy Fathers (2 vols.; 1907; 2nd ed. 1934). (ET)
- J.-M. Sauget, Une traduction arabe de la collection d’Apophthegmata patrum de ʿEnānīšōʿ (CSCO 495; 1987).
How to Cite This Entry
Footnote Style Citation with Date:
Herman G. B. Teule , “Paradise of the Fathers, Book of,” in Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition, edited by Sebastian P. Brock, Aaron M. Butts, George A. Kiraz and Lucas Van Rompay (Gorgias Press, 2011; online ed. Beth Mardutho, 2018), https://gedsh.bethmardutho.org/Paradise-of-the-Fathers-Book-of.
Bibliography Entry Citation:
Teule, Herman G. B. “Paradise of the Fathers, Book of.” In Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition. Edited by Sebastian P. Brock, Aaron M. Butts, George A. Kiraz and Lucas Van Rompay. Digital edition prepared by David Michelson, Ute Possekel, and Daniel L. Schwartz. Gorgias Press, 2011; online ed. Beth Mardutho, 2018. https://gedsh.bethmardutho.org/Paradise-of-the-Fathers-Book-of.
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