Monastic life in the Judean Wilderness

Daniel Peterson By William Hamblin and Daniel Peterson religion@desnews.com 1/7/2012 From the fourth through the seventh centuries A.D., a form of Christian religious devotion flourished in Palestine known as desert monasticism. From the fourth through the seventh centuries A.D., a form of Christian religious devotion flourished in Palestine known as desert monasticism. Drawing upon biblical descriptions of Elijah (1 Kings 17), John the Baptist (Matthew 3), and Jesus, thousands of devoted Christians departed into the wilderness, becoming hermits seeking the presence of God in solitude (Mark 1)