This collection of concise biographies allows readers to familiarize themselves with the places and names that characterized one of the richest and most varied periods of Christian ascetic literature in general, from its origins to the present day, while also serving as an indispensable source for reconstructing the history of Syriac spirituality.
The importance of The Lives of the Founders of Monasteries in the Arab and Persian Kingdoms or The Book of Chastity, a work attributed to Ishodenah, Bishop of Basra, lies, on the one hand, in the uniqueness of the historical information it provides on many saints or spiritual authors such as Isaac the Syrian, Joseph Hazzaya, or John of Dalyatha, and on the other hand, these 140 short biographical notes introduce the reader to the Christian monastic universe of the East, concisely presenting the emergence of monastic centers with a major impact in the region. These monasteries were usually founded by hermits, around whom more and more disciples gathered over time, attracted by their grace and spiritual guidance. This is how true spiritual families were formed in the lineage of great saints such as Eugene, Abraham of Kashkar, Jacob of Beth Abe, Sabrişo of Beth Qoqa, and others. At the same time, the encounter with a multitude of unknown saints leaves something of their holiness in the reader’s soul.