The Lausiac History of Palladius

The church historian and Benedictine monk Cuthbert Butler (1858-1934) was known for his expertise on the monastic life and wrote several books on the subject, including Benedictine Monachism (1919) and Western Mysticism (1922). Previously he had produced this two-volume edition of Palladius of Galatia’s Lausiac History. Written in the early fifth century, it records the lives of the Egyptian ‘Desert Fathers’ and is an important source for early monasticism. In Volume 1 (1898), Butler begins with a general introduction to Palladius’ work, followed by a critical survey of the various versions of Palladius’ text, which survives in Greek, Latin, Syriac, Armenian and Coptic. The volume includes a contribution by Armitage Robinson, later Dean of Westminster, on the Armenian version. The later part of this volume turns to an exploration of Palladius’ theology, other related sources for the history of Egyptian monasticism, and a historical discussion of early monasticism.