Pachomius, who died in 346, has long been regarded as the "founder of monasticism." Available again, Philip Rousseau's careful reading of the available texts reveals that Pachomius's pioneering enterprise has been consistently misread in light of later monastic practices. Rousseau not only provides a fuller and more accurate portrait of this great teacher and spiritual director but also gives a new perspective on the development of monasticism. In a new preface Rousseau reviews the scholarly developments that have modified his views and emphases since the book was published. The result is to make Pachomius an even less assured pioneer, a man likely to have been more involved in the village and urban society of his time than previously thought.

Philip Rousseau is Associate Professor of History at the University of Auckland. He is the author of Basil of Caesarea (California, 1995).

"An impressive and readable study, well argued and admirably documented. . . . In a cogent and vivid fashion Rousseau shows Pachomius as a man of his time, less isolated than we might expect from the wider religious and social structures of his day."—Kallistos Ware, Journal of Theological Studies

"Masterful control of the sources and sympathy for the subject. . . . Pachomius has the additional interest of dealing with a classic instance of biographical and other material originally compiled from oral tradition, with all the fascination and uncertainty that this brings to the interpretation of the story."—Henry Chadwick, Times Literary Supplement

"Stimulating, often surprising, and persuasive. . . . His portrait is convincing, indeed a model of how difficult hagiographical traditions can be sensitively used, and particularly valuable for anyone who wishes to approach early asceticism from a historical perspective. . . . Above all, in its portrait of a moderate community guided by Scripture and discussion, this work offers an important corrective to the all too common view of Egyptian asceticism as a psychologically bizarre institution responsible for the most negative aspects of later Christian belief."—Dorothy de F. Abrahamse, Speculum

"Philip Rousseau makes a significant contribution to the history of early Christian monasticism in this thoughtful, penetrating study of Pachomius (died 346), often called the founder of cenobitic monasticism. . . . [Rousseau] has made Pachomius a more understandable historical figure and has shown the uniqueness of the way of life he struggled to define."—Richard Sullivan, American Historical Review

"This very readable and well-documented work provides a needed corrective to the often superficial treatment of Pachomius found in many monastic histories."—William D. Carpe, Church History