Monasticism (or, more generally, ascetic behaviour) is a theme of great interest in contemporary scholarship on early Christianity – so it is a cause for satisfaction that Dr Harmless has produced a comprehensive introduction to the major figures in the Egyptian tradition. It is also gratifying that the book is available at a relatively modest price that is not beyond the reach of serious students. In it, one finds a reliable survey of scholarly thought on well-known persons and writings (Anthony, Pachomius, the Apophthegmata Patrum, the Historia Lausiaca, Evagrius Ponticus and John Cassian), and on some who are rather less well known (Paul of Tamma, Zacharius of Sakhâ, Isaiah of Sketis and Shenouda). Despite a few pages near the end dedicated to monasticism in Gaul (pp. 410–13) and the Near East (pp. 425–35), the book is in fact concerned less with monastic literature at large than with the literature of early Egyptian monasticism. Within the parameters of introducing Egyptian monasticism, however, the book is thoroughly impressive and will undoubtedly prove very useful.

I have mentioned that the book's price should be affordable for students; it might also be noted that the format of the book is such as to be particularly useful to students. For instance, there are numerous maps of the monastic settlements of Egypt; several handsomely reproduced images, such as the famous icon of Christ and Abba Menas from Bawit (p. 91); many timelines and figures and quite a few tables that facilitate the comparison of, for example, Evagrius’ and Cassian's interpretations of the monastic habit (pp. 381–3); and nearly thirty appendices that contain excerpts which support or develop the material presented in the text. Mention should also be made of Harmless's commendable decisions to include references to English translation of primary material and to emphasise secondary studies in English, since such information will enable even less advanced students to follow up on the subject matter in other works. Another feature of the book that will help students is the overview of Roman Egypt and of church history that makes up Part One, thus providing the essential cultural and historical background to the monastic movements.

Students will not be the only readers who find cause to be grateful to Harmless for his work. Scholars will also appreciate the wide range of his discussion. And yet it is only fair to point out that some scholars may not be completely satisfied with the discussion. More specifically, because Harmless favours scholarly consensus and rarely enters in a detailed way into scholarly debates – which, I hasten to add, is hardly inappropriate for an introductory volume – some readers may find that important but relatively recent developments do not figure in the book in as prominent a way as they might have hoped for. One example is found in his account of how Evagrius’ theology relates to the Origenist Controversy of 399. He follows Elizabeth Clark and especially Antoine Guillaumont in attributing to Evagrius a highly specific set of cosmological and christological beliefs that touched off the controversy (pp. 354–63) – but in doing so Harmless glosses over a number of presuppositions which inform that attribution and which have been increasingly called into question. The presupposition that has been questioned most seriously (e.g., in several publications by Gabriel Bunge that are not mentioned in the bibliographies) is whether the metaphysical system condemned as Origenism in the sixth century can be justifiably used as a template for organising, interpreting and explaining the works that Evagrius wrote in the fourth century. Many scholars of Evagrius’ works would be considerably less bold in ascribing to Evagrius the views that Harmless relates, precisely because findings more recent than Guillaumont's Les Képhalaia Gnostica d'Évagre le Pontique or Clark's The Origenist Controversy have called their shared methodology into question.

What is at stake here and in other such cases, however, is how specialists would present the material under discussion, and a teacher recommending this book to students would certainly be free to elaborate on controversial points. Even if the book generates a measure of dissatisfaction along those lines, this will certainly be outweighed by gratitude for the splendid resource that Harmless has put at our disposal.