Philokalia and Monks' Garden. Current Coptic Arabic Anthology of stories and learn of Early Christian Fathers
Abstract
The Greek Philokalia has not been accepted by the Copts for historical and dogmatic reason. Instead, they have attached themselves to the tradition of their Desert Fathers, recalling their lives and teachings (the apophthegmata).
Since these have been preserved mainly in Greek and Syriac manuscripts, contemporary Coptic editors of patristic writings use modern French or English versions for translations into Arabic, along with older Arabic manuscript versions they might find in monastic or patriarchal libraries. This has been the case of the modern edition of The Garden of Monks (Bustān al-ruhbān) as appeared in 1968 and 1975.
Yet, apart from the traditional lives and sayings, the volume also contains longer spiritual admonitions of several early Syriac and Byzantine authors that make the book closer to the Philokalia both in contents, and in effects. Monastic spiritual discourses which were long kept inside the monasteries have been brought out to the lay public, and have, in the 1970's, produced a wide awareness of spiritual goals, ascetism, total dedication to God, and have contributed to revival of Christian faith and of monastic vocations.