Volume 57 of Ancient Christian Writers By St. John Cassian This is the first complete English translation of this voluminous work. John Cassian (c 360–430), a native of Dacia, traveled to Egypt along with his friend, Germanus, where they learned about the monastic tradition from the great Desert Fathers. The result is the Conferences, which record 24 dialogues between Cassian and Germanus and any one of 15 Egyptian monks on the subject of the cultivation of the purity of heart which brings one to the kingdom of God. Other matters discussed range from fasting to friendship, to the interpretation of scripture to the practice of unceasing prayer.
