ON THE LIVES OF THE HOLY FATHERS

NATIONAL LIBRARY
ROME
VICTOR EMANUEL

A decorative horizontal woodcut headpiece displays elaborate acanthus leaf scrolls and floral motifs, centered around a classical human mask, typical of mid-16th-century Venetian or Roman printing.

PREFACE TO THE HISTORY OF THE HOLY

Fathers, which is called the Lausiac History.

original: "Lausiaca." This work, written by Palladius of Galatia in the early 5th century, is named after Lausus, a chamberlain at the court of Emperor Theodosius II, to whom the book was dedicated.

A large square woodcut initial letter 'I' serves as a decorative start to the text. The scene depicted within the letter shows a landscape where a man carries a heavy water vessel on his shoulder—a symbol of the manual labor performed by monks—while another bearded man, likely a hermit, sits nearby a stone structure or cell.

IN this book is recorded the training original: "exercitatio"; this refers to the Greek concept of askēsis, or spiritual discipline, from which we get the word "ascetic." in virtue which they practiced, and the admirable manner of living their lives, of the blessed and holy fathers who lived in the wilderness original: "solitudine"; referring to the Egyptian desert where the early Christian monks resided.. This is written so that they may be emulated and imitated by those who wish to lead a heavenly life, and to enter upon that life which leads to the kingdom of heaven. Here also is the memory of women and of renowned mothers inspired by God, who with great and brave spirits completed the contests original: "certamina"; a common early Christian metaphor comparing spiritual struggles to the physical matches of Olympic athletes. of the training in virtue. This is done so that an example may be set forth, and love may be stirred up in those who wish to be crowned with the wreath of self-control and chastity. This work is produced according to the opinion and will of the man who is endowed with varied and manifold learning, peaceful in character, and pious in heart, religious in mind, and [dedicated] to sharing what is necessary with those in need