In this book, Binns examines the monastic movement in Palestine during the Byzantine period, from the accession of Constantine to the fall of Jerusalem to the Persians in 614. The monasteries of the desert—in Jerusalem, Egypt, and Syria—played an influential role in Byzantine society, and the "desert fathers" are well known even today as key figures in the history of Christian spirituality. Binns uses contemporary sources to discuss both how the monks actually lived, and their contributions to doctrinal and spiritual debates.