Join us every third Thursday of every month at 9:00 AM for Coffee With the Curator at the Museum of World Treasures!

Event Details

• Date: September 18, 2025
• Time: 9:00 AM
• Location: Museum of World Treasures [Get Directions]

Program Fee

• Museum Members: Free
• Non-Members: $4 per person plus tax

Become a Museum Member

Attending Information

• Open to all ages
• No need to register; simply walk in!
• Light refreshments provided.

Talk Summary

Christian monasticism originated and grew dramatically in the Roman empire during the fourth and fifth centuries Some monks became world famous and/or established large communities of fellow ascetics. In this lecture we’ll meet three prominent early monks: Antony of Egypt (died ca. 356), traditionally recognized as the first desert hermit; Shenoute of Atripe (died 465), the founder of a large monastic community in southern Egypt and one of the great saints of the Coptic Orthodox Church; and Simeon the Stylite (died 459), who stood on top of a pillar in rural Syria for decades and attracted thousands of pilgrims. We’ll learn why they were so important in late antiquity and see that the places where they lived remain sites of Christian devotion even today.

Speaker Bio - David Brakke, Ph.D.

David Brakke is Joe R. Engle Chair in the History of Christianity and Professor of History at the Ohio State University. He received the Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School and the Ph.D. in religious studies from Yale University. He is the author of several books on ancient Christianity, including Demons and the Making of the Monk: Spiritual Combat in Early Christianity, and a popular lecturer in the Great Courses series produced by The Teaching Company.