There is a word carved within the history of the Egyptian desert: Ϣⲓϩⲏⲧ (Shiheet). The great basin that would become the heartland of Christian monasticism carried this profound name given to it by the early Coptic monks — Shiheet, known in Greek as Scetis, and today as Wadi El-Natrun. The Arabic translation of this name primarily reflects the physical landscape: a valley rich in natron, the salt that the ancient Egyptians used to preserve the dead. Yet, the older Coptic name

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil.” Mark 4:1 John Cassian, an ascetic monk and writer...