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Christian Hermits who lived in the Sahara desert of Egypt, beginning in about the third century. The original desert hermits were Christians fleeing the chaos and persecution of the third century Roman Empire, which during the third century was undergoing a period of civil upheaval. Christians were often scapegoated during these times of unrest, and near the end of the century, this persecution was made systematic by the emperor Diocletian. In Egypt, Christian refugee communities often formed at the edges of population centers, far enough away to be safe from Imperial scrutiny, but still close enough to have access to civilization. Records from this time indicate that Christians often lived in tombs and trashheaps on the edges of major cities, more or less protected by their obscurity.

Even after Christianity was made legal in Egypt by Diocletian's successor Constantine in 313, a trickle of individuals, many of them young men, continued to live in these marginal areas. The solitude of these places attracted them; the privations of the desert were a means of learning stoic self-discipline, a character trait highly prized in Greco-Roman culture. Such self-control was not necessarily a central theme of Jesus' gospel, which stressed community fellowship and assumed an agricultural or urban context. Nevertheless, these young men saw in Jesus' cousin John the Baptist (himself a desert hermit) a model for such self-discipline, and believed they found in him a alternate way of living the gospel. Living in the desert would teach them to eschew the things of this world and allow them to follow God's call more deliberately.

Thus, during the fourth century, the empty areas around Egyptian cities continued to attract Christians wishing to live in solitude. As the lifestyle developed, these men and women developed a reputation for holiness and wisdom. Later monks, notably Anthony the Great, Pachomius, and John Cassian were well known throughout the Roman world. The spirituality of the desert fathers, emphasizing an ascent to God through periods of purgation and illumination that lead to unity with the Divine, deeply affected the spirituality of the Western Church. For this reason, the writings and spirituality of the desert fathers are still of interest to many people today.