Who were the desert fathers in the 400s?

Answer 1

They were men ( there were a few women too) that went to live in the deserts of Egypt after Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. They were seeking a more ascetic way of finding God and practicing the Christian faith. They were hermits. Many became very holy people and others came to ask their advise. There is a good book by Thomas Merton called "Wisdom of the Desert" which is a collection of saying by some of the Desert Fathers. It might interest you to know that there was a least one women who was revived too. This is St. Mary the Egyptian. It was a very difficult life, but especially so for the few women that lived it. Often some of the men, when they saw a woman, mistakenly thought that it was the Angel of Darkness tempting them, and they gave the women a very difficult time as a result.
Here is a link to history of St. Mary of Egypt.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_of_Egypt
And here is a link to information about the Desert Fathers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_Fathers

Answer 2

The desert fathers are typically Hellenistic, if not Buddhist, in their assumption that spirit and matter—and especially soul and body—are enemies. “The body kills me,” says Macarius, “so I will kill it!”

Answer 3

true children of God.

bearer of true orthodox faith.