The rise of the monastic movement in the fourth century led many monks to settle in the Judaean desert. They described how they lived in an inhospitable environment. This gives fresh insights into the life of John the Baptist, including his diet. He would have foraged for food, including the melagria plant, widely eaten by desert dwellers. Later scribes, who were unfamiliar with the desert, changed this to meli agrion, or wild honey.

中文翻译：

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施洗者约翰：沙漠和饮食

四世纪修道院运动的兴起导致许多僧侣在犹太沙漠定居。他们描述了他们如何生活在一个不适宜居住的环境中。这让我们对施洗约翰的生活，包括他的饮食，有了新的认识。他会寻找食物，包括沙漠居民广泛食用的melagria植物。后来，不熟悉沙漠的文士将其改为“meli agrion”，即野蜂蜜。